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Lawson, Denver pound Toronto

Mar 22, 2011 - 5:13 AM Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Ty Lawson scored 23 points, one of seven Nuggets in double figures, as Denver rolled past Toronto, 123-90, at the Pepsi Center.

Nene added 18 points and seven rebounds, Al Harrington posted 15 points and six rebounds off the bench, while Gary Forbes chipped in 14 points for the Nuggets, who snapped a two-game skid.

The Nuggets got solid contributions from their bench with two key players sitting out with injuries. Raymond Felton didn't play due to a sprained left ankle and Arron Afflalo missed the contest with a left hamstring injury.

"The players that came off the bench set the tempo a little bit," said Denver's Wilson Chandler.

Andrea Bargnani led Toronto with 20 points, DeMar DeRozan added 14 points and Alexis Ajinca posted 11 points and nine rebounds for the Raptors, who saw a two-game winning streak come to an end.

"They were quicker to the ball, we couldn't keep guys in front of us," Toronto head coach Jay Triano surmised.

Denver got into the swing of things in the final six minutes of the first quarter, turning a 14-13 deficit into a 36-23 lead by the end of the period.

Six straight points, capped by Chandler's layup, made the score 19-14, and Denver used that momentum-builder to take control. J.R. Smith's last- minute three created the first-quarter margin. Lawson scored 17 of his 23 points in the period.

The margin grew to 25 on the heels of a 13-3 stretch in the second quarter. Back-to-back driving layups by Forbes made the score 54-29 with just over six minutes left in the quarter. The lead grew to as many as 29 and settled at 72-44 at the half. Denver continued its hot shooting, making 14-of-28 shots from the floor as Harrington tallied 11 of his 15 points in the period.

The margin never slipped below 23 points in the third period, and the Nuggets cruised to victory in the final stanza.

Game Notes

Smith scored 13 points and Chandler added 12 for the Nuggets, who also received 11 points and five rebounds from Kenyon Martin...Toronto made 40 percent of its shots, while the Nuggets connected on 47.8 percent of their attempts...Denver had a 2-to-1 edge in the paint, scoring 60 points on the interior...The Nuggets have won eight straight in the series with the Raptors.