The Denver Nuggets picked up another road victory on Wednesday night when they defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 102-87. The Nuggets opened the game with a 6-0 lead, but saw it turn into a 12-point deficit late in the second quarter. However, the Hawks were unable to hold that lead and let the Nuggets take a four-point lead into halftime. They never let go of the lead after that.
Nene had a big night for the Nuggets with 20 points, seven rebounds and four blocks. In his return to the court, Arron Afflalo scored 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Wilson Chandler overcame five turnovers to finish with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Ty Lawson felt a point short of a double-double, scoring nine points and dishing out the ball for 10 assists. J.R. Smith added 15 points from off the bench.
The Hawks almost split their points in half between the bench and the starters. Zaza Pachulia came off the bench to put up team-highs with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Jamal Crawford and Marvin Williams added 13 points and 10 points, respectively, off the bench. Joe Johnson and Josh Smith combined for 25 of the starter's 25 points.
The Nuggets (41-27) improved to 14-20 on the road and will visit the Orlando Magic on Friday night.