Denver Nuggets’ J.J. Hickson (7) and Kenneth Faried (35) go up for a rebound against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014, in Denver. AP.
NEW YORK—Denver and New York both pulled out wins against the odds on Thursday (New York time), continuing their recent form improvements at the expense of Oklahoma City and Miami respectively.
Denver’s Randy Foye scored a season-high 24 points to steer the Nuggets to a 101-88 win over Oklahoma City, which fell into a tie with Portland for leadership of the Northwest Division.
It was the second straight game that Foye, who hit six 3-pointers, established a season high, having recorded 23 points against Boston on Tuesday.
Evan Fournier had 19 points for Denver, which has won four in a row after losing eight straight prior to that.
Kevin Durant scored 30 points for the Thunder.
New York managed a third-straight win for the first time in a disappointing season, and did it in style by beating Miami 102-92.
Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points and Andrea Bargnani had 19 for the Knicks, who seized control with a 16-2 run spanning the third and fourth quarters.
New York was second to Miami in the Eastern Conference last season when it won the series 3-1, but there was little reason to suggest the Knicks were ready to compete with the NBA champions this season.
LeBron James scored 32 points for the Heat, who played without injured starters Mario Chalmers and Shane Battier and didn’t get much from Chris Bosh, who was held to six points on 3-of-10 shooting.