ATLANTA, March 16 (UPI) -- A 20-point effort by Nene helped Denver break open a close game in the fourth quarter Wednesday and roll to a 102-87 victory over Atlanta.
The Nuggets held only a three-point lead with 10 minutes to go, then outscored Atlanta 30-18 the rest of the way.
Denver has won four in a row and seven out of eight in its bid to gain home-court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs. The Nuggets went into the night's action in fifth place in the Western Conference.
J.R. Smith and Arron Afflalo both had 15 points in the balanced Denver attack. Wilson Chandler added 14 points and 10 rebounds while the Nuggets were shooting 53 percent as a team.
Atlanta was led by 19 points and 10 rebounds from Zaza Pachulia. The Hawks had a two-game winning streak snapped and they have lost five of their last seven.
