By Christopher Dempsey
Two wicked streaks came to a screeching halt in the Nuggets’ 129-109 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night at the Pepsi Center.
Ended streak No. 1: A two-game losing streak that bookended the All-Star break. After beating Golden State with an injury-depleted team on Feb. 13, the Nuggets lost twice and needed a reboot. They got that and then some against the Nets.
Ended streak No. 2: A six-game losing streak to the Nets. Three of the losses were of the heart-breaking variety, but they were losses nonetheless to a team that for a brief period of time had the Nuggets’ number.
Not anymore.
On a night where the franchise celebrated its greatest player, Alex English, the Nuggets picked up a much-needed victory over a team they knew they had to beat. The victory keeps them firmly in the eighth seed in the Western Conference, being trailed closely by Sacramento, Portland, New Orleans, Dallas and Minnesota.
“Obviously, I think we were all disappointed in our effort (at Sacramento), and I think we wanted to atone for that, which we did tonight,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “And if we want to be a playoff team, no disrespect to Brooklyn, this is a game that we have to win and we were able to do that.”
The Flow. The Nuggets got off to a good start, sprinting out to a 24-14 lead behind the hot shooting of Gary Harris, who hit three of his first four shots from the field, including two out of three from the 3-point line. His eight points early on were complimented by a stat-stuffing start from center Mason Plumlee, who poured in four points, five rebounds and three assists.
The Nuggets used a 12-2 run to get a lead and assumed a modicum of control in the game. Corralling Brooklyn center Brook Lopez was an issue, however, and Nikola Jokic had to sit early with two fouls. Plumlee also picked up two fouls in the first quarter. Still, the Nuggets ended the first with a 30-25 lead.
The offense only got better in the second quarter, with the Nuggets putting 34 more points on the board to hold a 64-53 lead at the half. Meanwhile, Plumlee continued to inch closer to triple-double territory with six points, eight rebounds and six assists.
But it was the third quarter that separated things for good. The Nuggets tightened up the defense and used a 22-9 run to take a 21-point lead in the period. The Nuggets were comfortably ahead, and simply maintained the lead in the fourth quarter to get the easy victory.
“That third quarter, I thought our defense was phenomenal, held them to 35 percent that quarter,” Malone said. “And that’s where we built our lead and were able to pull away a little bit.”
Deciding run: The Nuggets outscored Brooklyn 37-22 in the third quarter overall, but the stretch that provided the knockout blow was the 22-9 run in the first 7:42 of the period.
What it means: The Nuggets gained a half-game on idle Sacramento in the race for the eighth spot and now lead by one full game.
Nuggets standouts: Gary Harris had a career-high 25 points. Meanwhile, Wilson Chandler finished with 24 points on 11-of-21 shooting. Danilo Gallinari had 20 points and eight rebounds and Mason Plumlee just missed a triple-double with 12 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.
What they said:
Mason Plumlee on if he was aware was close to a triple-double: “I really wasn’t, and then I think before I went in (the game) the last time, somebody told me to get a couple of assists. I was trying, it just didn’t come through.
Gary Harris on his career high 25 points: “Jameer definitely helped me out with that. We definitely did a good job moving the ball, getting out in transition and shared the ball really well.”
Wilson Chandler on the Nuggets watching the standings: “Every game from here on out is a must-win for us if we want to stay in the eighth seed. We have a lot of teams right under that made moves. They are going to come from that spot.”
Nuggets coach Michael Malone on Plumlee’s night: “I thought Mason Plumlee was fantastic tonight. A lot of guys stepped up. A good bounce back win after a very disappointing performance last night in Sacramento.”
Stat of the Game: The Nuggets had 62 points in the paint.
Next: The Nuggets get Saturday off before returning to the Pepsi Center court for a Sunday matinee game, 3 p.m. against Memphis.