CLEVELAND _ Before he was elevated to Cavaliers coach in January 2016, Tyronn Lue specialized in defense.
Considering the appalling effort he witnessed on that end for over three quarters Saturday, it may have been no coincidence that he picked up his first technical foul of the season in Game 62.
Playing on the second night of a back-to-back, the Nuggets got almost any shot they wanted at Quicken Loans Arena. Even with J.R. Smith providing the Cavs' inspiration in the second half and he and LeBron James scoring all the Cavs' points in the fourth quarter, it wasn't enough as the Nuggets prevailed 126-117.
Smith contributed 19 points, making 7-of-12 field goals, including 2-of-5 from long range.
The Cavs slipped to 1-3 on the homestand, which concludes Monday against the Detroit Pistons.
Starting again after serving a one-game suspension Thursday for throwing soup at assistant coach Damon Jones, Smith did not attempt a shot in the first half, contributing two rebounds and two assists in 15 minutes.
He broke his drought with the Cavs' first jumper of the third quarter, made his first 3-point attempt on the next trip downcourt and scored seven of the Cavs' first 10 points in the period.
James recorded his 13th triple-double of the season, tying his career high, with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists in 42 minutes. He played all but 20 seconds of the second half.
The Nuggets shot 55 percent from the field for the game, including 60 percent in the first half in taking a 73-62 lead. Denver fell three points shy of the most points scored in a half this season by a Cavs opponent. The Oklahoma City Thunder scored 76 on Jan. 20 at the Q.
Coming in, the Cavs had held six of last eight opponents under .450 shooting, with the high .537 by the Nets on Tuesday. The Nuggets were especially dangerous on corner 3s as they made 19-of-35 (54 percent) from beyond the arc. That tied a season high by a Cavs opponent this season.
Considering how little the four new Cavs acquired at the Feb. 8 trade deadline know about offensive plays and defensive schemes and how far the team has to go to really become a team, no opponent can be overlooked.
Entering the night eighth in the Western Conference and fighting to hold onto a playoff spot, the Nuggets (35-28) proved formidable, winning for the ninth time in their last 12 games. Four-time All-Star forward Paul Millsap, playing his third game and making his second start since returning from a left wrist injury that kept him out three months, contributed 11 points and six rebounds.
Gary Harris led the Nuggets with 32 points on 10-of-17 shooting (6-of-10 on 3s), and Will Barton came off the bench to add 23 points on 9-of-17 field goals.
Larry Nance Jr. played an inspired first half, scoring 14 points, one shy of his high as a Cavalier. Nance was at his best in the second quarter, when he scored 10 points and in one stretch scored four of the Cavs' five field goals.
Nance brought the Cavs bench to its feet when he posterized the Nuggets' Mason Plumlee with a driving dunk off a Cedi Osman pass with 8:11 left in the second quarter. Nance celebrated by pointing his fingers and some of his teammates watching ran to midcourt to mimic him.
Nance did not score in the second half.
Smith was not the only Cav who contributed little in the first half. Rodney Hood scored two points on 1-of-6 shooting, and Kyle Korver was scoreless, going 0-for-2. Hood finished 3-of-9 from the field for six points.
Osman provided the energy in the early going, scoring eight of the Cavs' first 17 points.
