INDIANAPOLIS (NBA.com exlusive) --  Carmelo Anthony didn't quite have time to maintain his early-season pace. No worries.

Against the struggling Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, and with a strong performance from their bench, the Denver Nuggets didn't need him to.

Anthony, an All-Star forward who averaged 37.7 points in the first three games of the  season, scored "just" 25 points Tuesday, but the Nuggets remained unbeaten anyway, pulling away early for a 111-93 victory in front of 10,627 at Conseco Fieldhouse.

The story for the Nuggets on Tuesday?

A bench that contributed not just 38 points, but 22 of the team's 56 rebounds and allowed many of the front-line players to rest on the first game of a six-game road trip.

"That's our energy group," Nuggets' forward Kenyon Martin said of a bench that was led by 15 points from guard Arron Afflalo, nine points from Joey Graham and 11 rebounds from forward Chris Andersen. "They pick us up when we're down."

Anthony, the NBA's Western Conference Player of the Week for the first week of the season, finished 6 of 17 from the floor and 11 of 14 from the free-throw line. He scored 13 of his points in the third quarter, and with Denver leading by double digits, he and the Nuggets' starters left the game early in the fourth quarter.

The Nuggets more than made up for Anthony's slight drop in production with 24 points from guard Chauncey Billups and a balanced offense that featured 10 players with four or more points.

"Our team has a good focus right now," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "Whoever we play, whatever personality it takes ... we usually figure it out."

The Nuggets' 4-0 start is their best since 1985.

"We're off to a good start," Martin said. "We have to sustain it."

The Nuggets moved ahead quickly and decisively early, using an early 13-3 run to take a 17-7 lead. They led 30-13 after the first quarter, 55-39 at halftime and never led by less than nine after the first quarter.

The game was the first of a six-game Eastern Conference swing for Denver, with three sets of back-to-back games. Denver is in New Jersey on Wednesday, at Miami and Atlanta on Friday and Saturday and then close out at Chicago and Milwaukee next Tuesday and Wednesday.

"It's all about being aggressive," Martin said. "It's the first game of a long road trip. You want the starters to be able to rest in the fourth. We did a good job."

The Nuggets' convincing victory was yet another difficult game in a difficult start to the season for the Pacers (0-3), who lost first-week games to Miami and Atlanta, two teams expected to contend for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.

"We've got to find a way to get a win," Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said.

The Pacers have been without forwards Tyler Hansbrough and Mike Dunleavy since before the season, and played Tuesday without forward Jeff Foster, who sustained a sprained ankle Friday against Miami. O'Brien said before the game it would undoubtedly be difficult for the Indiana frontline to match up with Denver -- and that was before forward Troy Murphy left Tuesday's game with a lower back bruise.

Indiana's slow start has been somewhat surprising. The Pacers entered the season expecting to be a team that was solid offensively but needing to improve on defense. While the defense has been inconsistent at times, the offense has, too. Indiana shot 39.6 percent from the floor Tuesday.

"I think we have plenty of offensive weapons and I think we will become a cohesive offensive unit," O'Brien said.

Danny Granger, the Pacers' All-Star forward, scored 18 points after leading Indiana in scoring the first two games, and guard Dahntay Jones -- primarily known for defense while playing for Denver last season -- had 20 points to lead Indiana in scoring.

"We're sick and tired of losing," Jones said. "We've got to get it together."

Pacers center Roy Hibbert had 14 points and a career-high 12 rebounds for his first career double-double.

"A double-double is good, but we did not win the ball game," Hibbert said. "We are working hard to try to get to know each other. As we get to know each other, we will play better together. Somebody has to step up and help us get this first win.

"We need the victory now and we better figure it out quickly and get it done."