DENVER — Kristaps Porzingis was back on the court, but the Knicks continued to have no answer for the Nuggets in Denver, losing by a score of 130-118 on Thursday night.
Garry Harris scored 23 points and Trey Lyles had 21 for the Nuggets, who defeated the Knicks for the 10th consecutive time in Denver. The Knicks’ last road win against the Nuggets came in 2006.
Seven Nuggets scored in double figures.
Porzingis, returning to action after missing Tuesday’s loss at Golden State with a sore knee, had 21 points but he also fouled out late in what had become a close game. Michael Beasley also scored 21 points for the Knicks and Enes Kanter had 20.
Trailing by 13 at the half, the Knicks pulled to 87-79 on a jumper by Burke with 4 minutes 55 seconds left in the third quarter. They trailed 99-92 heading into the final period after Burke connected on a fadeaway shot.
The Nuggets, though, scored 10 consecutive points to start the fourth quarter, including 3-pointers by Will Barton and Lyles to rebuild Denver’s lead to 109-92.
New York put together a 9-0 burst to pull to 114-106 but Porzingis fouled out with just under 5 minutes remaining and Murray drained a key 3-pointer with 2:41 remaining to put the Nuggets back up by 11 points. Harris added a jumper a little more than a minute later to quash the Knicks’ comeback bid.
The Nuggets had their highest point total in a half this season, leading by as many as 18 points before settling for a 73-60 advantage at the break.
Harris played a big role in the Nuggets’ blistering offensive display, scoring 18 points during the first two periods.
Rebounds
Joakim Noah was not with the Knicks, having been excused for personal reasons. He’s expected to miss two games. … Kyle O’Quinn was held out of the game because of a bruised left calf. … Tim Hardaway Jr. was inactive after recently returning from a leg injury.