FINAL: Denver Nuggets waste dominant performance from Randy Foye, fall to Charlotte Bobcats 101-98

Jan 29, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Charlotte Bobcats center Al Jefferson (right) drives to the basket past Denver Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov (left) during the first half at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Nuggets (22-22) fell back to an even .500 on the season as they lost to the Charlotte Bobcats by the score of 101-98. Denver was down at one point 20-9 in the first quarter as the team simply didn’t come to play. Point guard Ty Lawson sat out tonight’s contest with a left rotator cuff strain and is listed as day-to-day. Denver would take another hit in the injury department in the first quarter as Nate Robinson went to the basket and fell down in a spill in the lane. He would be taken to the locker room and was out for the rest of the game with a left knee strain.

Randy Foye would step up in the absence of Lawson and Robinson knocking down 12-of-21 shots from the field and went 3-for-9 from distance. Foye finished with a Nuggets season-high 33 points and also added 7 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals. Evan Fournier saw a lot of action tonight as well with injuries in the backcourt playing in 38 minutes of action. Fournier shot 8-of-21 from the field while going 3-of-9 from behind-the-arc. He would finish with 19 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals.

Al Jefferson stole the show however as he continues to dominate the Denver Nuggets. Even when he was with the Utah Jazz, he always gave Denver fits. He would go 13-of-24 from the field tonight finishing with a double-double. He tied his season-high in points with 35 while hauling down 11 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks. Two other Charlotte Bobcats finished with double-figures as shooting guard Gerald Henderson ended the game with 16 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and point guard Ramon Sessions finished with 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists.

The Denver Nuggets would get power forward Darrell Arthur back in the line-up tonight as he came off the bench playing 17 minutes. Arthur missed the previous 7 games and hit a key three-pointer late in the game to pull Denver within one but couldn’t convert from that point on. He would finish the night with 7 points on 3-of-9 shooting, collecting just 1 rebound.

The Denver Nuggets (22-22) return back to action Friday night as they host the surprising Toronto Raptors at the Pepsi Center. Tip-Off is scheduled for 9:00 PM ET, 7:00 PM MT.