Nets-Nuggets Preview

The Denver Nuggets put an end to a three-game home losing streak their last time out. Now they appear to be in good position to snap a couple of slides against the Brooklyn Nets.

The Nuggets have dropped four in a row and two straight at home to the lowly Nets, who stagger into Denver looking to avoid a third straight loss as they continue a nine-game road trip Friday night.

Denver (24-37) averted a third consecutive defeat overall in ending its home skid by beating the Los Angeles Lakers 117-107 on Wednesday. D.J. Augustin scored 22 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to lead six Nuggets in double figures, and Denver shot 48.7 percent from the field and went 12 of 23 from 3-point range.

The Nuggets have shot 47.8 percent in the past six at home, but they've allowed opponents to score 111.0 points per contest over the last five of them.

Augustin helped to overcome another shaky night on defense - the Lakers are averaging 97.8 points - with his second 20-point game in the last three. Both were season highs.

''Just going with the flow of the game. It happens sometimes,'' said Augustin, who went 3 for 3 from beyond the arc and 9 for 9 from the foul line. ''I took what they gave me.''

Augustin has hit 57.6 percent from the floor over the past three.

He'll look to continue his hot shooting against the Nets (17-44), who fell to 2-3 on their grueling trek with a 107-101 loss to the Lakers on Tuesday. Brook Lopez, Thaddeus Young and Bojan Bogdanovic combined for 60 points, but Brooklyn allowed Los Angeles to shoot 49.4 percent and go 11 of 26 from 3-point range.

Rookie D'Angelo Russell torched the Nets for 16 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter and went 8 for 12 on 3s.

''We didn't play well, and they got going, so it's on us,'' said Lopez, who's averaged 23.4 points in his last seven. ''We played selfish. All things considered, we still had a shot and we got some good looks. We had opportunities to get back into the game, but it just never happened.''

Young added 15 rebounds while Bogdanovic scored 18 in his fourth straight start since the Nets parted ways with Joe Johnson. He's averaged 17.3 points in that span - well above his season mark of 9.9.

Brooklyn has outscored Denver 107.3-92.8 in its four-game run in the series. It took the first meeting of the season 105-104 at home Feb. 8, and its two consecutive road victories over the Nuggets have come by an average of 25.5 points.

The Nets played for the second straight night Tuesday and third time in four days, and they're opening another back-to-back with Minnesota on tap for Saturday night. Brooklyn's trip, which began Feb. 23, runs through March 11.

Young scored 20 points Feb. 8 while Kenneth Faried had 22 and 13 rebounds for Denver. Teammate Danilo Gallinari scored 24, but he's missed two straight games and is day-to-day with a sprained ankle.