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Denver dominates Charlotte

Mar 3, 2011 - 6:00 AM Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Ty Lawson finished with 14 points and 10 assists to lead a well-balanced and potent Denver offense, as the Nuggets shot better than 60 percent in a 120-80 rout of the Bobcats.

Wilson Chandler led Denver with 16 points, while Nene, Chris Andersen, and J.R. Smith all finished with 14 as the Nuggets won for the fifth time in six games.

The individual efforts added up to some staggering numbers. The Nuggets made 45-of-74 field goals, scored 52 of their points in the paint, and totaled a season-high 34 assists.

"That's the way we wanted to play," Lawson said of the 34 assists. "It feels a lot better. Everybody's happy. The bigs are happy, the wings are happy. Everybody's touching the ball. That's how basketball should be played."

Despite shooting so well, Denver also held an incredible 49-28 rebounding advantage. Forty-four of those rebounds were defensive.

Only three Bobcats players reached double-digit scoring. Matt Carroll had a team- and season-high 19 points off the bench, while D.J. Augustin netted 13 in Charlotte's second straight loss. Shaun Livingston added 12 points and seven assists.

"We were just coming down, casting shots up, not executing," said Bobcats head coach Paul Silas. "That's a disappointment. There's nothing positive about this at all."

The Nuggets never trailed and built the huge margin progressively. They led by as many as 11 in the first quarter before carrying a 31-23 advantage into the second, and extended the lead to 62-46 at the break.

Denver didn't lead by more than 18 in the first half.

Lawson's alley-oop layup with 2:43 left in the third quarter ended a 13-0 run that pushed the Nuggets' margin to 85-57, and they were up 91-67 at the end of the period.

If the victory was not secure at that point, Smith ensured it shortly into the fourth quarter with three-point shooting. He canned one about 90 seconds in, then drilled another on the Nuggets' next possession for his 6,000th career point.

His third and final trey made it a 100-71 game with 7:54 remaining, and the Nuggets cruised from there.

The victory was the biggest of the season for Denver, which is 4-1 since trading Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to New York. Its only loss was a one-point overtime setback at Portland, while all four wins came at home.

While the Nuggets are not the same team as before the trade, Wednesday's victory suggests they've found a new way to win and will be competitive, even if they don't make 60 percent of their shots every game.

Game Notes

Seven Denver players scored in double figures...The Nuggets next head out on a three-game road trip to face Utah, the Los Angeles Clippers, and Phoenix...Charlotte is 0-2 on its four-game road trip, which continues Friday in LA against the Lakers...The teams split the two-game season series. The Bobcats claimed a 100-98 victory at home on December 7.