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Nuggets use strong 3rd quarter to beat Kings

Jan 10, 2015 - 8:05 AM Sacramento, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Ty Lawson scored 14 of his 22 points during a dominant third quarter, leading the Denver Nuggets to a 118-108 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.

Arron Afflalo added 22 points for the Nuggets, who have won four in a row. Jusuf Nurkic and J.J. Hickson each had 16 points, with Nurkic also pulling down eight boards and blocking three shots.

"Defensive intensity allowed us to get easy baskets," Afflalo said.

Denver outscored Sacramento by a 36-15 margin in the third.

"We settled for jump shots and didn't make them and they were running," Kings coach Tyrone Corbin said.

DeMarcus Cousins ended with 32 points, 13 rebounds, four blocks and three steals for the Kings, who got 22 points from Rudy Gay. Darren Collison contributed 15 points and seven assists.

Trailing 60-54, the Nuggets started the second half on a 22-4 run to take the lead for good. Lawson tallied 12 points during the surge that Darrell Arthur capped with two free throws for a 76-64 edge.

Moments later, Denver used a 12-2 spurt to make it a 90-71 game. They shot 59.1 percent from the field in the period and took a 90-75 lead into the fourth.

The Nuggets led by as many as 21 in the final frame.

Denver was in front for most of the first half, but the Kings led by six at the break.

Game Notes

The Kings had won three straight against the Nuggets ... Kenneth Faried had 12 points and 13 rebounds for Denver, which shot 55.3 percent from the field ... Nik Stauskas tallied 13 points for Sacramento.