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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Down by 21 points and playing without
All-Star forward Antonio McDyess, the Denver Nuggets decided Nick
Van Exel was their only chance for a victory.
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| Van Exel |
Van Exel hit seven 3-pointers and scored 41 points to rally the
Nuggets to a 103-96 victory over Charlotte on Friday night.
"They didn't have anything to lose by letting Van Exel shoot it," Charlotte center Elden Campbell said. "If he hits, they're back in the game. If he doesn't, they're already losing. And he hit them, he put on a show."
Van Exel, back from a two-game absence because of a back injury, stepped up after McDyess left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury.
Van Exel hit four 3-pointers in the second half, including one that tied the game with 3:13 left and another one to seal the victory with 19 seconds to play.
"We call him 'Nick at Night' and he showed everybody why,"
Denver guard James Posey said. "We know he can give us late game
heroics and hit big shots all the time. He has a lot of heart and
was still able to execute playing hobbled."
Van Exel, who said he sprained his knee in the first quarter and suffered a bruised thigh in the third quarter, chalked up his performance to luck.
"The team was really looking for me late and I was just fortunate the shots were falling," Van Exel said. "I was just lucky to hit them, and once I did, it got our confidence going."
It was just the 10th road win of the season for the Nuggets, who
improved to 10-27 away from home.
Charlotte blew a 21-point lead while dropping its fourth straight game. Afterward, coach Paul Silas accused the Hornets of quitting.
"We had a total lack of effort," Silas said. "We quit
executing, rebounding and guarding. It was a total of collapse of
fundamentals. We simply shut down and quit hustling and just gave
it to them."
David Wesley led the Hornets with 24 points, but missed three
consecutive 3-point attempts in the final two minutes.
McDyess sustained a mild separation of his left kneecap sometime
in the first quarter and was limping when he was taken to the
locker room with 8:42 to play in the second quarter.
He said after the game it wasn't as serious as when he partially
dislocated his left kneecap on March 3 and missed four games.
"I felt a sharp pain, but it was a lot more mild than the first time I injured it," he said. "It's a little tender, but hopefully I won't miss any games."
Charlotte led by eight when McDyess left and capitalized on his
absence with a 14-2 run that put the Hornets up 49-29 with 4:47 to
play in the half.
They took their largest lead of the game when Baron Davis scored
on a reverse layup on a pass from Wesley that gave Charlotte a
56-35 advantage with 3:03 left in the half.
But the Nuggets chipped away at the lead in the third quarter
behind a barrage of long-range shots from Van Exel and Posey.
Posey hit a 3-pointer and an 18-footer and Van Exel followed
with a long 3 to cut Charlotte's lead to 72-58.
The Nuggets cut it to 74-69 on a 27-foot 3-pointer by Van Exel,
who then finished Denver's rally in the fourth quarter.
He hit a 3-pointer with 3:13 to play that tied it 94. The
Nuggets then took the lead when Ryan Bowen was fouled on a dunk by
P.J. Brown. Bowen hit the free throw to make it 97-94.
Campbell hit a pair of free throws to pull Charlotte within one,
but Van Exel and Wesley traded misses until Van Exel hit one of two
free throws and the game-winning 3 with 19 seconds left.
Game notes
A handful of Montreal Expos, including Vladimir Guerrero
and Fernando Tatis, attended the game. Tim Raines and Guerrero even
tossed T-shirts into the crowd during a third-quarter break. The
Expos play the Chicago White Sox in an exhibition game Saturday in
Charlotte. ... Brown, suffering from flu-like symptoms the past two
days, was limited to four points in 30 minutes. ... George McCloud
missed his second straight game for Denver with a bad back.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Denver Clubhouse
Charlotte Clubhouse
RECAPS
Philadelphia 102
Golden State 89
Toronto 110
New Jersey 99
Indiana 92
Boston 87
Denver 103
Charlotte 96
Detroit 100
Orlando 97
Utah 95
Cleveland 88
Portland 96
New York 79
Seattle 94
LA Clippers 84
LA Lakers 98
Dallas 89
Sacramento 110
Minnesota 98
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