Lawson, Nuggets end Cavs' streak
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Ty Lawson scored 24 points with 12 assists and the Denver Nuggets defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, 106-97, on Monday.
Arron Afflalo supplied 23 points and Timofey Mozgov registered 14 points with 11 rebounds for the Nuggets, who won two of three on their three-game road trip and avenged a home loss to the Cavs on Nov. 7.
Denver is 8-3 in its last 11 trips to Quicken Loans Arena.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We were focused when we watched film, the things we needed to do better against this team that we didn't do last week when we played them and I thought they did it," said Nuggets coach Brian Shaw. "We got great contributions from the guys that came off the bench."
LeBron James led Cleveland with 22 points to go along with nine rebounds and five assists, while Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters each tallied 20 points.
"If you can't get up for packed arenas and everybody's best shot in the NBA where you're living out you're dream here, you might as well go home," Love admitted. "It something that we just have to understand and realize and see the fun in it."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Cavs had their four-game losing streak snapped, a streak that started with their win in Denver.
After Denver led by one at half, Afflalo capped an 11-3 run prior to the midway point of the third quarter that staked the Nuggets to a 69-60 advantage. The margin then hit double digits late in the quarter after a Wilson Chandler layup put Denver up 81-71. However, Waiters ended the frame with successive buckets to cut the deficit to six.
It was still a six-point game when the Nuggets extended their lead with a swift 8-0 run, as Lawson converted a layup following 3-pointers from Afflalo and Darrell Arthur to make it a 98-84 game with 6:01 remaining.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Denver held strong on the defensive end over the closing minutes, never allowing the margin to dip below nine.
Afflalo, who was held scoreless in the teams' meeting in Denver earlier this season, pumped in 10 points over the opening 12 minutes but the Nuggets still trailed 26-24 entering the second quarter.
Also in that Nov. 7 contest, Arthur was ejected in the first quarter after shoving Waiters to the ground on a drive to the basket. He stayed in this one and both started and ended the second with 3-pointers, the last of which helped Denver to a 53-52 edge at halftime.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Game Notes
Arthur finished with 13 points on 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range and Chandler added 12 in the win ... Love pulled down 11 rebounds and Irving dished out eight assists ... Denver scored 26 points off 15 turnovers ... With a 23-point third quarter, Cleveland snapped a string of 13 straight quarters of 25 or more points scored ... Cleveland closes its three-game homestand on Wednesday with a meeting against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs ... Mozgov played for the Russian National team that was led by Cavs coach David Blatt, who coached the squad to a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics.