DENVER – Randy Foye scored a season-high 24 points, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 101-88 on Thursday night for their fourth win in a row after an eight-game losing streak.
It was the second time in two games that Foye, who hit six 3-pointers, established a season high. He was coming off a 23-point effort in which he made seven 3s in Denver’s victory over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.
The Nuggets overcame Kevin Durant’s 30 points in beating the Thunder for the first time in three tries this season. The teams will meet a final time in Oklahoma City on March 24.
Evan Fournier had 19 points, and Ty Lawson added 16 points and 14 assists for Denver. Kenneth Faried had nine points and 14 rebounds.
Reggie Jackson scored 13 and Derek Fisher 12 for the Thunder.
Quincy Miller, making his first career start, had nine points while playing in place of Wilson Chandler, who the team said remains day to day after straining his left groin against Boston.
Serge Ibaka, who missed Tuesday night’s 112-101 loss at Utah because of flu-like symptoms, had eight points and 10 rebounds in his return.
The Thunder missed their first 10 shots from 3-point range before Jackson and Durant each connected from beyond the arc on successive possessions, pulling the Thunder to 72-59.
Denver answered with several 3s over the next 6 minutes. Foye and Fournier hit two apiece, Lawson converted a three-point play, and the Nuggets extended their lead to 89-66 by the end of the third quarter.
Overall, the Nuggets outscored the Thunder 29-15 in the third to build a 23-point lead heading into the final period. Oklahoma City didn’t make a significant dent in Denver’s advantage the rest of the way.
Despite getting 24 points from Durant in the first half, the Thunder trailed 60-51.
After Durant made a pair of free throws to pull Oklahoma City to 50-47 with 2 minutes, 22 seconds left in the second quarter, the Nuggets closed with a 10-4 burst punctuated by Lawson’s 3-pointer from the top of the key in the waning moments of the period.
Nuggets news
Kevin Durant scored 30 or more points for the 19th time this season. ... The Thunder lost consecutive games for the third time this season. ... Ty Lawson has had five consecutive double-doubles, the longest such streak of his career. ... Randy Foye has scored in double figures in seven consecutive games.
