Hyland Scores 22 Points, Nuggets Beat Knicks
DENVER (AP) — Rookie Bones Hyland scored 22 points, Nikola Jokic had 21 and the Denver Nuggets beat New York 132-115 on Tuesday night, sending the Knicks to a fourth consecutive loss and the 10th in their last 12 games.
JaMychal Green and Will Barton added 20 points apiece and Aaron Gordon had 19 for Denver, which has won successive games after losing three in a row. It was their ninth win in a row against the Knicks and 14th straight against New York in Denver.
Julius Randle had 28 points for the Knicks. Evan Fournier scored 21 and RJ Barrett added 18.
Trailing by 23 at halftime, the Knicks pulled within 13 in the fourth quarter, but that would be as close as they could get. Jokic hit a turnaround jumper and a couple of free throws and Barton added a pair of baskets around a layup by Alec Burks as the Nuggets rebuilt their lead to 19 points with just over three minutes remaining.
The Nuggets turned a two-point lead into a 22-point advantage with a 22-2 run in the middle of the second quarter. Denver's reserves were on the floor for much of the flurry, including Hyland, who ignited the run with a mid-range jumper and capped it with a step-back 3-pointer over a fallen Kemba Walker that put Denver up 66-44 with 6:03 left in the period
Denver led by as many as 27 points before settling for an 83-60 halftime lead. The first-half point total was a season high, eclipsing the 77 points the Nuggets scored against Houston on Jan. 1.
TIP-INS
Knicks: F Nerlens Noel (knee) and C Mitchell Robinson (back) missed the game. G Quentin Grimes also was scratched due to a knee injury. … C Taj Gibson fouled out with 3:56 remaining. … New York is 0-3 on its five-game road trip.
Nuggets: G Austin Rivers was held out of the game because of right hip flexor tightness. … Coach Michael Malone said he expects C-F DeMarcus Cousins to be re-signed by the Nuggets at some point in the coming days or weeks. The club has one open roster spot and it may wait until after Thursday's trade deadline in case it swings a deal. Cousins' initial 10-day contract expired Monday. He averaged 6.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in five games as the primary backup to Jokic. The Nuggets went 5-0 in games in which Cousins appeared.
UP NEXT
Knicks: At Golden State on Thursday night.
Nuggets: At Boston on Friday night.
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