Nuggets Beat Suns: Denver Dominate Suns In Preseason Exhibition Game

PHOENIX -- Danilo Gallinari scored a game-high 23 points and the Denver Nuggets opened the fourth quarter with a 16-3 run en route to a 110-85 win over the Phoenix Suns in an exhibition game Thursday night.

Corey Brewer scored eight of his 20 points during the decisive run which saw the Nuggets extend an eight-point advantage to 95-74 with 7:04 remaining.

Kosta Koufos scored 15 points and DeMarre Carroll added 14 for Denver, which swept the two-game exhibition series against Phoenix.

Jared Dudley scored 17 points, Hakim Warrick had 15 and Shannon Brown added 14 for the Suns, who were without forward Marcin Gortat, out with a slight non-displaced fracture of his right thumb.

Steve Nash had five points on 2-of-9 shooting and added eight assists in just over 26 minutes for the Suns, who earlier Thursday waived guard-forward Mickael Pietrus.

After opening the game 6 of 24 from the floor in the first quarter, the Suns recovered and led 60-56 on Markieff Morris' 3-pointer with 7:40 left in the third quarter.

But Gallinari and the Nuggets took over from there. Gallinari converted a three-point play, Chris Andersen sank a pair of free throws and Brewer hit a 14-foot turnaround jumper with 5:04 to go in the third for a 70-60 lead.

Phoenix rallied to within six at 77-71 on a three-point play by Brown with 13.5 seconds left in the period, but Gallinari hit a fade away jump shot at the third-quarter buzzer and the Nuggets coasted the rest of the way.

Comments

[natedogg213]

01:46 AM on 12/24/2011

You'd think the Suns won by the composition of the highlights. Nope, blown out by 25.

[Gabriel Carrera]

10:05 AM on 12/25/2011

i agree no love for the nugs but thats ok we know what we got and the league will find out once the season starts then will come all those wagon jumpers saying i knew they would be good well ill say it know the nugs are a contender... (GET SUM)