Denver, CO (My Sportsbook) - Chauncey Billups had 24 points and 14 assists, and the
Denver Nuggets crushed the
Toronto Raptors, 132-93, at the Pepsi Center.
Carmelo Anthony added 23 points and six rebounds, while Nene had 19 points and 11 boards for the Nuggets, who have won three straight and five of six. J.R. Smith had 14 points, Kenyon Martin 11 and Linas Kleiza 12 in the victory.
Chris Bosh scored a team-high 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Raptors, who have lost four of six. Jermaine O'Neal scored 12 points after missing the previous three games with a knee injury, while Roko Ukic had 13 in the loss.
Billups scored 10 points early, and Denver got out to a sizeable 33-19 lead after the opening quarter.
The Nuggets went up by as many as 19 in the second quarter, but a 12-6 Toronto run midway through the second brought the Raptors to within 10. Denver closed on a 8-0 run, though, and took a 64-45 lead into the break.
"Yes on both ends of the court," Anthony said when asked if it was a team effort. "I think we're headed in the right direction but we still have a lot of games to play."
Denver gradually increased its lead in the third quarter, thanks to 15 points from Anthony. The Nuggets put the game away before the frame ended and held a 100-68 lead heading into the fourth.
The Nuggets pushed their lead to as much as 43 in the fourth quarter on the way to the victory.
"Coming into tonight's game I felt good," Toronto head coach Sam Mitchell said. "I'm extremely disappointed you have to compete every second you're on the floor. Tonight they kicked us pretty good."
Game Notes
The 132 points were a season-high for Denver. It was the largest margin of victory for the Nuggets this season...Denver has won three straight and eight of nine against the Raptors...The Nuggets are now 7-2 at home and have won 9-of-11 overall...The Nuggets shot a remarkable 59.8 percent (49-of-82) from the field, including 13-of-24 from long range...Toronto shot just 36.6 (34-of-93) from the floor and 5-of-17 from three-point distance.
