Brian Shaw returned tonight to the location where his coaching career began. He left with victory.
The Nuggets trailed the entire first half, but closed the gap to 5 points at halftime. In the third quarter, Ty Lawson took over. Lawson finished with another double-double, 32 points (16 in the fourth quarter) and 16 assists. Denver shot the lights out, especially in the second half, carrying over a 48% shooting performance from last night into a 54% shooting performance tonight. Denver beat LA 106-96
Staples Center was Wayne's World early as Wayne Ellington scored 11 points in the first 8 minutes of play. I think Byron Scott pulled him to keep the Lakers on track for the long term as Ellington didn't appear again until late in the second quarter.
Jusuf Nurkic had 5 fouls in 19 minutes. Some ticky-tack, some earned. He also added 4 blocks and shot 100% from the field. His foul trouble allowed for the return of JaVale McGee who added 3 points in 1 minute of play, including a sweet ally oop dunk.
Pariah J.J. Hickson turned in a solid game, too! Hickson scored 13 points and grabbed 7 boards in 26 minutes of play. He not only finished in the positive, but +11. Carlos Boozer did score 21 points, but I am sure Hickson had nothing to do with that. Randy Foye looked as good as he has all season tonight. He knocked down threes and successfully drove to the basket on occasion. Denver's bench performed very well and helped push Denver over the top.
Overall, the game was a slog until Ty started lighting up the nets. His leadership guided the Nuggets to victory as his drives equally resulted in made baskets for himself and his teammates. Tonight Ty reminded us not only of why he is so valuable, but of how entertaining the Nuggets can be to watch.
