The schedule for the Nuggets is about to show its fangs.
Denver begins a key four-game stretch in its pursuit of the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference on Thursday with games against the Clippers, Rockets (twice) and Cavaliers, teams that began the week a combined 58 games over .500.
So before they began that gantlet, pushing aside the playing-for-next-year Lakers on Monday night was an imperative order of business for the Nuggets.
Denver answered the bell by cruising to a 129-101 victory at the and filming a new highlight reel along the way. It was the third consecutive win for the Nuggets (32-35), who increased their lead for the No. 8 spot to two games over idle Portland.
“I’m very proud of our guys,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “It was a game we had to get.”
The Nuggets split the game wide open in the second quarter with a 22-2 run that assaulted the rim. That stretch, which happened in a mere four minutes, included three dunks. The first two of those dunks, by guards and , come on the fast break, where the Nuggets had a 23-13 advantage.
“We were getting stops, playing hard and getting out in transition,” Harris said. “We look really good when we do that.”
The last track in the album of jams, a reverse slam from , came on the end of a behind-the-head pass from that would have made Pete Maravich blush.
“That’s classic Jok. It’s standard now,” Barton said of the eye-popping play. “He does it all the time. I knew he was going to throw the pass exactly like that as soon as he caught the ball.”
Barton entered Monday’s game in a deep shooting slump. He had hit just 38.1 percent of his shots from the field and 23.7 percent from 3-point range since the all-star break.
“I was overthinking a lot,” Barton said. “I was just saying, ‘Should I take this shot? Should I not?’ Not being myself.
Barton made a return to his playmaking form Monday, scoring 19 of his 22 points during Denver’s dominating first half. He made 6-of-8 shots in the first two quarters, including all three of his 3-point attempts. His eight points at the end of the first quarter helped the Nuggets stretch a slim lead to a 35-23 edge.
“I just wanted to come out and be aggressive,” said Barton, who added six assists. “It was being in attack mode, trying to get to the rim and make plays for others. It was running hard, playing hard and realizing things were going to happen for me.”
BOX SCORE:
The Nuggets led 67-43 at halftime and then hit their first five shots of the third quarter, including two 3-pointers, to swell the lead to 32 points. The Lakers (20-47) chipped away, nearly trimming their deficit in half. When Jordan Clarkson hit a driving runner at the buzzer to end the third quarter, Denver led 93-76.
Then Danilo Gallinari and Murray buried 3-pointers and it was off to the races in the fourth quarter for the Nuggets, who made 17-of-38 shots (44.7 percent) from beyond the arc. The Nuggets got 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists from Jokic. Gallinari had 18 points and five assists. Mason Plumlee added 15 points and 10 rebounds. Murray chipped in 22 points off the bench, scoring 16 in the fourth quarter.
The Nuggets held the Lakers to 43.3 percent shooting, displaying an improved defense that has been a key staple during a stretch that has seen Denver win six of its last eight games.
“This is the best stretch of defense we’ve had the whole season,” Malone said. “I couldn’t arrive at a better time with 15 games to go.”
