National Basketball Association

J.R. Smith puts up 45 as Nuggets rout lowly Kings

Published Apr. 14, 2009 6:03 a.m. ET

foxsports

J.R. Smith grabbed the ball in the final seconds and raced to halfcourt. Fans screaming his name figured he'd fire up one last 3-pointer. Instead, he dribbled out the clock.

Smith had a career-high 45 points and franchise-best 11 3-pointers to help the Denver Nuggets clinch the Northwest Division title and home-court edge in the playoffs for the first time in 21 years with a 118-98 win over the Sacramento Kings on Monday night.