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Nuggets hang tough in 102-95 win

Composure a factor in victory at Indiana

Aaron J. Lopez, Rocky Mountain News

Published February 10, 2007 at midnight

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INDIANAPOLIS - The Nuggets finally kept their cool in the fourth quarter.

The same hardly could be said of the Indiana Pacers.

While the Pacers griped with the officiating crew in the second half, the Nuggets had no qualms about escaping Conseco Fieldhouse with an ugly 102-95 win Friday night.

Not only did the Nuggets snap a three-game losing streak, but they also gained some needed confidence in the midst of an otherwise frustrating two-week stretch in which they squandered late leads with regularity.

"We've kind of lost a lot of games in the fourth quarter, and we almost did it again," said Nuggets forward Linas Kleiza, who accounted for Denver's only two field goals in the fourth quarter. "We've got to figure out what's going on, but it definitely feels great to come out with a victory."

Denver, which has lost nine games when leading after three quarters, nearly stumbled again down the stretch but can thank the hot-headed Pacers for some charity.

Indiana coach Rick Carlisle was ejected early in the third quarter, and typically mild- mannered point guard Darrell Armstrong got the boot when he charged after referee Eli Roe during a timeout midway through the fourth.

As a result, the Nuggets went 32-for-43 from the foul line, including 20-of-25 in the fourth quarter. The free-throw parade helped offset 2-for-11 shooting and eight turnovers in the fourth quarter.

"Every time we play Indiana, it's always physical out there," said Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony, who went 12-for-13 from the line. "They want to beat us up, bump and grind with us. I'm glad we kept our composure and no one got heated out there."

Anthony celebrated his All- Star selection by scoring 34 points. He also had six rebounds and five assists in more than 45 minutes.

Eduardo Najera added a season-high 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds despite playing on a sore right knee that he banged early in the game. He scored 12 in the third quarter to help the Nuggets take a 13- point lead into the fourth.

"Eddie came through defensively; he came through offensively," Anthony said. "He made it a little easier out there for me to make shots."

As has been the case all season, nothing came easy in the fourth quarter.

Denver went scoreless for the first 4 minutes, 2 seconds of the quarter as Indiana cut the lead to 76-74. Anthony broke the spell with two free throws, and Kleiza hit a three-pointer as part of an 8-0 run.

The Pacers tried to slow the momentum with a timeout, but they lost Armstrong when he did his best George Brett imitation by going after Roe during the break.

Armstrong was restrained by teammate Troy Murphy, then kicked a folding chair as he stomped off the floor.

"I tried to talk to him, and he didn't respect the way I was trying to talk to him," Armstrong said. "If I was yelling and cussing at him, I would understand him giving me a tech. I was talking to him like a man."

Armstrong's outburst came shortly after teammate Jeff Foster was whistled for a technical and about a half-hour after Carlisle was ejected for arguing with veteran official Joe Crawford.

Nuggets coach George Karl seemed mystified by Indiana's frustration.

"I don't understand what they were complaining about," he said.

Having lost seven of eight games, the Nuggets were not complaining about anything.

Power forward Nene continued his strong play of late by scoring 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds. He missed four free throws in a row during one stretch of the fourth quarter but finished 8-for-14 from the line.

"We don't really want to get too statistical with all that," Anthony said. "We won the game. It's good to get that monkey off our back."

Denver did it without center Marcus Camby (groin strain) and point guard Allen Iverson (sprained right ankle).

Iverson did not travel with the team, but Camby might be available tonight against Milwaukee. A bout with the flu kept him in the locker room during the Indiana game.

FG FT Reb
DENVER Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts
Anthony 45:23 11-24 12-13 2-6 5 2 34
Najera 29:52 8-9 2-4 3-9 1 1 18
Nene 34:04 3-8 8-14 1-7 2 5 14
Kleiza 30:22 4-8 4-4 2-5 0 5 15
Blake 43:35 3-5 4-4 0-2 8 2 11
Evans 28:13 1-5 0-2 2-10 2 4 2
Smith 19:07 1-6 2-2 0-1 1 3 4
Johnson 5:38 1-2 0-0 0-1 0 1 2
Sampson 3:46 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 2
Totals 240 33-68 32-43 10-41 19 23 102

Percentages - FG .485, FT .744. Three-point goals - 4-12, .333 (Kleiza 3-6, Blake 1-2, Smith 0-1, Johnson 0-1, Anthony 0-2). Team rebounds - 13. Team turnovers - 20 (26 pts.). Blocked shots - 2 (Najera, Evans). Turnovers - 20 (Anthony 5, Kleiza 5, Nene 4, Smith 2, Blake 2, Evans, Johnson). Steals - 7 (Najera 2, Kleiza, Evans, Johnson, Blake, Nene). Technicals - None.

FG FT Reb
INDIANA Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts
Granger 39:44 7-14 3-3 0-3 2 2 19
O'Neal 37:12 6-15 4-6 2-4 2 3 16
Murphy 23:55 6-10 0-0 1-6 3 6 14
Dunleavy 41:14 9-15 2-2 4-11 3 4 23
Tinsley 29:17 3-16 2-2 0-1 9 5 9
Marshall 17:19 2-8 0-0 1-2 0 2 4
Foster 22:26 1-3 0-0 4-7 0 5 2
Armstrong 18:43 1-3 0-0 0-1 7 2 2
Diogu 10:10 3-5 0-0 2-2 0 3 6
Totals 240 38-89 11-13 14-37 26 32 95

Percentages - FG .427, FT .846. Three-point goals - 8-22, .364 (Dunleavy 3-7, Murphy 2-3, Granger 2-5, Tinsley 1-4, Marshall 0-1, Armstrong 0-2). Team rebounds - 8. Team turnovers - 14 (17 pts.). Blocked shots - 6 (Foster 3, O'Neal 2, Tinsley). Turnovers - 14 (O'Neal 3, Armstrong 3, Diogu 2, Dunleavy 2, Granger, Tinsley, Marshall, Murphy). Steals - 8 (O'Neal 2, Armstrong 2, Marshall 2, Foster, Dunleavy). Technicals - Coach Carlisle 2, 9:53 third; Foster, 6:32 fourth; Armstrong 2, 6:28 fourth. Ejected - Coach Carlisle, 9:53 third; Armstrong, 6:28 fourth.

Denver ......20 20 36 26 - 102
Indiana ......16 24 23 32 - 95

A - 17,435 (18,345). T - 2:21. Officials - Joe Crawford, Marc Davis, Eli Roe.

Nuggets at Bucks

? When: 6:30 MST tonight.

? Where: Bradley Center, Milwaukee.

? TV/radio: Altitude; KKFN-AM (950).

? Probable starting lineups:

Denver (24-24) Pos. Ht. Pts.

15 Carmelo Anthony F 6-8 30.9

21 Eduardo Najera F 6-8 6.5

31 Nene C 6-11 9.9

43 Linas Kleiza F 6-8 5.0

25 Steve Blake G 6-3 5.5

Coach: George Karl

Milwaukee (19-31) Pos. Ht. Pts.

23 Ruben Patterson F 6-5 14.3

31 Charlie Villanueva F 6-11 12.4

6 Andrew Bogut C 7-0 12.0

42 Charlie Bell G 6-3 12.3

25 Mo Williams G 6-1 18.4

Coach: Terry Stotts

? Injuries: Nuggets - C Marcus Camby (left groin strain) is questionable; G Allen Iverson (sprained right ankle) and F Kenyon Martin (right knee surgery) are out. Bucks - G Michael Redd (left knee strain) and F Brian Skinner (back spasms) are questionable; C Dan Gadzuric (dislocated left shoulder) and F Bobby Simmons (stress reaction, right heel) are out.

? Notes: Patterson scored 29 points against his former team in the first meeting Jan. 8 in Denver, but the Nuggets won 104-92 behind 26 points from Earl Boykins, who was traded to Milwaukee three days later. . . . Milwaukee has lost seven straight against Western Conference teams. . . . The Bucks are 0-19 when shooting less than 45 percent from the floor. . . . Denver has won three in a row in Milwaukee.

Nuggets 102, Pacers 95