Anthony scores 50 as Nuggets beat Knicks, 128-125
Photo credit: AP | Knicks guard Chris Duhon, left, works the ball inside as Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo, right, defends while Knicks forward David Lee, back, looks on in the first quarter of the game. (November 27, 2009)
Galleries
Nov. 27: Nuggets 128, Knicks 125
DENVER - So if LeBron James doesn't decide to come to New York in 2010, is Carmelo Anthony ready to start talking about 2011?
After scoring a career-high 50 points in a 128-125 win over the Knicks Friday night at the Pepsi Center, Anthony has made New Yorkers pay attention. His performance was absolutely necessary to hold off one of the best offensive games the Knicks have produced this season. They shot a season-high 48.9 percent from the field and pushed Denver to the brink.
"They are a difficult team to play, man,'' Chauncey Billups said of the Knicks (3-13), who lost their fourth straight but might have played their best game of the season.
The game went down to a final play, when Billups stripped the ball from Larry Hughes just before the buzzer. Hughes thought he was fouled as he went up for a potential tying three-pointer, but referee Sean Corbin said the game was over. The officials watched a replay of the final seconds to see if Hughes had stepped out of bounds before the buzzer sounded.
"I got fouled,'' Hughes said. "I'm not sure, but I saw the ref raise his hand to signal a foul. I thought they were checking to see if it was a three or a two.''
Hughes, who tried to step back to attempt a three-pointer, admitted he wasn't sure if his foot was on the three-point line or not.
Al Harrington had 41 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for the Knicks, who showed far more ball movement and cutting on offense than what they had shown previously.
The problem was at the other end, where the Nuggets (12-4) shot a red-hot 53.6 percent from the floor and made 10 of 19 from downtown. J.R. Smith shot 4-for-6 from beyond the arc and Billups, who had 32 points and eight assists, shot 4-for-8.
But the big story was Anthony, who eclipsed his previous career high by one with a pair of free throws with 16.7 seconds left to give the Nuggets a four-point cushion. He finished with 17-for-28 shooting from the field, with one three-pointner, and went 15-for-16 from the foul line.
Anthony, who entered the game tied with James for second in the NBA at 29.7 points per game, had 39 points going into the fourth quarter and gave the Nuggets an eight-point lead early in the fourth. But the Knicks kept battling and took a 111-110 lead on David Lee's dunk with 3:24 left.
Lee had 23 points and 10 rebounds as he and Harrington shredded Denver's interior defense with the pick-and-roll.
The Knicks played without center Eddy Curry, who missed a second straight game with a left knee injury. He is listed as day-to-day; it is unclear if he will be able to play in Sunday's game against Dwight Howard and the Magic at the Garden.
The schedule stays tough in this next week, with two games against the Magic and games against the Suns and Hawks. But Mike D'Antoni believes he might have found something in this game to go forward - and it clearly doesn't involve the rookies, as Toney Douglas and Jordan Hill never left the bench.
Struggling starter Chris Duhon had a gritty game with 12 points and six assists in 37:04. He played the second half hobbled somewhat by a left ankle that he injured on the final play of the first half.
"We played really well,'' D'Antoni said. "We finally found a formula that we can kind of stick to. I thought we really competed tonight. Obviously, we played a really good team and Carmelo, when he gets into one of those zones, he makes it tough.''
Anthony joined the league's big three - LeBron, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade - in the 50-point club against the Knicks in the 2009 calendar year. Those three lit up the Knicks last season, led by Bryant's 61 on Feb. 2, Wade's 55 on April 12 and James' 52 on Feb. 3.
"It couldn't have came at a better time,'' Anthony said, adding: "They wouldn't go away.''
Earlier in the day, Anthony laughed when he was asked if he was ready for the 2011 talk - that's when he can opt out of his contract to become a free agent - if his buddy LeBron doesn't sign with the Knicks (who are owned by Cablevision, which also owns Newsday).
"Noooooo,'' Anthony said. "I ain't ready to start talking about that. That's two years from now.''
His performance Friday night said plenty on its own.
