Nuggets 111, Cavaliers 103: Danilo Gallinari scored 19 points to lead eight players in double figures and grabbed nine rebounds as visiting Denver won its ninth straight - its longest win streak since taking 10 in a row from March 30-April 15, 2005.
Kenneth Faried added 17 points and seven boards and Andre Iguodala scored 14 to go with seven assists for the Nuggets, who have won 15 of 17 overall and six of the past seven meetings with Cleveland.
Kyrie Irving collected 26 points, seven assists and six rebounds and Alonzo Gee scored 20 for the Cavaliers, who had their three-game win streak snapped and lost for just the third time in the last nine games.
The Nuggets scored the first eight points but went cold and fell behind by as many as seven in the first quarter. They chipped the lead down to 32-30 by the end of the quarter and closed the half on a 6-0 run for a 58-52 advantage at the break.
Denver pushed the lead to 87-73 on Andre Miller's three-point play to open the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers pulled within 101-93 on Wayne Ellington's 3-pointer with 5:54 left, but Gallinari pulled down an offensive rebound on a missed free throw and hit a 3-pointer later in the possession to stretch the margin back to double digits.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Denver completed a two-game sweep of the Cavaliers, marking the fifth time in the last seven seasons it has swept the season series from Cleveland. … Ellington scored 13 points and fellow reserve Shaun Livingston added 11 for the Cavaliers, who have had at least two reserves score in double figures in eight straight games. … The Nuggets have allowed more than 100 points five times during their win streak.
Denver | Cleveland | |
Danilo Gallinari 19 | Scoring | Kyrie Irving 26 |
Andre Iguodala 7 | Assists | Kyrie Irving 7 |
Danilo Gallinari 9 | Rebounds | Kyrie Irving 6 |
Corey Brewer 6 | Free Throws Made | Tyler Zeller 5 |
Wilson Chandler 2 | Steals | Alonzo Gee 2 |
JaVale McGee 4 | Blocks | Alonzo Gee 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Denver | 111 | 50.0 | 6-17 | 25-34 | 23 | 46 | 8 | 9 | 20 |
Cleveland | 103 | 44.0 | 9-20 | 20-26 | 24 | 38 | 5 | 9 | 16 |