Denver, CO – Evan Fournier stepped up with a career high 19 points, and the Denver Nuggets continued their winning ways at home with a 109-87 drubbing of the Brooklyn Nets.
Fournier received a surplus of minutes with Ty Lawson out of the lineup and took advantage, making 6-of-9 shots from the field. Lawson sat with a plantar fascia tear in his right heel, but is considered day-to-day.
"Our job is to get as high of a seed as possible, and whatever the injury situation, I think most people are fairly optimistic [Ty Lawson] will be fine," said Denver coach George Karl. "I don't think we should have anything in our head, except to try and win every game, and maybe the last game of the season think about resting the team if everything is solidified."
The Nuggets had lost two in row on the heels of winning 15 straight, but continue to find success at the Pepsi Center, where they have won 18 in a row. Wilson Chandler had 16 points, with Corey Brewer and Kosta Koufos each scoring 13.
Brooklyn fell to 4-2 on its eight-game road trip, trailing by double digits the entire second half on Friday. Deron Williams scored 19 and Reggie Evans finished with 15 points and 16 boards in defeat.
"We didn't play as well as we have been playing but Denver had a lot to do with that," said Nets coach P.J. Carlesimo.
Denver turned a 26-23 first quarter lead into a blowout by halftime, thanks in large part to a 12-0 run started and capped on scores from Danilo Gallinari, whose 17-foot jumper put the Nuggets ahead 45-28.
The Nets were just 4-for-16 in the quarter and committed seven turnovers, which turned into nine points for the Nuggets. Denver led 55-38 at the break.
The margin swelled to 22 points just over three minutes into the third on JaVale McGee's short jumper, and while the Nets were able to cut the deficit to 80-66 on a C.J. Watson 3-pointer at the end of the quarter, they wouldn't get much closer.
After the Nets pulled within 12 just under four minutes into the final frame, Fournier added a pair of driving scores to a 9-2 push, creating a 95-76 lead.
Brooklyn only came as close as 17 points the rest of the way. With the loss, it now trails the New York Knicks by 3 1/2 games for the Atlantic Division lead.
Game Notes
Brook Lopez had 11 points and seven rebounds for Brooklyn ... The Nuggets controlled the fastbreak by a 26-2 margin ... Denver scored 62 points in the paint.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.