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What the Nuggets are Saying Following Win Over Cavaliers

WHAT THEY SAID:

Nuggets coach Michael Malone on the win: “I’m just so proud of our guys. There is a very ecstatic locker room right now because it was a hell of a win and everybody contributed. I thought Will Barton off the bench, I thought Jamal Murray off the bench in the second quarter, and I think a big difference was Kenneth Faried in the third quarter. His energy, his finishing was phenomenal. It took everybody to get the win and now we have to move on and get ready for Indiana.”

Malone on the Nuggets beating both Golden State and Cleveland this season: “You know what it says? It says that we are a team that has a lot of talent. We believe in each other, we believe in the process that we are embarking on and that great things are in store for us.”

Nuggets guard Gary Harris on the meaning of the win: “I wouldn’t say signature win but that was the most important game of the season right now just because of the playoff race we are in. We were able to get this one so next one is going to be just as important. When we go to Indiana, it is going to be just as important for us just to continue to get wins.”

Harris on the key to the victory: “We played great defense as a team. I feel like everybody did a great job helping out. They have three great scorers on their team. We were able to get a win against a great team in the league.”

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic on the team effort: “I think Kenneth had a really good game, a great game. Jamal had like three straight threes I think. He was really good. Our bench was really good. I think we had just six turnovers and that’s really good for us and I think we had like 30 something assists so that’s really good.”

NOTES:

- The Nuggets are now 34-37 this season, exceeding last year’s win total with 11 games left to play. The wins are the most for the Nuggets in a season since winning 36 in 2013-14. The Nuggets are also 21-17 at home, clinching a winning home record. There are three home games remaining.

- The Nuggets scored over 120 points for the 23rd time this season. It’s the 15th time the team has done so since Jan. 12. Prior to this season, the Nuggets had scored 120 or more just 19 times in the three previous seasons combined.

- Gary Harris led the Nuggets with 21 points. Harris has had 20 or more points in five of his last eight games and is averaging 19.6 points on 53 percent shooting in that span.

- Will Barton’s 20 points in the game against Cleveland was the fourth time in his last five games that he’s scored at least that many points. He’s averaging 22.2 points on 53 percent shooting overall and 53 percent from the 3-point line in that span. He’s also averaging 4.6 assists and 3.8 rebounds in this stretch.