Denver Nuggets Collect Fourth-Straight Victory With Win Over Oklahoma City Thunder, 101-88

Jan 9, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets small forward Quincy Miller (30) guards Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) in the first quarter at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Nuggets ran away with the game in the third quarter as they outscored the Oklahoma City Thunder 29-15, taking the victory 101-88. Nuggets small forward Wilson Chandler sat out Thursday night’s match-up with a strained groin and was replaced by 21-year-old Quincy Miller. Miller fared well in his first NBA start as he played in 20 minutes of action. He would shoot 3-of-6 from the field collecting 9 points and 2 rebounds.

Kevin Durant came out of the gates hot for Oklahoma City and was their only hope to contend in tonight’s game. The forward would score 16 points in the first quarter and finished the first half with 24. Durant would finish the game with 30 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Ty Lawson would play like an all-star with his aggressiveness to the hole creating shots for himself and his teammates. Lawson finished the ball game with 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting, 7 rebounds and 14 rebounds.

Kenneth Faried was full of energy tonight for the Nuggets tonight, finishing a point shy of a double-double. Faried stuffed the stat-sheet with 9 points, 14 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block. His front-court partner J.J. Hickson was quiet from the field with 4 points on 1-of-9 shooting but made up for it on the glass with 12 rebounds, 4 of which were offensive. Evan Fournier picked up the slack for Nate Robinson‘s off night. Fournier shot 7-of-13 from the field including 4-of-7 from behind-the-arc, finishing with 19 points. Randy Foye continues to shoot the ball extremely well for the Nuggets as he scored 24 points tonight.

The Nuggets shot particularly well from downtown as the team shot 14-of-31, 45.2% percent while the Thunder shot a dismal 6-of-24, 25.0% percent. The Thunder would only collect 11 assists while Denver had 24, including 14 from Ty Lawson. Here is a look at the stat comparisons:

Free Throws:

Oklahoma City Thunder: 22-27, 81.5% percent.
Denver Nuggets: 13-18, 72.2% percent.

Steals:

Oklahoma City Thunder: 8
Denver Nuggets: 7

Blocks:

Oklahoma City Thunder: 10
Denver Nuggets: 4

Fast Break Points:

Oklahoma City Thunder: 4
Denver Nuggets: 14

The Denver Nuggets (18-17) will play host to the Orlando Magic at home Saturday night. Tip-Off is scheduled for 9:00 PM ET, 7:00 PM MT.