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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
DENVER (AP) -- Facing the league's top defense, the Denver
Nuggets went on the offensive.
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| Van Exel |
Nick Van Exel had 24 points and 12 assists as the Nuggets returned to their home comfort zone, beating the New York Knicks 96-77 on Tuesday night.
Antonio McDyess added 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Raef
LaFrentz scored 21 for the Nuggets, who had lost six of seven
overall but improved to 21-6 at home. Denver outscored New York
23-4 on the fast break.
"Transition defense is very simple: Get your butt back before they get their butt down the court," New York coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "Usually our transition defense is one of our strengths. Tonight it was our greatest weakness."
Allan Houston had 15 points to lead four New York players in double figures. Larry Johnson had 14 and Latrell Sprewell had 10 on 3-for-14 shooting. The 77 points marked a season-low for a Denver
opponent.
"I thought that our ability to push the pace and the fact we are coming off the All-Star break took a toll on them in the second half," Nuggets coach Dan Issel said.
Denver never trailed and led by as many as 17 points in the
third quarter before New York rallied within five on Sprewell's two
free throws with 7:58 remaining.
McDyess scored on an alley-oop pass from LaFrentz a minute
later, sparking a 19-5 run over the game's final 6:55. Denver has
won 13 of 15 at home and handed New York its worst defeat since a
31-point loss to Utah on Dec. 15.
The Knicks face the Jazz in Salt Lake City on Wednesday.
"At some point we had to say, 'Let's put a stop to this,"'
Houston said. "At least make them score on us in the half court.
That is when we are a dominating defensive team, when we make teams
score on us in the half court."
New York, which had won five straight in Denver, trailed 72-55
before going on a 17-5 run over a 7:34 span of the third and fourth
quarters. The Nuggets went 2-for-9 and committed five turnovers
during that stretch.
After taking a timeout, Denver (28-24) regrouped with seven straight points while the Knicks missed three straight shots and turned the ball over twice. The scenario is familiar to the Nuggets when they are on the road, where they are 7-18.
"It seems like we go through ups and downs more on the road,"
LaFrentz said. "We've got some consistency here at home, but we're
still trying to find the magic solution on the road."
Denver, playing its first home game since a 1-5 road trip, used
an 11-2 run to build an 11-point lead in the second quarter and
went into the half ahead 54-44. The different in fast-break points
was 19-2 at halftime.
"They did a great job of pushing and attacking," Sprewell
said. "We were warned. Jeff gave us that warning before, but we
didn't heed it."
Game notes
LaFrentz, Van Exel and McDyess combined for 62 points in a
loss at New York on Dec. 9. The trio had 62 again Tuesday. ... Denver G Robert Pack did not play because of a sprained little toe on his right foot. ... Van Exel had made 36 straight free throws before missing in the fourth quarter. ... The Knicks average 77.5 points in their 19 losses. ... New York has averaged 18 turnovers its past four games.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
New York Clubhouse
Denver Clubhouse
RECAPS
Charlotte 77
Indiana 66
Toronto 120
Cleveland 105
Miami 101
LA Clippers 99
LA Lakers 113
New Jersey 110
Philadelphia 107
Milwaukee 104
Sacramento 97
Utah 94
Chicago 96
Atlanta 92
Houston 99
Washington 89
San Antonio 104
Dallas 92
Denver 96
New York 77
Portland 109
Minnesota 88
Vancouver 99
Boston 98
Phoenix 93
Golden State 83
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