Nuggets 118, Kings 108: Ty Lawson scored 14 of his 22 points in the decisive third quarter and distributed eight assists as visiting Denver came from behind to beat Sacramento.

Arron Afflalo also scored 22 points and Jusuf Nurkic and J.J. Hickson matched their season highs with 16 points apiece for Denver, which shot 55.3 percent from the floor. Kenneth Faried contributed 12 points and 13 rebounds as all five Denver starters reached double figures in scoring.

DeMarcus Cousins had 32 points and 13 rebounds to lead Sacramento, which couldn’t build on Wednesday’s win against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Rudy Gay added 22 points and Darren Collison finished with 15 points and seven assists for the Kings.

The Nuggets used a pair of 9-0 runs in the third quarter to pass by the Kings and then move ahead by 12 points at the midway point. Denver carried a 15-point lead into the final quarter, scored the first four points and the Kings never got back within single digits.

Ben McLemore made a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to extend Sacramento’s lead to 60-54 after the Kings trailed by as many as five earlier in the second quarter. Denver scored the first nine points of the second half and moved ahead by three.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Denver F Wilson Chandler, the team’s third-leading scorer, sat out with a strained knee and Darrell Arthur started in his place, finishing with 11 points. … The Kings fell to 0-16 this season when their opponent shoots a higher field-goal percentage. … Cousins has 16 double-doubles in the last 18 games in which he has appeared.