Denver Nuggets beat the Cavaliers in Cleveland, 106-97

Ty Lawson scored 24 points, Arron Afflalo added 23, and the Denver Nuggets ended Cleveland’s four-game winning streak with a 106-97 victory Monday night.

Denver took the lead for good early in the third quarter and was up by as many as 14 points midway through the fourth.

LeBron James, who missed the morning shoot-around because of a cold, led Cleveland with 22 points.

The Nuggets limped into the game after losing seven of eight and were coming off Sunday’s defeat in New York, in which they made one field goal in the second quarter.

Denver looked like a different team Monday, placing five players in double figures. Leading 90-84, the Nuggets scored eight straight points and went ahead 98-84 on Lawson’s layup with 6:01 to play.

Cleveland, which hit its first 11 three-pointers Saturday against Atlanta, failed to reach 100 points for the first time in six games.

Dallas 107, at Charlotte 80: Monta Ellis scored 18 points, Chandler Parsons had 17 to defeat the Hornets. Dirk Nowitzki scored 13 points to become the fourth player in NBA history to eclipse 27,000 career points with the same franchise, joining a prestigious group that includes Hornets owner Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant. The Mavericks came in leading the NBA in scoring, averaging more than 109 points per game, and the Hornets offered little resistance.

Phoenix 118, at Boston 114: Markieff Morris scored a career-high 30 points, and Eric Bledsoe had a key steal and breakaway dunk in the closing minute to help the Suns to victory. Goran Dragic had 22 points, Alex Len scored 19 with seven rebounds and Bledsoe finished with 15 points and seven assists for the Suns, who lost their previous two games. Jeff Green led Boston with 28 points, and Jared Sullinger had 18 points with eight rebounds. The lead changed six times in a wild, up-and-down fourth quarter until Green’s fast-break dunk put Boston ahead with just under a minute to go.

Miami 95, at New Jersey 83: Mario Chalmers scored 22 points, Chris Bosh ended his shooting slump and added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Heat, who snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Nets. With Dwyane Wade out for a third straight game due to a strained left hamstring, Chalmers remained in the starting lineup for the second consecutive night and keyed the finishing spurt for the Heat. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 22 points for the Nets, who were held to their lowest point total of the season and lost their fourth straight. Deron Williams added 14 but shot 4 of 13.

Orlando 107, at Detroit 93: Tobias Harris scored 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter as the Magic pulled away late to beat the Pistons. Nikola Vucevic finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds for Orlando, which had all five starters in double figures. The Pistons were led by Caron Butler, who had 20 points, and Brandon Jennings, who scored 18. But their front court trio of Josh Smith, Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe combined for only 25 points on 10-of-28 shooting.

at Memphis 119, Houston 93: Mike Conley scored 19 points as the Grizzlies easily defeated the Rockets in a matchup of the teams with the NBA’s best records. Whatever showdown was expected from the two 9-1 teams never materialized as Memphis took a 16-point lead in the first quarter and extended it in each of the remaining periods. Seven players finished in double figures for Memphis, which won its fourth straight overall.

at San Antonio 100, Philadelphia 75: Matt Bonner had 18 points and the Spurs Big Three got some rest as they handed the 76ers their 10th straight loss to open the season. Tim Duncan had 16 points and nine rebounds and Kawhi Leonard had five points and 11 rebounds in limited action. Duncan played 16 minutes and Tony Parker 18, as both sat out the entire fourth quarter after playing just five minutes in the third.