"On a day when the Nuggets took major steps toward solidifying what they feel is a strong, talented young nucleus of players, the need for such depth was underscored.

The Nuggets may be without a third young star as point guard Ty Lawson sprained his left ankle midway through the second quarter of a 122-93 destruction of the Kings at the Power Balance Pavilion on Wednesday night. The Nuggets scored a franchise-record 92 points in the paint.

"I thought our passing tonight was spectacular," said Nuggets coach George Karl. "We were getting a lot of easy baskets underneath the defense.""