The Denver Nuggets jumped out to a 22-point halftime lead over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night, and didn't face much of a comeback as they cruised a 96-81 victory that improved their home record to 7-2 on the season. The Nuggets were paced on the night by Rudy Fernandez, Danilo Gallinari and Nene, who scored 23, 21 and 20 points, respectively.
The Raptors had a horrid night from the field, shooting 39% as a team, with the starting backcourt of DeMar DeRozan and Jose Calderon going 6-25 on their own. Ex-Nugget Linas Kleiza, who has been inserted into the starting line up in the absence of Andrea Bargnani, snatched eight rebounds on the night, but shot a dreadful 1-7 on the night.
Denver shot only 29% from three, but they were effective from inside the arc, finishing the game shooting 45% from the field. Fernandez alone made nine of 11 shots to lead the Nuggets' vaunted second unit.
The Nuggets will be off on Saturday before hosting Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and the rest of the Los Angeles Clippers.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more in-depth coverage of the Nuggets, visit Denver Stiffs. And for more news and notes from around the NBA, head over to SB Nation's NBA news hub.
The Raptors had a horrid night from the field, shooting 39% as a team, with the starting backcourt of DeMar DeRozan and Jose Calderon going 6-25 on their own. Ex-Nugget Linas Kleiza, who has been inserted into the starting line up in the absence of Andrea Bargnani, snatched eight rebounds on the night, but shot a dreadful 1-7 on the night.
Denver shot only 29% from three, but they were effective from inside the arc, finishing the game shooting 45% from the field. Fernandez alone made nine of 11 shots to lead the Nuggets' vaunted second unit.
The Nuggets will be off on Saturday before hosting Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and the rest of the Los Angeles Clippers.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more in-depth coverage of the Nuggets, visit Denver Stiffs. And for more news and notes from around the NBA, head over to SB Nation's NBA news hub.