Bests Nene gets off on good foot
Nene's first half: The Nuggets big man found his mojo, particularly in the second quarter, as he soared for multiple dunks and layups after beating the much slower Erick Dampier down the floor. He ended the half with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Nuggets' bench: Led by J.R. Smith, right, the Nuggets' bench players had 39 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists, six steals and seven blocked shots.
Running and gunning: The Nuggets put Dallas away with a 26-9 run in the fourth quarter. In the third quarter, an 18-9 surge took the Nuggets from a two-point deficit to a seven-point lead.
Chris Dempsey, The Denver Post/Tim Rasmussen photo, The Post
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Worsts Dirk's strong start
Nuggets' first-quarter defense: The Mavericks got nearly whatever they wanted, scoring 24 points on 11-of-24 shooting. Dirk Nowitzki had 13 in the period.
Melo's penchant for collecting fouls: Carmelo Anthony picked up his third foul with 7:03 to play in the second quarter and had to sit for the rest of the half. He ended up with five fouls; four in the first three quarters.
Nuggets' free-throw shooting: Denver hit just 10-of-16 from the line in the first half and 25-of-36 (69.4 percent) for the game.
Chris Dempsey, The Denver Post
