NBA Roundup 25th January 2011: Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics win - Part 1
Denver Nuggets 120 - Washington Wizards 109
On Tuesday night at Verizon Center, the Denver Nuggets beat the Washington Wizards 120-109. Six Nuggets scored in double figures with Carmelo Anthony leading at 23 points. Nene and Al Harrington also contributed 21 points each in Denver's sixth win in the last eight games. Aaron Afflalo had 18; Ty Lawson netted 17 while Chauncey Billups also canned 15 in the victory.
Nick Young led Washington with 26 points in the defeat. Andray Blatche scored 15 in the first quarter but ended up with only 25 points while John Wall registered 10 points and 13 assists for Washington, who have lost four of their last five games.
The Bronchos opened the half with a 17-2 run and went on to snatch a 24-10 lead in a little less than eight minutes of play. The Wizards however bounced back and managed to pull within 33-26, going into the second.
Denver extended their offensive play to the second quarter and led by 68-56 at halftime. The Nuggets continued to rattle the Wizards’ defence after the break as well and by the time, the third quarter ended, they had scripted a 96-79 lead. The Wizards never had a sniff after that.
Boston Celtics 112 - Cleveland Cavaliers 95
The Boston Celtics downed the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers 112-95 on Tuesday night at TD Garden, sending the visitors to their 18th straight loss.
Paul Pierce registered game-high 24 points in the home victory. Kendrick Perkins returned from knee injury and had seven points and six rebounds in 16 minutes. Ray Allen posted 18 points for Boston, who bounced back from a loss against the struggling Washington Wizards.
Rajon Rondo had 11 points and 10 assists, Kevin Garnett scored 10 points while Glen "Big Baby" Davis and Nate Robinson scored 11 points apiece for Boston.
Christian Eyenga scored a game-high 15 points for Cleveland. Ramon Sessions and Manny Harris also scored 14 points apiece. J.J. Hickson had 12 points and 17 rebounds for Cleveland, who lost the 37th game of the season.
After an even start, Pierce's burst at the end of the first quarter gave Boston the lead for good. Paul led the charge by scoring all 24 of his points during the first half and the Celtics took complete command of this contest midway through the second frame with a 10-0 run.
The run ballooned Boston’s lead to 22 points by the halftime, a deficit that was a bit too much to handle for the woeful Cavs. The Cavaliers trailed by no fewer than 15 points for the rest of the night.
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