DENVER – It was a rare night where the Nuggets bench set the standard that the starters had to match in a 132-115 win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday at Ball Arena.

“That unit came in the game in that first quarter and really ignited us,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said of Bones Hyland, Bryn Forbes, Davon Reed, Zeke Nnaji and JaMychal Green, noting starting shooting guard Will Barton III also got some run with the reserves.

“We kind of built a lead with that group. … That group was fantastic on both ends.”

Nnaji, the Nuggets first man off the bench, entered the game in the middle of the first quarter to a five-point deficit after Evan Fournier hit his first three attempts from 3-point range. The reserves used a 9-0 finish to the first quarter to take a four-point lead to the second quarter.

By the time Barton checked back in five minutes into the second quarter, the Nuggets led by 16. The lead was 21 when Hyland, the final reserve to check out, headed back to the bench with five minutes to halftime.

“The chemistry with each and every one of us is getting tighter. We’re trusting in each other more,” Hyland said of the bench group.

“I think we’re more and more confident in each other.”

After the bench built the double-digit lead, the starters returned and stretched the advantage to 23 by halftime.

“To the starters’ credit, when they came back in in the second quarter, they continued to play at the level that the bench had kind of brought us to,” Malone said.

The Knicks closed within 13 points in the middle of the fourth quarter but got no closer.

Hyland made his first four 3-pointers, including one where he dropped Knicks guard Kemba Walker to the court, led the Nuggets with 22 points. He said his teammates were waiting for him in the locker room to celebrate the highlight at halftime.

“The chemistry with the guys is everything,” Hyland said. “They just want to see everyone do good. That’s something you want in locker rooms.”

JaMychal Green added another 20 of Denver’s 61 points off the bench. He also came up with a pair of steals that got the bench group out on the break during their first-half run.

“It started on the defensive end, and it leads to offense for us,” the veteran forward said. “We got some stops and got in transition.”

Nikola Jokic led the starters with 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Barton and Aaron Gordon finished with 20 and 19 points, respectively. Zeke Nnaji was the sixth Nugget and third reserve in double figures with 11 points. He made all five of his shots inside the arc and grabbed four of his seven rebounds on the offensive glass.

“He’s not a specialist. He’s not just a guy that can shoot 50-plus (percent) from 3,” Malone said of the second-year forward. “He can also work around the basket and finish and get you second and third possessions on that glass. Those possessions and shots are valuable.”

Julius Randle led the Knicks with 28 points, while Fournier added 21. Alec Burks, a former standout at University of Colorado, led New York’s bench with 14 points.

The Nuggets start their final road trip before the All-Star break Friday in Boston where another strong showing from the bench would be welcome.

“We definitely see what we’re capable of as a bench unit. We just got to be more consistent with it. We have our nights where we don’t play well.”

Keeping Cousins

After Sunday’s game, Malone said he and the front office would discuss DeMarcus Cousins’ future in Denver after his 10-day contract expired.

While the Nuggets are yet to sign Cousins, either to another 10-day or for the rest of the season, Malone reiterated his interest in having the veteran center around the team prior to Tuesday’s game against the Knicks. Thursday’s trade deadline could be a reason why that hasn’t already happened.

“DeMarcus has been great for us. I fully expect DeMarcus Cousins to be back with us at some point. He’s got to stop getting techs, and that’s an ongoing conversation,” Malone said. “The basketball aspect of it, he’s been tremendous. We’re 5-0 in games in which DeMarcus has played for us. I think, as an organization, you do what you have to do to give yourselves as much flexibility as possible. With that being said, it is my hope that DeMarcus is back with this team in the near future.”

Cousins averaged six points and seven rebounds in just over 13 minutes per game to start his time in Denver.