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Roger Rubin

Nuggets run away from Knicks in second half for 131-123 victory

NEW YORK _ Although Charles Oakley was not at the Garden on Friday night, he was on the minds of fans who chanted his name as the Knicks tried and failed to keep up with the Denver Nuggets in a 131-123 loss.

The game was in no way a salve for the fans chanting Oakley's name in response to the drama during the past few days after Oakley was ejected from the Garden Wednesday and banned from the building on Friday.

The Knicks gave little resistance on the defensive end against the NBA's top offense and lost their fourth straight game. The Knicks have lost 20 of their last 26 and a fifth straight head-to-head matchup with the Nuggets, who were without leading scorer Danilo Gallinari.

The Knicks kept up for a half. The Nuggets created some distance, outscoring the Knicks 36-22 with center Nikola Jokic scoring 18 of his game-high 40 points in the third quarter. Denver pulled out to a 105-88 margin midway through the fourth quarter on a Jamal Murray floater with 10:13 left. Carmelo Anthony tried to get the Knicks back in it with 21 of his 33 points down the stretch, even getting the Knicks within six several times. A four-point play by Gary Harris with 2:11 put Denver up 125-115 and salted the win away.

Kristaps Porzingis had 17 points, Kyle O'Quinn 16 points and Brandon Jennings had 13 assists for the Knicks. Wilson Chandler had 19 points for the Nuggets, who shot 16-for-32 on 3-pointers.

With Joakim Noah sidelined for a third straight game with a hamstring injury, Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek this time started Porzingis at center instead of O'Quinn, who'd gotten the previous two starts. It was a move he'd been mulling.

Hornacek was asked before the game if drama playing out around the Wednesday arrest of Oakley was a distraction. His response? "Our focus with the guys is don't let it be (a distraction) ... There's more emphasis on talking with the guys, making sure they're at least talking amongst themselves and that they're not letting it affect their game."

It certainly didn't seem to be bothering them out of the gate. The Knicks shot 56 percent from the field and scored 66 points in the first half. Their problem was on the other end, where the Nuggets made nine 3-pointers and scored 64.

The Knicks' second unit built a 12-point lead in the second quarter with a 15-4 burst ignited by a Ron Baker 3-pointer and capped with Willy Hernangomez scoring on consecutive possessions for a 52-40 lead with 6:40 left.

The Nuggets got back into it with seven straight points by ascending center Jokic and 3-pointers on their last two possessions by Jameer Nelson and Harris to make it 66-64 at the break.

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