Millsap scores 22, Nuggets rout Cavs to end 3-game skid

DENVER (AP) — Paul Millsap scored a season-high 22 points, Michael Porter Jr. added 19 and the Denver Nuggets routed the Cleveland Cavaliers 133-95 on Wednesday night to snap a three-game skid.

The Nuggets opened a 23-point lead in the first half, saw it increase to 34 in the third — notoriously a problem quarter for them this season — and coasted from there as Nikola Jokic and his fellow starters got the fourth quarter off. Jokic finished with 12 points and 12 assists.

It was the fifth straight loss for the Cavaliers.

Jarrett Allen had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who are 0-2 on their five-game trip out West. Cleveland swept the season series with Denver last season.

Denver’s season-high 133 points meant a lot of eating for injured Cleveland forward Larry Nance Jr., who posted on social media a playful vow to consume as many McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets as the Nuggets scored points. Nance, sidelined with a broken left hand and not with the team, had 12 boxes of 10-piece McNuggets all lined up on the counter, complete with sides of BBQ sauce.

The Nuggets turned up the defensive pressure, holding Cleveland to 37.9% shooting from the floor. The Cavs missed their opening 11 3-point attempts before finally connecting. They finished 8 of 38 from long range.

Before the game, the Nuggets had a heart-to-heart conversation in an effort to break out of their funk.

“You can talk about it and talk about it, but sometimes you need to be about it,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.

TIP-INS

Cavaliers: The team was without G Matthew Dellavedova (concussion) and F Kevin Love (strained right calf). … The Cavs outrebounded Denver by a 50-39 margin.

Nuggets: Rookie Zeke Nnaji scored all 14 of his points in the fourth quarter, including four 3-pointers and a dunk that drew a technical for his celebration. … G Facundo Campazzo had five points in his return. He missed two games due to right knee soreness.

SIMILAR PATH

Cleveland’s J.B. Bickerstaff and his head coaching counterpart, Malone, followed a similar road. They’re both sons of NBA coaches and paid their dues by rising through the ranks.

“A lot of respect to him, his family, and just the path he’s taken,” Malone said. “He’s earned everything he’s got.”

FAMILIAR BLUEPRINT

The Cavaliers are a young but talented team trying to find their way. That’s just like the Nuggets a few seasons ago, when they went from a 33-win team in Malone’s first season to the Western Conference finals last season.

“They were patient,” Bickerstaff said. “It’s definitely a blueprint, because I think they did an unbelievable job as an organization.”

Malone said he was fortunate to get the time to build.

“There are steps you have to take,” Malone said. “As long as ownership, front office and the coach are all aligned in that, you can weather that storm, and be patient.”

UP NEXT

Cavaliers: At Portland on Friday. Their last win in Portland was Jan. 16, 2013.

Nuggets: Host Oklahoma City on Friday.