After week of rest, Nuggets' Anthony on target against New York

By Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published December 28, 2008 at 4:21 p.m.

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Photo by Kathy Willens / Associated Press

Carmelo Anthony, who led Denver with 32 points, gets called for an offensive foul for running into Knicks forward Jared Jeffries during the second quarter Sunday .

Photo by Kathy Willens / Associated Press

Nuggets guard Anthony Carter passes to forward Kenyon Martin during the second quarter of Denver's 117-110 win against the Knicks on Sunday at Madison Square Garden in New York.

One could say Carmelo Anthony gave the Nuggets some elbow room.

Locked in a tight contest with New York, the guy who just missed three games because of a right elbow contusion picked a good time to do that.

Anthony scored 11 of his 32 points in the final seven minutes to help lead the Nuggets to a 117- 110 win against the Knicks on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

"They were letting him play one-on-one and the jumper was going," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "And we kind of just rode a hot guy."

Anthony wasn't even room temperature a week earlier. He shot only 8-for-27 and averaged 11.5 points in games Dec. 19 and 20.

After that, the Nuggets (20-11) decided to shut him down for a week to rest the elbow, which has been bothering him since the start of the season.

"I think that was the best thing that ever happened to me," Anthony said. "At first, I was a little hesitant about doing it. But any time you can get rest during a long season like this, it helps. I needed that rest."

Anthony made the Knicks (11- 18), losers of six straight, once again rest in peace.

With the Nuggets trailing 99-96, Anthony started his hot steak with a three-pointer to tie the score with 6:57 left. During the next four minutes, Anthony, who shot 5-for-5 in the fourth quarter, hit four straight jumpers, the second giving the Nuggets the lead for good, at 107-106, with 4:32 left.

"If you're a basketball player, you love coming in here and performing in the mecca of basketball," said Anthony, who also grabbed nine rebounds. "If you don't like playing in the Garden, you don't like playing nowhere."

It must be said an episode here two years ago led to Anthony not playing. He threw a punch in a brawl that earned him a 15-game suspension.

Overall, though, it usually has been a Garden party for Anthony. In his six NBA games in New York, he has averaged 29.3 points.

The Nuggets also got a strong game from a guy who used to play regularly in New York. Karl went with Renaldo Balkman, who was traded from the Knicks last summer and has played erratically, as his first big man off the bench, and he responded with an energetic nine points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes.

Karl said he used Balkman because of a "combination of being in New York" and wanting a power forward who could cover peri- meter players.

"I had fun. . . . It's great, but we have another game (tonight in Atlanta)," Balkman said, not wanting to make too much out of the Knicks giving up on him after two seasons.

The Nuggets had six players in double figures. Reserve guard J.R. Smith scored 16 points.

Karl said guard Dahntay Jones had his "best" quarter this season, in the third, when he scored seven of his 12 points.

That was a quarter the Nuggets needed everything they could get.

After leading 66-56 at halftime and 71-59 early in the third quarter, the Nuggets watched the Knicks storm back to take an 89- 88 lead late in the quarter. The Nuggets led 93-89 at the end of the third but had to come back again after the Knicks led 97-93 early in the fourth.

"I understand that is a good offensive team we played against, and Carmelo at the end kind of took over," said Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni, who got 20 points from reserve guard Nate Robinson, and 19 points and 12 rebounds from forward David Lee. "We have to get better, obviously. . . . We have to play defense, there is no doubt about it."

The Nuggets shot 57 percent. Anthony really had his way, shooting 13-for-19.

"He had a lot more energy than everybody, having that whole week off," Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups said.

Anthony spent the week getting something else back.

"It was nice to get that smile back," said Anthony, who was seen grimacing plenty the previous time he played.

ETC.: For the first time this season, Chris Andersen didn't play, because of a coach's decision. Karl said that was because he elected to use Balkman as the first big man off the bench, and he expects Andersen to play tonight. . . . If Karl has one complaint about Billups, he wants him to "start playing faster . . . more consistently." Billups acknowledges that but says it "makes me nervous against a team that can play faster against us."

• December 29, 2008

  6:19 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  kmeissner writes:

  Great game yesterday. Hopefully they can beat ATL tonight. Why don't they give Balkman more playing time? He doesn't block as many shots as Birdman, but he's better overall on offense and defense. Karl needs to give him more minutes!!!

• December 29, 2008

  8:26 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  wj_nugs writes:

  Kmeissner, couldn't agree more about Balkman and his playing time. I would hope he is going to play a lot on this road trip because we are going to need a defensive intensity for the next three games.
  The NBA schedule makers don't like the Nuggets. How do we go from NY to ATL, then back to Toronto, and then into Oklahoma?

  Lastly, if we can limit the turnovers and rebound more consistently, I think we can do some serious damage in the month of January.

• December 29, 2008

  9:23 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  kmeissner writes:

  wj_nugs- agreed with your post. It drives me NUTS when the Nugs turn the ball over and don't rebound. They are NEVER under the basket on the offensive side. 2-3 more offensive rebounds per game and they'd be on fire.

  I also wish George Karl would COACH during the games. It seems like he's always pouting on the bench. After JR stated last month that he had been trying to talk to Karl one on one I lost respect for him. SHouldn't his COACH have an open door policy? It seems like he just sits around waiting for the games to be over so he can go home.

  GO NUGS! Keep up the great play!

• December 29, 2008

  4:06 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  jersey writes:

  kmeissner: Hard to get offensive rebounds when "Clueless" george continues to give carte blanche to Kmart with that god awful outside shot. Said it before and will say it again. Kmart couldn't hit water if he shot the ball out of a boat! Whenever he does hit one it's the exception rather than the rule. Clint Eastwood said it best in the movie whose name is irrealevant. "A man has to know his limitations". In Kmart's case it's 5 feet with that being a reach! Nene has been firing up more near 3 pointers lately as well but I see that more out of desperation after the offense has stalled and the 24 sec. clock is about to expire. Atlanta is young and if nothing else active and should be another good test for the boys. Go Nuggs!

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