MILWAUKEE -- Kenneth Faried was called out for his timid play, dared to be more aggressive and take over games. That challenge came not from his coaches or teammates, but from members of his family. "My family came up to me and said, Hey, do what you are paid to do and that is play basketball," Faried said. "Stop worrying about everybody else, stop being nervous, stop being timid and play your game." Farieds high-energy play has been the driving force behind his recent hot streak, including a 26-point performance to carry the Denver Nuggets past the Milwaukee Bucks 101-90 Thursday night. Wilson Chandler scored 15 while J.J. Hickson added 14 points and 10 rebounds in a matchup of two teams left short-handed by deals they made before Thursday afternoons trade deadline. But Faried made the difference for the Nuggets, who broke a five-game losing streak. "Its good to feel what its like to get a W again," Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said. "Its been awhile for us." Faried, the No. 22 overall pick in the 2011 draft, has been impressive this February. Coming off a 21-point, 10-rebound performance against Phoenix, the forward also scored a career-high 28 against the Los Angeles Clippers earlier this month. "My mother challenged me," Faried said. "My father even stepped up and said, Play your game and do what you do." From opponents, one word keeps coming up: motor, motor, motor. "He has a 757 motor, man," Bucks guard O.J. Mayo said. "Hes not the tallest, but it comes down to energy and effort. He has one of those motors, man." Added Bucks coach Larry Drew, "If you dont match it, hell gobble you up. And thats what happened tonight." Caron Butler scored 17 for the Bucks, who have not won two straight games all season. Ersan Ilyasova had 14 points and 11 rebounds. "We just seemed like we never got into a rhythm," Drew said. "I thought every time we seemed to try to put together a little bit of a push, we just never seemed to sustain a rhythm." With Denver leading 78-67 going into the fourth quarter, Milwaukee got within five points on John Hensons dunk off an alley-oop from Giannis Antetokounmpo, plus a pair of jumpers by Caron Butler. But the Nuggets responded with a 12-2 run, including a powerful two-handed putback dunk by Faried, and put the game away. "Motor," Bucks forward John Henson said of Faried. "Thats his game, thats how he gets his money. His motor." Earlier in the day, Denver sent disgruntled guard Andre Miller to Washington, getting back forward Jan Vesely from Washington in a three-team deal that also involved Philadelphia. Miller hasnt played since he got into a verbal altercation with Shaw earlier this year. Shaw said before the game that "nobody wanted to have the situation come down to what it came to," and the deal would be better for both sides. The Bucks sent guards Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour to Charlotte, getting guard Ramon Sessions and forward Jeff Adrien in return. Left with remarkably short benches, the Nuggets used eight players in Thursdays game, and the Bucks used nine. Milwaukee played Antetokounmpo at point guard at times. Milwaukee even brought back O.J. Mayo, who had missed 10 games because of a combination of illness and conditioning issues. Mayo scored 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting in 23 minutes, but had an odd moment when he appeared to be caught tying his shoe on defence while the Nuggets had the ball in play. "Sorry about that," Mayo said. "Just trying to stay safe." Overall, Drew was pleased with the play of Mayo -- a player the Bucks will be counting on the rest of the season. "I thought he did a really good job," Drew said. "I saw some really good energy in him." NOTES: Shaw confirmed before the game that JaVale McGee had surgery. McGee sustained a stress fracture of his left tibia in November. . Bucks guard Brandon Knight was a game-time scratch because of a right heel laceration. . Shaw said before the game that he couldnt comment on a potential trade of forward Jordan Hamilton to Houston for guard Aaron Brooks. Cheap Under Armour Free Shipping .com) - Baltimore Ravens running back Justin Forsett is active for Sundays matchup with the Miami Dolphins. Wholesale Under Armour Online .J. Mayo made seven three-pointers and scored 25 points, Ersan Ilyasova added 20, and the Milwaukee Bucks placed seven players in double figures in a 130-110 rout of the Philadelphia 76ers, who lost their 11th straight game on Monday night. http://www.clearanceunderarmour.com/ . Rico dove horizontally to meet Andoni Iraolas precise long cross from the right to score his second league goal of the season in the 33rd minute. Two minutes later, Aritz Aduriz netted Bilbaos second when he raced forward and pounced on a poor clearance by Villarreal defender Mateo Musacchio, sending a low shot rolling past goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo. Cheap Under Armour USA . -- Michael Frazier II scored 21 points, Dorian Finney-Smith added 11 and No. Under Armour Shoes From China . "I had a pretty good year," the soft-spoken Granberg told TSN.ca with a grin from the teams annual rookie tournament in London. A fourth-round selection in 2010, Granberg is worth keeping an eye on with NHL training camps rolling around in less than a week. The six-foot-two, 200-pound defender may not possess the wow-inspiring theatrics of fellow prospect Morgan Rielly, but nonetheless has a chance to contribute with the Leafs when all is said and done this season.When you win it all, as much as it is an exhilaration, it is also a relief. Its a significant accomplishment in that, for the rest of your life, you can say that, at least once, you were a part of a championship team and you have the physical reality of the ring to show it. You have a unique sense of accomplishment and an internal peace of mind that a journey was completed. With the Saskatchewan Roughriders winning the 101st Grey Cup at home last year, there was a mission accomplished mentality that began a year ago in May 2013. But what now? How do you put history behind and concentrate on the present with the same drive and dedication you held previously? Very few teams repeat and, in some ways, it is a mystery as to why. The talent changes and the coaching changes but why is it so hard to recreate? Mainly because it is not always the teams with the best talent that win as much as it is the team with the players that are at their best working together. Winning teams have exceptional unselfish chemistry, losing teams never achieve that very esoteric feeling. The challenge for the Riders is more about creating a similar feeling as much as it is playing to a high level consistently; a vague challenge hard to define and even harder to recreate. What is easy to assess is the stability in the organization on many levels but first and foremost, financially. I am old enough to remember the public telethon created about 20 years ago to save the Riders. Now that is a distant memory of painful circumstances that youthful Rider fans would have trouble comprehending. At this point in CFL history, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are a story of extreme business and football success in that, if you make the right decisions, what seems impossible to overcome is more adversity than inevitability. The positives going into the year are the continuity with Cory Chamblin back as head coach with an extended contract, Brendon Taman back in management with an extended contract and Darian Durant back with a third extended contract.dddddddddddd. On the opposite side is the absence of RB Kory Sheets and SB Weston Dressler, who were two impact players. Both may be back, or not, but that unknown is uncontrollable so you move on. Another tough moment was RB Jock Sanders going to Calgary. Though he did have injury issues, the Riders lost a player who will play against them a least three times this season and that is the most difficult personal transitions to overcome. Last year, Saskatchewan finished second in points scored with an average 28 per game and second in rushing with 128 yards per game. On the other side of the ball, it was even better. They were first in fewest points allowed, second in both second downs converted and most 2-and-outs forced on an opponent. They also finished the season tied with Calgary in takeaway/giveaway at +19. Weaknesses? Not much other than finishing seventh in red zone offence and fifth in red zone defence. The only other factor or priority improvement is pass defence that allowed 252 yards per game, fifth best in the league. All this considered though, the good outweighs the bad, dramatically. I dont think the challenges for Rider football are the tangibles such as people, places and things as much as they are the intangibles of perception, opportunity awareness and living in the present moment; allowing the past to be the past and playing with energy for the future. It is a good team that needs to improve and that truth has to be in the forefront in all players minds. Calgary, BC and Edmonton will be better and on edge to be the best because they were not at their best last year. Can all the Rider players respect the past and dismiss it as pride of that was then, this is now? Or will the success of yesterday limit the urgency of today? It is not a physical issue, it is mental. Rise to the moment of today, and only today. If they do, what happened last year can happen again. ' ' '