DENVER — Even short-handed, the Denver Nuggets finished their first back-to-back-to-back set of the lockout-compressed season on a high note.

Danilo Gallinari scored a season-high 21 points, including a pair of free throws in the final seconds, and the Nuggets beat the Milwaukee Bucks 91-86 on Monday night to go 2-1 over the last three nights.

“The Bucks having two days off and us playing three in a row, we knew they had a little bit of an advantage, and they like to run like us,” said Al Harrington, who had 17 points for the Nuggets. “But we always feel playing in Denver with the altitude, if we keep running in the fourth quarter we’ll be in a good position. At the end of the day they got tired.”

Ty Lawson chipped in with 16 points for the Nuggets, who were without Nene because of a bruised left heel. The Brazilian big man’s status is day-to-day.

Stephen Jackson had 17 points and Carlos Delfino added 14 for the Bucks, who were denied in a bid for a third consecutive win — which would have matched their best streak from last season.

The Bucks also were without Mike Dunleavy, who did not make the trip because of an undisclosed illness.

“When you play three games in three nights, the third one is very tough, especially when you play back-to-back (to start the set) with the Lakers,” Gallinari said.

Gallinari said when the going got tough, the Nuggets fed off the crowd.

“In the fourth quarter it’s very easy to find extra energy,” he said. “You have a tight game, you want to win, especially at home.”

Jackson said the Nuggets didn’t appear fazed by the string of games.

“They didn’t look like they had three games in three nights,” Jackson said. “That says a lot about how good of shape they’re in, and they didn’t have Nene, so you’ve got to credit them for that.”

Delfino’s 3-pointer gave the Bucks a 74-68 lead heading into the fourth quarter and Andrew Bogut’s 10-foot hook shot put Milwaukee in front 81-76 with 8:31 left to play.

Gallinari, who also had 10 rebounds, then got the Nuggets going. He drove in for a layup and tipped in a shot as part of a 10-0 run that Harrington finished with successive dunks as Denver went in front 86-81 with 4:01 remaining.

Jackson made a 20-foot jumper to pull Milwaukee to 87-86 with 1:55 remaining. Both sides missed jump shots before Lawson shook loose on a fast break and put in a layup with 10.9 seconds left for a three-point Nuggets’ lead.

Brandon Jennings, who had 12 points, missed a 3-point attempt from the top of the key with about 7 seconds to go. The rebound went to Gallinari, who was immediately fouled. He made both free throws with 5.3 seconds remaining to secure the win.

“We didn’t play very well. We kind of threw the ball all over the place,” said Bucks coach Scott Skiles. “We gave ourselves a chance but we missed layups and we missed open shots.”

Milwaukee took a 44-37 lead after a basket by Luc Mbah a Moute. Denver came back to score 11 of the next 15 points, including tip-in by Gallinari as time expired to even the score at 48-all at halftime.

Notable

The Bucks failed to score at least 50 points in the first half for the first time in four games this season. … The Nuggets second back-to-back-to-back set is in the first week of February. … Gallinari’s previous season high was 20 points, scored the night before in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers. … Jennings scored 20 or more points in each of his first three games before ending the streak with his 12-point outing against the Nuggets. … Denver has won eight of its last 10 meetings with the Bucks at the Pepsi Center.

Nuggets 91, Bucks 86

MILWAUKEE (86)

Jackson 7-18 2-2 17, Ilyasova 3-7 0-0 6, Bogut 5-12 2-4 12, Jennings 5-16 2-2 12, Delfino 5-11 1-3 14, Gooden 1-3 0-0 2, Leuer 4-5 0-0 8, Udrih 3-6 0-0 7, Livingston 1-4 0-0 2, Mbah a Moute 3-6 0-0 6, Sanders 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 37-88 7-11 86.

DENVER (91)

Gallinari 5-12 10-12 21, Koufos 3-4 2-2 8, Mozgov 2-9 0-0 4, Lawson 7-13 2-2 16, Afflalo 2-8 0-0 4, Andersen 0-3 0-2 0, Harrington 7-12 2-3 17, Miller 3-12 0-0 6, Fernandez 1-3 2-2 5, Brewer 3-7 3-4 10. Totals 33-83 21-27 91.

Milwaukee 30 18 26 12 — 86

Denver 24 24 20 23 — 91

3-Point Goals — Milwaukee 5-19 (Delfino 3-6, Udrih 1-2, Jackson 1-5, Ilyasova 0-2, Jennings 0-4), Denver 4-19 (Brewer 1-2, Fernandez 1-3, Harrington 1-5, Gallinari 1-5, Miller 0-1, Lawson 0-1, Afflalo 0-2). Fouled Out — None. Rebounds — Milwaukee 48 (Delfino 9), Denver 63 (Gallinari 10). Assists — Milwaukee 19 (Jackson, Bogut, Udrih 4), Denver 22 (Lawson 6). Total Fouls — Milwaukee 20, Denver 15. A — 14,142 (19,155).

Center Andrew Bynum scored 29 points in his first game of the season after serving a suspension as the LA Lakers came from behind to beat the Denver Nuggets 92-89 in Los Angeles.

Bynum’s layup sent the Lakers ahead 91-89 with 1:52 to play as they powered past Denver’s five-point fourth-quarter lead.

He had been suspended for the first four games of the shortened NBA season because of a flagrant foul against Dallas in the Western Conference playoffs last season.

Bynum had been originally suspended for five games but that was reduced because of the shortened schedule.

The big man also had 13 rebounds and two blocked shots as new coach Mike Brown’s coaching style suited his play.

“They’re looking for me a lot and I’m a focal point early in the offense,” Bynum said.

But he paid a price in the early going, he said.

“I was winded like crazy today,” the out-of-shape Bynum said. “First game … I couldn’t breathe in the first six minutes.”

But even if he was winded, his domination inside was too much for the Nuggets to handle.

“His power around the basket, we haven’t seen it yet,” Denver coach George Karl said.

“We’ll have to make some adjustments on him, there’s no question.”

Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol each added 17 points for the Lakers, who had started the season 0-2 but have now won three successive games.

Al Harrington led the Nuggets with 21 points.

The Nuggets had an 85-80 lead after Harrington’s three-pointer with five minutes to play.

But the Lakers pulled even at 89-89 on Bryant’s two free throws after Derek Fisher’s hustle to save the ball after missing a three-pointer.

Then Bynum blocked Nene Hilario’s layup attempt and got the go-ahead basket.

Meanwhile, Denver was drawing blanks.

“We get three layups and a couple free throws in the last three minutes of the game and we miss all of them,” Karl said.

“We gave them too much hope, from Bynum and that loose ball from Fisher, and we never got that defensive confidence because we didn’t rebound the ball.”

Reuters

DALLAS — Ty Lawson and the Denver Nuggets opened their season with a performance that sent a clear message to the rest of the NBA.

Not about them. About the Dallas Mavericks.

The reigning champions have quickly become a team everyone wants to play. There’s no telling which is worse right now, their offense or defense, their conditioning or chemistry, as they were drubbed for a second straight game, losing 115-93 to the Nuggets on Monday night.

Lawson made 8 of 9 shots in the first half, and finished with 27 points. Andre Miller and Al Harrington each scored 18 points off the bench, and Denver’s deep, athletic roster scored on 19 of its 25 possessions in the second quarter.

“We’ve been jelling real

quick,” Lawson said. “I knew we’d come out strong. … That’s when we’re good, when we get out and run. It’s my job to make sure the tempo is fast and guys are running in those lanes.”

Denver made only 12 baskets in the second half, but it hardly mattered. The Nuggets led by 27 at halftime, and stretched it during the third quarter.

“It’s way too early to get crazy but it felt good,” Nuggets coach George Karl said.

Danilo Gallinari had 15 points and seven rebounds, and Arron Afflalo scored 11.

Dallas was so out of sync that fans were booing before halftime. The jeers came when a turnover near midcourt turned into a three-on-none fast break for Denver. The Nuggets had enjoyed so many easy baskets at that point that they didn’t even bother doing anything fancy,with Gallinari softly tossing the ball to Harrington for a routine dunk that made it 65-41.

Dallas gave up 20 straight points in the second quarter and had a stretch of 14 straight missed shots during a 9:52 drought between baskets. It was so bad that their player of the game, Sean Williams, threw up when he left the court.

Williams, the 13th and final guy off the bench, was so gassed from scoring 12 points in 11 energetic minutes that he vomited in front of the team’s bench. Teammates and owner Mark Cuban laughed, and fans in the area gave a light-hearted standing ovation while an usher mopped up the mess.

Williams wasn’t sick, just not quite in game shape because of the lockout. Of course, the way things are going for Dallas, plenty of jokes were made about that being an editorial statement about their performance.

“We look old and slow and out of shape — a bad combination,” said Dirk Nowitzki, who scored 20 points and sat out the entire fourth quarter for a second straight game, yet another indication of how bad things are going. “I still think this team has a lot of potential. But we have to turn the corner.”

The Mavs trailed by 33 in the third quarter, a day after being down by 35 in the third quarter against Miami. Counting a pair of preseason games against Oklahoma City, Dallas has been behind by at least 23 points in every game since being crowned champs.

There are plenty of reasons to choose from: an overhaul of their rotation, the shortened training camp and other teams being motivated to take them down.

“We’re not comfortable with each other on both ends of the floor,” Shawn Marion said. “We’re trying to get acclimated and you can tell it’s not flowing the way it should be and there’s going to be some bumps.”

The challenge for coach Rick Carlisle is finding the right combination of players. He’s trying to squeeze in Lamar Odom, Vince Carter and Delonte West to replace Tyson Chandler, J.J. Barea and others, all with little practice time. Carlisle already has seen a lack of trust on defense, and that throws everything else out of whack.

“We’re going to recharge (today), have a hell of a practice on Wednesday and then we’ve got to go up to Oklahoma City and we’re going to have to play a lot better,” Carlisle said. “I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

The Nuggets hope this was an indication of what they can be like when they have everything clicking, regardless of the foe.

For Dallas, Jason Kidd scored 12 points, Carter scored 11 and Rodrigue Beaubois scored 10. Aside from Nowitzki and Kidd, the other three starters (Marion, Brendan Haywood and West) scored a combined 11 points.

Odom scored three points, making only 1 of 10 shots.

Notable

Dallas is 0-2 for the first time since 2006-07, which is also the last time the Mavs were coming off a trip to the NBA finals. That team actually went 0-4, yet wound up winning 67 games. … Denver got Rudy Fernandez and Corey Brewer in a trade from Dallas during training camp. Fernandez scored eight points and Brewer had five. … Kenyon Martin, a Dallas native and former Denver star, watched from the stands.

Nuggets 115, Mavericks 93

DENVER (115)

Gallinari 4-10 6-6 15, Mozgov 0-1 1-2 1, Nene 4-8 0-0 8, Lawson 10-15 4-4 27, Afflalo 4-8 2-2 11, Miller 6-8 4-4 18, Harrington 7-13 2-2 18, Fernandez 2-8 3-6 8, Andersen 0-3 4-4 4, Brewer 2-5 1-4 5, Koufos 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 39-79 27-34 115.

DALLAS (93)

Marion 1-5 0-0 2, Nowitzki 7-14 6-6 20, Haywood 3-5 1-4 7, Kidd 4-9 0-0 12, West 1-5 0-0 2, Terry 3-8 0-0 6, Carter 3-6 3-4 11, Odom 1-10 4-5 6, Mahinmi 1-2 1-2 3, Beaubois 3-5 2-2 10, Jones 0-1 0-0 0, Cardinal 1-2 0-0 2, Williams 4-4 4-4 12. Totals 32-76 21-27 93.

Denver 32 37 28 18–115

Dallas 23 19 26 25– 93

3-Point Goals–Denver 10-27 (Lawson 3-6, Miller 2-2, Harrington 2-5, Afflalo 1-2, Gallinari 1-5, Fernandez 1-7), Dallas 8-27 (Kidd 4-8, Beaubois 2-2, Carter 2-3, Marion 0-1, Jones 0-1, Cardinal 0-1, West 0-2, Terry 0-2, Nowitzki 0-2, Odom 0-5). Fouled Out–None. Rebounds–Denver 50 (Gallinari, Nene 7), Dallas 47 (Odom 7). Assists–Denver 18 (Miller 5), Dallas 19 (Terry, Kidd, West 4). Total Fouls–Denver 18, Dallas 28. Technicals–Fernandez, Denver defensive three second 2, Terry. A–20,408 (19,200).

Read More: Andre Miller (G – DEN), Al Harrington (F – DEN), Kosta Koufos (C – DEN), Chris Andersen (F – DEN), Danilo Gallinari (F – DEN), Ty Lawson (G – DEN), Timofey Mozgov (C – DEN), Denver Nuggets

As Denver Nuggets training camp got underway on Friday afternoon, 11 players were there to participate, according to Benjamin Hochman: Chris Andersen, Kenneth Faried, Danilo Gallinari, Jordan Hamilton, Al Harrington, Kosta Koufos, Ty Lawson, Andre Miller, Timofey Mozgov, Cory Higgins and UTEP’s Julyan Stone.

Among the first-year players are 2011 NBA draft picks Faried and Hamilton, who just signed deals with the team on Friday. Higgins, a camp invitee, averaged 16.1 points for the Colorado Buffaloes last season. Stone is a versatile guard with good size, though he wasn’t much of a scorer at the college level.

Notably absent: Nene Hilario, who is exploring a number of options through free agency and is unlikely to return to the Nuggets.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more on the Nuggets, visit Denver Stiffs. To keep up with what should be a crazy few weeks before the start of the regular season, head over to SB Nation NBA.

This is the next installment of PBT’s series of “What your team should do when the lockout ends.” Today it’s the Denver Nuggets. You can also read up on the Lakers, Timberwolves and Mavericks as we start to work our way through all 30 NBA teams.

 

Last Season: Well that was no fun, then it was kind of fun, then it was not fun, again. The Nuggets finished 50-32 which is close to a freaking miracle considering everything they went through. The first half of the season was hijacked by the Melo trade drama, and the second half was spent trying to figure out an abundance of talent without a superstar. It finished with a disappointing loss to the Thunder in which Oklahoma City ran out to a big series lead and never really looked back. It was supposed to be a huge matchup, and instead it felt empty. But the Nuggets should be proud of what they accomplished, and how they stuck together despite all the distractions, and having to figure out what was essentially a whole new team after the trade.

Changes since we last saw the Nuggets: Well, half of them are in China now. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but J.R. Smith, Kenyon Martin, and Wilson Chandler all seem set to head to China without an NBA-out clause. All three are free agents, and their return to Denver was questionable-to-doubtful to begin with. But without them, there are some interesting shifts if they stay in China. Smith’s spot is actually the most expendable. Danilo Gallinari can play shooting guard for certain rotations, and Denver is almost certain to re-sign Aaron Afflalo, one of the most efficient shooters in the league, from restricted free agency. Chandler’s minutes will be soaked up by Galinari and Al Harrington if the Nuggets go big, and Harrington likewise would take the minutes of Kenyon Martin. Harrington was God-awful-to-hey-pretty-good last season (there was a lot of variation within the Nuggets season if you can’t tell). The Nuggets also tinkered a bit at the draft, trading Raymond Felton for Andre Miller and a pick which became Jordan Hamilton to go along with Kenneth Faried. The big question will be Nene who will be an unrestricted free agent. Will he return to Denver or go chase a ring? Will the Nuggets have enough room under the new cap? Will we continue to ask annoying theoretical rhetoricals?

When the lockout ends, the Nuggets need to: Spend a year evaluating. If they re-sign Nene, their window is decidedly smaller, and they need to shift accordingly. But next year’s team will be driven to discover if Ty Lawson is ready to become a star in this league, if Danilo Gallinari is ready for another step forward, if George Karl can pull a young team together and make it greater than the sum of its parts without a true superstar, and what Masai Ujiri will do with the flexibility and assets afforded him. They’re not a young team all over, they’re not a veteran team all over, but they are an exceedingly talented team all over. The future’s bright for the Nuggets, but they have to hit the ground running.

They’ve got depth, with Andre Miller backing up Lawson, Gallinari’s versatility at positions, Al Harrington as a bench scorer, rookies who can contribute immediately, and capable defenders like Chris Anderson (or at least guys that can foul). But if Nene doesn’t re-sign, everything changes. They will have a gaping hole at center they’ll have to address, and the drop-off will be significant. How they’ll hande that will determine whether next season is a rebuilding year for Denver or a continuation of trying to make lightning in a bottle come together for an unlikely championship run.