Nuggets hang on to beat Bucks

Aaron J. Lopez, Rocky Mountain News

Published February 11, 2007 at midnight

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MILWAUKEE - Earl Boykins felt like he was back at practice at the Pepsi Center. He knew all the Nuggets' plays and turned the three-point line into a routine shooting drill.

In the end, it still wasn't enough. Facing Denver for the first time since he was traded to Milwaukee on Jan. 11, Boykins scored 26 points and made a career-high six three-pointers Saturday, only to see the Nuggets celebrate on his new homecourt.

Carmelo Anthony offset Boykins' big night with another well-rounded game, and Denver outscored Milwaukee 7-0 in the final 60 seconds of a 109-102 win at the Bradley Center.

''You know Earl was trying to kill us," Anthony said. ''It was fun, though. It was fun playing against him and seeing him on the court. We didn't come here to shake hands or nothing like that. We came here to win the game."

Anthony, less than a week removed from his first career triple-double, finished with 29 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists to help the Nuggets to their second win in a row and their 12th win in 22 road games this season. Denver is 13-14 at home.

''Maybe we should ask for 82 on the road," coach George Karl quipped.

Boykins, who spent three-plus seasons in Denver, is trying to get comfortable in his new digs, and he nearly improved his remarkable record against the Nuggets.

During stints with five previous during his nomadic career, Boykins won 10 of 11 games against Denver. He fell just short of making it 11 of 12 as the Bucks faltered down the stretch.

''It was the first time where I actually knew everything the other team was running," he said. ''I wasn't surprised at all. I give those guys credit. They made the plays that you need to make to win."

Nuggets forward Reggie Evans also experienced a first as the Bucks went to a Hack-a-Regg strategy about 4 minutes into the fourth quarter.

Trailing 88-83, Milwaukee decided to foul Evans intentionally and make the 49.3 percent free-throw shooter beat them from the line. It is the same strategy often imployed against Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal, another poor free-throw shooter.

''That never, ever, ever happened to me in the history of my life ever, period," Evans said. ''I was like, 'Man, we've got 6 minutes left. Let's play ball. We ain't got time for us to watch y'all sit up there and foul me. That was stupid. And you still lose."

Evans made 5-of-8 free throws during Denver's next four possessions, and the Nuggets still held a five-point lead when he came out of the game with 5:07 remaining.

''I've never liked the philosophy," Karl said. ''I think most players make one out of two, and one point per possession in the fourth quarter's a good offense. It was interesting."

The Bucks actually did better with Evans on the bench, thanks mainly to Boykins. The 5-foot-5 dynamo made a three-pointer and followed that with a short jumper in the lane to tie the game at 102 with 1:21 remaining.

The Nuggets, showing late-game composure for the second night in a row, took the lead for good on Eduardo Najera's jumper with 59.7 left. Milwaukee missed its final four shots and turned the ball over on a critical inbounds play, while the Nuggets hit 5 of 6 free throws to seal the win.

''I just wish we won the game. That was he big thing," Boykins said. ''I wasn't concerned about scoring. I just wanted to win."

Nuggets guard Steve Blake enjoyed the satisfaction that eluded Boykins. Blake struggled in 33 games with Milwaukee and welcomed a fresh start when he was traded to Denver for Boykins and seldom-used guard Julius Hodge.

Blake, booed during pregame introductions, missed his first seven shots but finished with 10 points and 11 assists.

''It was great. If they want to boo me, that's fine with me," he said. ''I can't figure it out. I guess whenever you come back to your old team, they try to give you a hard time. They booed me my last game here, so why would it change when I come back?"

Blake was among several Nuggets who made significant contributions. Najera had 15 points and eight rebounds; Evans added six points and 10 rebounds; Nene finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds; and J.R. Smith came off the bench to score 16 points.

The across-the-board production supported a statement that Boykins made before the game.

''Sometimes you don't realize how much talent you have until you're not there," he said. ''In Denver, we could play with four or five guys missing and still have enough talent to be in ballgames."

The Nuggets were without point guard Allen Iverson (sprained right ankle) for the sixth time in seven games, and they played without center Marcus Camby (groin strain, flu) for the fourth straight game.

Camby was in uniform, but he was only available in an emergency.

''I'll be out there Monday," he said.

The chances of Iverson returning against Golden State are not as good, but Karl would not rule out the possibility.

''He's feeling pretty good," Karl said. ''We'll know more Monday."

ETC: Boykins enjoyed Denver so much during his three-plus seasons with the Nuggets that he probably will not sell his house. Because the Colorado housing market is typically strong, Boykins figures it also is a good investment. ''What's the saying? 'A fool and his money will soon part,'" Boykins said. ''I'm trying to keep mine." . . . Denver improved to 6-0 against Central Division teams. . . . The Nuggets made 54-of-75 free-throws in back-to-back wins against Indiana and Milwaukee. The Pacers and Bucks combined to go 19-of-23. . . . Karl marveled at Boykins' impressive shooting display. ''He never made six out of seven (three-pointers) for me," Karl said. ''It wasn't that automatic when we were in Denver. Must be the altitude."

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