DENVER _ The Brooklyn Nets were in position to win three of the first four games of their season-long West Coast road trip, but after blowing a 15-point halftime lead Tuesday at Utah, they blew a 16-point third-quarter lead Thursday night at Pepsi Center on their way to a disappointing 101-93 loss to the Nuggets.
The Nuggets climbed out of a 16-point third-quarter hole and finally regained the lead when Jerami Grant hit a right-wing three-pointer with 9:29 left in the game for an 86-83 lead. That turned into a 15-4 Nuggets surge for a 96-87 lead on a Will Barton layup. Barton had six points in that span.
The Nets ran off six straight points to cut their deficit to 96-93 on a bank shot by Kyrie Irving with 3:31 left, but that was the last time they scored as the Nuggets held them to a mere 32 second-half points and 11-for-47 shooting. The Nets missed their final nine shots of the game.
