The Nuggets may not have a winning record, but they are no easy out. The Thunder found out for themselves on Tuesday night.
Oklahoma City beat Denver 110-104, but it wasn't a walk in the park.
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The Nuggets led by as many as 10 points in the first quarter before allowing the Thunder to take a 57-53 lead into halftime. They would rally to regain the lead briefly in the third, before OKC took it for good. But even then, Denver was never out of the game until the final minutes.
As usual, Kevin Durant (30 points) and Russell Westbrook (27 points) led the way for the Thunder. But they also got a big contribution off the bench from Enes Kanter, who scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench.
Danilo Gallinari led the way for the Nuggets with 27 points, but Emmanuel Mudiay's performance was impressive as well. The rookie point guard scored 13 points and came up with nine assists while turning the ball over just three times against Westbrook.
In short, they didn't play like a 16-26 team, just like when they beat the Warriors last week. While this result didn't turn out in their favor, the Nuggets are a team that can give anybody fits on a given night.
Two No. 1 overall picks played like it Monday night in New Orleans. Rookie Karl Anthony Towns scored 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for the Timberwolves, while Anthony Davis scored 35 points and blocked two shots to help his Pelicans come up with a 114-99 win.
Duds of the night
The Heat got nothing from their starting backcourt. Dwyane Wade and Tyler Johnson scored just five points on 1 for 12 shooting from the field against the Bucks. Hassan Whiteside had a valiant effort with 23 points and 18 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough as the Bucks won 91-79.
Tweet of the night
Josh Richardson missed seven of his eight field goal attempts, but the one he did make was very memorable.
This is disrespectful RT @BR_NBA Josh Richardson with the hammer! https://t.co/2XOq7fm9V8
— C.J. Smoothie (@CJStarchild) January 20, 2016
Looking ahead
Warriors (38-4) at Bulls (24-16), 8 p.m. ET: Fresh off their obliteration of the Eastern Conference’s top team, the Warriors roll into Chicago to face the franchise that owns the 72-win mark they are hoping to better. They won’t have to contend with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, but the Bulls are third in the Eastern Conference, and are coming off a win against a Pistons team the Warriors couldn’t beat on Saturday.