New Jersey vs. Denver Game Recap
East Rutherford, NJ (Sports Network) - Rookie Ty Lawson scored a game-high 23
points and Carmelo Anthony donated 22, as the Denver Nuggets cruised to an
easy 122-94 win over the New Jersey Nets at the IZOD Center.
Kenyon Martin went for 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Nene added 16 points
and nine boards for Denver, which improved to a perfect 5-0 this season. It is
the Nuggets best start since the 1985-86 squad won its first six contests.
Arron Afflalo logged 15 points.
Chris Douglas-Roberts had 19 points and seven rebounds for the Nets, who
dropped to 0-5. It is their worst start since the 1996-97 squad under head
coach John Calipari lost as many to begin a campaign. Eduardo Najera and Brook
Lopez registered 14 and 12 points, respectively, for New Jersey.
"It was a second-half game," Douglas-Roberts said. "They turned it up, they
went on runs and we didn't respond. It's as simple as that."
The Nets held a slim 23-22 advantage after the opening quarter and things
remained close in the second with both teams exchanging the lead. Nene's
jumper with six seconds left in the half drew the Nuggets to within 51-50 at
the intermission.
The Nuggets began the third with an 11-3 burst with Chauncey Billups
accounting for the first seven of the quarter. After a Nene dunk, Denver held
a 61-53 edge. The visitors had a commanding 94-77 margin after three quarters.
"The first half, we couldn't really get it going," Billups said. "There's not
many times that (Anthony) and myself are off at the same time. Our bench came
in and played great."
New Jersey was unable to mount any sort of significant run in the fourth as
the Nuggets cruised to the easy 122-94 win.