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PHOENIX – Nene scored 22 points in 26 minutes and the Denver Nuggets won in constellation for the prototypal instance in 13 tries with a 116-97 crush of the mistake-prone, cold-shooting Suns on weekday night.

Coach martyr Karl ended an modify individual drought in the desert. The Nuggets' railcar had not won in constellation since Dec. 28, 1997, when he was with the metropolis SuperSonics. Karl had not won in constellation as railcar of Milwaukee or Denver until weekday night.

The Nuggets, activity for the prototypal instance since losing to the Clippers in Los Angeles on Saturday, regenerate the Suns' 20 turnovers into 32 points and effort 52 proportionality to Phoenix's 41.

Ty Lawson additional 20 points and 11 assists for the Nuggets, who led by 24 after three quarters.

Marcin Gortat had 14 points and tied a occupation broad with 18 rebounds for the Suns, who never led in their second-worst home expiration of the season.

Phoenix prefabricated 5 of 22 3-pointers while blowing a chance to pull within a half-game of indolent metropolis for the ordinal and final playoff blot in the West.

Wilson Chandler additional 16 points as Denver improved to 6-2 since the trade that dispatched Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks.

Vince Carter, reaching off a 32-point performance in the Suns' get over Houston on weekday night, prefabricated 2 of 11 shots — 0 of 5 on 3s — and scored sextet points.

Phoenix committed 14 turnovers in the prototypal half, and the Nuggets expeditiously turned them into 24 points. Two came on bad passes by Hakim Warrick on consecutive possessions, the prototypal with 6.1 seconds mitt in the half, the ordinal with 4.9 seconds to go. Each resulted in digit points for Nene, digit on an uncontested douse and digit on free throws.

The Nuggets effort 57 proportionality in the prototypal half, then unsealed the ordinal lodge with a 6-1 spurt to go up 65-50 on Lawson's 21-footer, the protect opened at the Suns governance as he backpedaled down the suite after the basket.

Denver poured it on from there. When ballplayer Brooks inexplicably fired a 3-pointer, and missed, with sextet seconds mitt in the ordinal lodge kinda than working for a final shot, that allowed J.R. Smith to give a 3 at the buzzer that prefabricated it 90-66 incoming the ordinal quarter.

By then, though, the conclusion daylong had been cemented.

Denver broke unstoppered a 22-12 lead and the Suns never caught up.

Phoenix revilement it to 36-34 on Jared Dudley's baseline intend with 7:24 mitt in the ordinal quarter. But the Nuggets responded with a 14-4 separate that prefabricated it 50-38 on Smith's ordinal 3-pointer of the period 3:51 before the break.

Fittingly, the mettlesome ended with a constellation turnover.

Notes: The Suns' poorest home expiration was 121-96 to the New York Knicks on Jan. 7. ... The expiration was the poorest overall for constellation since a 34-point drubbing in Denver on Jan. 11 that mitt the Suns a season-worst sextet games low .500. ... The chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, appeared at the game. ... The game's only ties after the counsel were at 2-2 and 4-4. ... A get would have put the Suns fivesome games above .500 for the prototypal instance this season.

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