PHILADELPHIA — Guard/forward Hollis Thompson scored a career-high 23 points off the bench, and the Philadelphia 76ers held on to beat the struggling Denver Nuggets 105-98 Tuesday night.
Thompson made his first eight shots, including four 3-pointers, and finished 8-for-12 from the floor, 4-for-6 from the arc.
Forward Robert Covington added 17 points for the Sixers, who won a third consecutive home game for the first time since March 2013. Guard Michael Carter-Williams finished with 15 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds.
Reserve forward Danilo Gallinari had 22 points to lead Denver, which fell for the third straight time and the 10th time in its past 11 games. Forward Wilson Chandler added 19 points, and guard Ty Lawson had 14 assists.
The Nuggets (19-30) trailed 85-59 with 1:50 left in the third quarter but reeled off 16 straight points, including two 3-pointers by backup guard Jameer Nelson, a native of nearby Chester, Pa., to cut the gap to 85-75.
Philadelphia scored seven straight points, the first five by Covington, to go up 99-82.
Denver closed within 103-98 on a 3-pointer by Chandler in the closing seconds.
The Sixers (11-39) shot 68.4 percent in the first quarter, their second-best marksmanship in any quarter this season. Behind Thompson, they mounted a 20-4 spree late in the period that extended into the second quarter and gave Philadelphia a 44-30 lead.
Thompson scored 13 of his 19 first-half points in that stretch, including three 3-pointers.
Philadelphia stretched its lead to 61-38 on yet another 3-pointer by Thompson late in the second quarter. He finished the half 6-for-6 from the floor and 4-for-4 from 3-point range.
Guard Arron Afflalo had 12 of his 14 points in the opening half to lead Denver, which missed 21 of 26 shots in the second quarter.
The Sixers extended their lead to as many as 28 in the third quarter.
NOTES: 76ers G Tony Wroten, out since Jan. 14 after partially tearing his right anterior cruciate ligament, underwent surgery Tuesday. The team provided no information beyond that. … Philadelphia G Michael Carter-Williams started after missing the second half of Monday’s loss to Cleveland with a bruised right shin. Carter-Williams does not believe it will affect his participation in the Rising Stars Challenge on All-Star weekend. Carter-Williams also said there is a possibility he will take part in the skills competition. … Denver C JaVale McGee missed the game because of illness, but F Kenneth Faried and F Darrell Arthur returned after missing Saturday’s game against Charlotte for the same reason. … The Nuggets gathered for dinner Monday night at the suburban Philadelphia home of G Jameer Nelson. “It’s something that players don’t do much anymore,” coach Brian Shaw said.