After revealing that Carmelo Anthony would miss a fourth straight game yesterday, Denver Nuggets coach George Karl joked he would beg the NBA’s leading scorer one last time to play.
They didn’t need him. Denver is still winning just fine.
Kenyon Martin scored 27 points and Chauncey Billups had 25 points and 11 assists, leading the Nuggets past the Spurs, 103-89, in San Antonio without Anthony, who took another day to rest his left ankle that he injured more than a week ago.
Denver will likely get Anthony back tonight against Sacramento. But if not, they’ll be OK if they keep playing like this.
“We know how important Melo is to us,” Karl said. “But I’ve always believed that injuries are windows of opportunity, and I think our guys have understood that the strategy’s going to be a little different, but we can still be a good team.”
In January, the Nuggets were one of the best. They went 12-3 for the month and 3-1 without Anthony.
The Spurs were missing their own star in Tony Parker, who sat out a second game with a mild left ankle sprain. George Hill had 17 points in place of Parker, and Tim Duncan had 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Cavaliers 114, Clippers 89 - LeBron James scored half of his team’s 46 points in the first quarter and Cleveland tied an NBA record with 11 3-pointers in the opening period of its win against visiting Los Angeles.
The 46 points tied a franchise mark for most in a quarter, and the Cavaliers, winners of eight straight, scored via 3-pointers on seven straight possessions.
James finished with 32 points and 11 assists.
Magic 91, Pistons 87 - In Auburn Hills, Mich., J.J. Redick scored 17 points and Dwight Howard had 16 points and 14 rebounds as Orlando outlasted Detroit, earning a win that means coach Stan Van Gundy will lead the Eastern Conference in the All-Star Game.
Raptors 117, Pacers 102 - Chris Bosh had 26 points and 15 rebounds, Andrea Bargnani scored 17 points and host Toronto won its fifth straight game, beating Indiana in its 13th straight game with 100-plus points.
76ers 83, Nets 79 - In East Rutherford, N.J., Andre Iguodala scored 14 points, including seven in a key portion of the third quarter, pushing Philadelphia past New Jersey to snap a three-game losing streak.
Timberwolves 112, Knicks 91 - Kevin Love had a career-high 25 points to go with 11 rebounds and Minnesota mauled New York, which got 27 points from Wilson Chandler in Minneapolis.
Thunder 112, Warriors 104 - Kevin Durant scored a season-high 45 points, Russell Westbrook added 28 points and eight assists, and Oklahoma City beat visiting Golden State.
Suns 115, Rockets 111 - Amare Stoudemire (36 points) and Steve Nash (11 points, 16 assists, eight rebounds) helped Phoenix handle host Houston.
Elsewhere in the NBA - Chris Paul will undergpo arthroscopic left knee surgery and could miss 1-2 months, sources close to the New Orleans Hornets guard told Yahoo! [YHOO]
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment