NBA: Kenneth Faried and Nuggets turn up the tempo, trump LA Lakers

Denver eased past LA 120-109 on Tuesday night, with Kenneth Faried providing 28 points and 15 rebounds as they played more the style they hope to consistently display this season.

Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried dunks against the LA Lakers in the NBA on Tuesday night. Mark J Terrill / AP / November 3, 2015

When the Denver Nuggets embrace the up-tempo, hard-working style of play in coach Mike Malone’s highest aspirations, they’re capable of beating teams a whole lot better than the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kenneth Faried had 28 points and 15 rebounds, and Danilo Gallinari got 14 of his 21 points in the second half of the Nuggets’ 120-109 victory over the winless Lakers on Tuesday night.

JJ Hickson scored 17 points in his first significant playing time of the season for the Nuggets, who earned their fifth consecutive victory over the Lakers at Staples Center since November 2012. Although Denver aren’t considered favourites to land a play-off spot, the Nuggets’ second-half onslaught against the Lakers demonstrated their talent.

Faried dominated the low post, went 10-for-13 and hit all eight of his free throws in Denver’s 10th win over Los Angeles in the clubs’ last 11 meetings.

“Coach said we needed to get back to playing Nuggets basketball – running, attacking the paint, three or four passes,” Faried said. “I was able to exploit that. I was able to live in the paint, and then that opened things up for my guards. And then we played defence.”

Denver took control midway through the third quarter, scoring 15 points in 2mins 45secs while hitting 11 of their last 15 shots in the period to turn a six-point deficit into a 10-point lead. Emmanuel Mudiay missed his first eight shots before hitting a three-pointer while getting fouled by fellow teenage rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell in the third, leading to a catalysing four-point play.

Jordan Clarkson matched his career high with 30 points, and Lou Williams added 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter for the Lakers, who started 0-4 for the second straight year.

Kobe Bryant had 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting, doing little to end his slump.

Elsewhere in the NBA

Toronto Raptors 102, Dallas Mavericks 91

Kyle Lowry scored 27 points as the Toronto Raptors spoiled the home opener in Dallas, beating the Mavericks 102-91 on Tuesday for the first 4-0 start in club history.

The Raptors took the lead for good on a 12-0 run that started in the middle of the fourth quarter. Jonas Valanciunas had six of his 16 points during the decisive stretch.

The Mavericks went almost four minutes without a basket after Dirk Nowitzki hit a three-pointer for an 86-82 lead. Nowitzki finished with 18 points.

DeMar DeRozan scored 20 points, and Luis Scola had 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Raptors, who opened with three straight wins two other times in their first 20 seasons.

Lowry had a game-high 10 assists, and Toronto held Dallas to 6-of-22 shooting in the fourth quarter and 38 per cent for the game.

Deron Williams, who starred at a Dallas-area high school, had 13 points in his home debut for the Mavericks.

Atlanta Hawks 98, Miami Heat 92

Jeff Teague had 26 points and nine assists, leading the Hawks to a road win.

Al Horford scored 17 points and Paul Millsap had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Atlanta, who have won four straight following a season-opening loss.

Hassan Whiteside finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds for Miami, doing so on 11-for-12 shooting. According to STATS, Whiteside was the third Heat centre to shoot at least 11-for-12 and block four shots in a game, joining Alonzo Mourning and Shaquille O’Neal.

Dwyane Wade scored 21 points despite spending a long stretch of the second half back in the Heat locker room after feeling a migraine start coming on. He took some medicine and returned in the fourth quarter.

Memphis Grizzlies 103, Sacramento Kings 89

Zach Randolph had 20 points and 11 rebounds as Memphis bounced back from an embarrassing loss with a victory over Sacramento.

The Grizzlies were eager to rebound after a franchise-worst, 50-point loss Monday to the NBA title-winning Golden State Warriors. The Grizzlies were outscored 72-27 in the middle two quarters and set a team low for shooting (27.1 per cent) in that game.

Mike Conley had 14 points and six assists for Memphis in the win, and Courtney Lee also scored 14. Marc Gasol developed a neck spasm and didn’t play in the second half.

Rudy Gay had 19 points for the Kings, who played without all-star centre DeMarcus Cousins because of a strained right Achilles. Sacramento’s perennial scoring and rebounding leader is also expected to miss Wednesday’s game at the Phoenix Suns.

Charlotte Hornets 130, Chicago Bulls 105

Jeremy Lamb scored 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting and Nicolas Batum added 18 as Charlotte cruised to their first victory of the season.

Jeremy Lin added 15 points, and Al Jefferson had 14. The hot-shooting Hornets shot 14-of-22 from beyond the arc and made 22-of-23 free throws.

Charlotte (1-3) led by as many as 27 in the second quarter after starting the game by hitting 13 of 18 shots from the field and all 11 foul shots in the first quarter. The Bulls never mounted a serious challenge.

Jimmy Butler led the Bulls (3-2) with a season-high 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting, while Doug McDermott added 17 points.

Orlando Magic 103, New Orleans Pelicans 94

Evan Fournier capped a career-high, 30-point performance with a pair of three-pointers in the final 1:13 as Orlando won for the first time this season.

Nikola Vucevic had 22 points and 13 rebounds, and Victor Oladipo added 12 points for the Magic, who, like the Pelicans, entered the contest at 0-3.

Eric Gordon had 21 points for New Orleans, who trimmed an 18-point, first-half deficit to 95-90 with 2:46 to go. Then Fournier helped Orlando put it away.

Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday and Ryan Anderson each scored 14 for the injury-plagued Pelicans, who have yielded more than 100 points in all four losses under new coach Alvin Gentry.

Indiana Pacers 94, Detroit Pistons 82

Rodney Stuckey scored 23 points against his former team, and Paul George added 16 points and nine rebounds as Indiana beat Detroit for their first victory.

The Pistons fell to 3-1.

Andre Drummond had 25 points and a career-high 29 rebounds, becoming the first Pistons player with back-to-back 20/20 games since at least 1985, according to STATS. Reggie Jackson added 20 points.

The Pistons led 30-22 late in the first quarter, and no one paid much attention when George hit two free throws to pull Indiana within six at the period’s end.

By the time Stan Van Gundy called timeout with 7:13 left in the half, the Pacers led 44-30, having scored 22 straight points, including the first 20 of the second quarter.

Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE