DENVER -- Kenneth Faried was all smiles in Denvers locker room. And with good reason. The Nuggets forward scored a career-high 34 points and added 13 rebounds to lead Denver to a 137-107 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night. "When I got my second foul, I sat down and looked up said, Wow, I have nine (points) already. I havent really played that much. This might be a career game," Faried said. "Thats what I love to do -- have fun and play basketball. When its that exciting and that much fun you have no worries, really. You just think about winning. "Coach (Brian Shaw) wanted me to impose my will on (the Pelicans) Anthony Davis ... not shy away or back down." That wasnt an issue in the second half, when Davis sat out with back spasms. He finished with six points and three rebounds. Tyreke Evans scored 27 points to lead New Orleans. The Nuggets raced to a 40-26 lead by the end of the first quarter and never looked back, making 15 of 27 3-pointers compared to 2 of 9 for New Orleans, a 39-point difference. The 137 points tied the Nuggets season scoring high. "They (Nuggets) just ran up and down the court and did what they wanted to do. They did make some unbelievable 3s, they were on fire tonight," Evans said. "We knew that at the beginning of the game Faried was going to come out aggressive and we didnt do a good job of stopping him." The Pelicans had no answers inside for Faried, who went unchecked numerous times for backdoor dunks and easy short jumpers. "I think that is how Faried should be playing," teammate Ty Lawson said. "I compare him to a little bit like Charles Barkley the way he can get the ball to the rim, make good decisions and pass it." Farieds previous career best was 32 points against the Lakers on March 7. "He is succeeding in areas he has struggled in before and so that is just making him supremely confident," Shaw said. "When you have that (confidence) then the game starts to slow down for you." The Pelicans trailed 71-53 at halftime. The 71 points were the most they allowed in the first half this season. The previous high was 64 points twice. "We didnt play well to start the game. In the month of March we set a high bar for how we can play, regardless of whos on the floor," New Orleans coach Monty Williams said. "Since Ive been here weve never given up these type of numbers with our defence." Denver led 105-81 after three quarters and cruised to the victory from there. "Thats the toughest part for me, allowing teams to score like that," Williams said. "Thought they had way too many easy points in the paint." Reserve Aaron Brooks scored 24 points for Denver, going 6 of 8 from beyond the arc. "I just wanted to be more aggressive. Talked to coach before the game and he said he wanted at least three, so I got that quota," Brooks said. "The big guy (Davis) wasnt in there (in the second half), and once hes out its time to attack the rim. We shared the ball and had a lot of assists." The victory moved the Nuggets ahead of the Pelicans for 11th place in the Western Conference and gave them a split of the four-game season series. The Nuggets led in assists (34-21) and blocks (12-7) and committed fewer turnovers (11-16). The Pelicans held a 42-40 rebounding edge. NOTES: Nuggets F Wilson Chandler missed his sixth straight game with a left groin strain. ... Pelicans G Eric Gordon missed his seventh consecutive game with tendinitis in his left knee. ... The Nuggets tied their season high with 12 blocks. . The Nuggets 15 3-pointers tied their season high. Charles Hudon Canadiens Jersey .ca has you covered for whos in, whos out and what to expect from all 30 teams. Karl Alzner Canadiens Jersey . The right-hander said he threw about 30 pitches in a routine bullpen session Sunday at Yankee Stadium, his final hurdle before starting Tuesday night at Tampa Bay. http://www.canadienssale.com/authentic-henri-richard-canadiens-jersey/ . Thats when the eight-time champion revealed that a painful back is slowing his serves -- and, all in all, giving him more trouble than his opponents so far. Shea Weber Jersey . Each day, TSN.ca provides the latest rumours, reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. Defensive Depth TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun is reporting the Toronto Maple Leafs have considerable interest in unrestricted free-agent defenceman Dan Boyle. Xavier Ouellet Jersey . The Stampeders announced the move on Wednesday. Bell spent his first two CFL seasons with the B.MADRID, Spain -- A second-half goal from Luis "Pizzi" Afonso earned Espanyol a 2-1 victory at Malaga in the Spanish league on Tuesday, while Elche held fourth-place Athletic Bilbao to a 0-0 draw. Cristian Stuani laid the ball off for Sergio Garcia to smash home an angled shot as Espanyol took the lead in the 32nd minute. Malaga levelled two minutes later despite Pablo Perez being offside when he collected the ball before lifting a shot over goalkeeper Francisco Casilla. Malaga goalkeeper Willy Caballero made a number of key saves but couldnt reach Pizzis winner in the 75th. Malagas rally was stalled when Perez was red carded moments later. "An important win for ensuring we stay up in the first division," Garcia said after Espanyol reached 40 points to go provisionally eighth. Athletic, which currently holds the final Champions League qualifying spot, provisionally stretched its advantage over fifth-place Sevilla to nine points. Sevilla hoosts Real Madrid, which is looking to rebound from its weekend defeat to Barcelona, on Wednesday.dddddddddddd Neither team dominated at the Elches Martinez Valero Stadium, with Bilbao coming close in the 16th when goalkeeper Manuel Herrera palmed Ander Herreras curling free kick over the bar. The hosts best chance came in the 72nd when Christian Herrera cut a shot back across the box but it ran wide of the far post. Elche moved three points clear of 18th-place Getafe and the drop. "The weather didnt help, the pitch didnt help, neither team played great," Bilbao midfielder Ander Herrera said. "I think we could have offered a better performance." Atletico Madrid leads the standings with 70 points, the same as Madrid but it enjoys the tiebreaker. Atletico plays Granada on Wednesday, when Barcelona faces Celta Vigo. Defending champion Barcelona trails the two Madrid clubs by a single point going into the 30th round of games. ' ' '