exploded to the basket and finished through the contact, complementing his hot night from downtown with a conversion in the paint.
That was the highlight play of the Nuggets’ big third quarter, propelling them to a methodical 121-104 victory over Charlotte Monday night at the .
“We knew if we were gonna win the game, it was gonna have to start in that third quarter,” Harris said. “We were gonna come out and let (the Hornets) know that it wasn’t gonna be their night, and thatap what we did.”
The victory was the Nuggets’ (29-25) sixth in eight games to ascend to sixth place in a crowded Western Conference standings, leapfrogging both New Orleans (28-25) and Portland (29-25) because Denver currently leads the season series over the Trail Blazers 2-1. The win also matched the Nuggets’ total at home for all of last season (22), and marks their best start since the 2012-13 season.
Denver’s win also unfolded in a much different fashion than its four consecutive nail-biters against some of the NBA’s best teams. Nuggets coach Michael Malone was curious to see how his team would respond after dramatic, emotional wins over Oklahoma City and Golden State, particularly after Denver dropped three games against sub-.500 teams during a trying January. The coach was most proud of how the Nuggets built an early 14-point lead, then how they turned up the defense to limit Charlotte to 37.8 percent from the floor in the second half.
“It’s easy to get up for Golden State and OKC, but those two wins wouldn’t have meant nothing if we had dropped the ball tonight playing against a team that’s under .500,” said guard/forward , who finished with 18 points and eight assists. “Those are the games we gotta win, especially at home. I’m glad we took care of business.”
The Nuggets dominated several other categories. They totaled 30 assists on 46 made field-goals and committed just 11 turnovers. After giving up 36 points in the paint in the first half — including a 7-for-7 mark from Dwight Howard — they gave up just 12 after the break by double-teaming more defensively. And they tied their season-high with 18 made 3-pointers on 34 long-range attempts.
Harris (27 points on 9-of-13 shooting) started the barrage from beyond the arc with five first-quarter makes, tying for the second-most 3-pointers in a quarter in franchise history. , who finished with 15 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists, sank two long balls helped kick-start a 16-4 run to begin the third quarter. After Kemba Walker (20 points, four assists) drilled his own 3-pointer to cut Denver’s lead to 85-76 with 3:05 left in the period, (18 points, seven assists, four rebounds) answered with two consecutive deep shots. Overall, Denver shot 56.8 percent from the field, with seven players finishing in double figures.
“We’ve got a team that if we see one person hot, everybody feels like they’re hot,” Barton said. “I got it started early. Then, boom, Gary just picked it up. Then Jokic picked it up. Then you look up, and I think Jamal had eight, and then he’s got 18.
“We just all feed off each other. We all want to see each other do well. It’s a good vibe.”
Added Malone: “When you have examples of the ball movement that are creating wide open shots, that makes it so much fun. And itap contagious … who doesn’t like playing a game like that?”
This was Denver’s last game before Thursday’s trade deadline, prior to a back-to-back road set at Houston and Phoenix. That game against the Rockets, who currently hold the second-best record in the West, will require the same jolt of energy that the Nuggets possessed throughout last week’s thrillers.
But games like Monday can also show growth. And when Nicolas Batum banked in a 3-pointer to reduce Denver’s lead to 112-100 with 5:11 remaining, Harris again found the ball in his hands.
Naturally, he got back to the rim and finished through contact.
