Al Harrington scored a season-high 31 points, including six 3-pointers, as the Denver Nuggets defeated the host Toronto Raptors 123-116 Friday to give coach George Karl his 1,000th career victory.

Karl became the seventh coach in NBA history to reach the plateau, joining Don Nelson, Lenny Wilkens, Pat Riley, Jerry Sloan, Phil Jackson and Larry Brown.

The Nuggets (14-8) shot 56.6 percent from the field, including 46.2 percent from 3-point range, and had season-highs with 39 points in the first quarter and 74 in the first half.

Nene scored 26 points and improved his league-leading field goal percentage to .631 while Chauncey Billups scored 15 of his 21 points in the first quarter and had a game-high eight assists for the Nuggets.

Rookie Gary Forbes scored 13 of the Nuggets’ 24 points in the third quarter.

Nuggets superstar Carmelo Anthony did not play for the second straight game because of inflammation in his right knee.

Linas Kleiza scored 26 points - including 19 in the first half - for the Raptors (8-15), who have lost seven straight to the Nuggets, including three at home.

Andrea Bargnani scored 24 points, Leandro Barbosa had 22 and Sonny Weems scored 21 for Toronto.