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Faried helps Nuggets down Bucks

Feb 21, 2014 - 5:44 AM Milwaukee, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - Kenneth Faried poured in a season-high 26 points to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 101-90 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday.

"I decided to be aggressive and basically take over the team -- put the team on my back and be the go-to guy and that player that everyone knows I'm capable of and I was drafted here to be," Faried said.

J.J. Hickson and Randy Foye both posted double-doubles. Hickson scored 14 points to go with 10 rebounds and Foye had 12 points and 10 assists for the Nuggets, who snapped a five-game slide.

Wilson Chandler chipped in with 15 points and Timofey Mozgov added 14 points and nine boards in the win.

Caron Butler led six Milwaukee players in double figures with 17 points and Ersan Ilyasova added 14 points and 11 rebounds. Nate Wolters and John Henson chipped with 12 points apiece while Giannis Antetokounmpo and O.J. Mayo each finished with 11 points.

Both teams were active prior to Thursday's trade deadline.

With Ty Lawson battling a rib injury and Nate Robinson out for the season with a knee injury, Denver added some depth at point guard, acquiring Aaron Brooks from the Houston Rockets in exchange for forward Jordan Hamilton.

Additionally, the Nuggets sent guard Andre Miller to Washington for forward Jan Vesely and also sent a second-round pick to the 76ers to complete a three-team swap. Miller played a prominent role off Denver's bench for the past two seasons but fell out of the new head coach Brian Shaw's rotation and good graces, missing the team's last 23 games.

The Bucks, meanwhile, sent guards Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour to the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for guard Ramon Sessions and forward Jeff Adrien.

The Nuggets built a 9-point lead after 12 minutes and never looked back. Denver led 14-9 after 5 1/2 minutes, but a Hickson hook shot sparked a quick 7-0 burst. Milwaukee clawed back to within three inside the final minute, but a pair of Mozgov free throws and a Darrell Arthur jumper allowed the Nuggets to take a 31-22 lead into the second frame.

Mayo had the hosts within three, 45-42, with his jumper with 2:10 to go in the second, Mozgov's layup, followed by Chandler's 3-ball, made it 50-42 at the break.

Mayo canned a trey to make it 64-61 at the 4:25 mark of the third, but Denver scored eight straight points to go up 72-61 before taking a 78-67 lead into the final frame.

The Bucks pulled within five early in the fourth, but the Nuggets' lead swelled to double-digits as Denver ran away with the win.

"Faried and Hickson get it going, that's what they did tonight. His (Faried) motor is where he makes his money. He's tough," Henson said.

Game Notes

Earlier Thursday, Nuggets announced that center JaVale McGee underwent surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left tibia and will be out for the rest of the season ... Denver shot 51.3 percent from the floor ... The Bucks scored 26 points of 16 Denver turnovers ... Milwaukee was just 4-for-21 from 3-point range.