Hornets-Nuggets Preview

By BRETT HUSTON
Posted Mar 18 2010 2:30AM

George Karl's periodic absence to undergo cancer treatments has only seemed to inspire the Denver Nuggets. Playing for a stretch without a few regulars seems to be having a similar effect.

Winners of seven of their last eight, the Nuggets can claim sole possession of second place in the Western Conference on Thursday at the Pepsi Center if they defeat the New Orleans Hornets for the second time in less than a week.

Karl is undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments during a six-week period as he battles neck and throat cancer. He missed each game of the Nuggets' recent four-game road trip, during which Denver (46-22) went 3-1.

Karl was happy to be back on the sidelines at home Tuesday against Washington. He was even more pleased after J.R. Smith scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to help the Nuggets bounce back from a sluggish first half and win 97-87 - their seventh victory in eight games overall.

"Seeing him coming back in a happy manner, despite all the things he's going through, and to see him not down, we know deep down inside, it's a tough task for him,'' Carmelo Anthony, who had a game-high 29 points, said of Karl. "For him to come in and see us, and we can uplift his spirits, makes us feel good."

The Nuggets - currently tied in the West standings with Southwest Division-leading Dallas - are surging despite playing without Ty Lawson (bruised left shoulder) all month and Kenyon Martin (left knee injury) since March 5. They beat the Wizards without the energy of reserve Chris Andersen, who sprained his ankle the previous night in a loss at Houston.

It's unclear whether the former Hornet, who has averaged 10.0 rebounds as Denver has won the last two meetings with New Orleans, will return Thursday.

The Hornets (33-36) won the first matchup in the season series, 98-92 at home on Dec. 18, when Denver's Chauncey Billups sat out with a groin injury. Billups has averaged 20.5 points in the Nuggets' two wins over New Orleans since.

It was Anthony, however, who made the difference last Friday. With Adrian Dantley coaching in Karl's absence, Anthony poured in 12 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter to rally Denver from a two-point deficit to a 102-95 win.

"We fought, but they just made the plays down the stretch in terms of having those elite guys who have been in situations like that,'' said Hornets forward David West, who scored 30 points in the loss. "They just know how to close the show.''

West has been doing more than his part lately, but New Orleans' playoff hopes are all but over just as Chris Paul - who could return this weekend - is working his way back from knee surgery.

West is averaging 29.2 points in his last six games, including 36 on Wednesday at Golden State. The Hornets, though, allowed 75 second-half points and blew a 13-point halftime lead en route to a 131-121 loss, their eighth in 10 games.

"It was rather difficult for us to handle when they got on a roll,'' coach Jeff Bower said. "They got on the move and stopped us from doing many of the things that got us out to the big lead.''

The Hornets haven't been at full strength for their last two meetings with Denver, as West missed a 116-110 overtime loss at the Pepsi Center on Jan. 23 with a sprained ankle. Paul was out for last week's game, and Peja Stojakovic - who's averaged 22.0 points in his last three games against the Nuggets - won't play Thursday because of a groin injury.

New Orleans point guard Darren Collison is averaging 16.8 points and 12.0 assists in his last nine games.

Copyright 2010 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Anthony's career night leads Nuggets past Hornets

By Michael Kelly, for NBA.com
Posted Friday March 19, 2010 1:45AM

DENVER (NBA.com exclusive) -- The Nuggets created a work of art in the first half Thursday. The second half, on the other hand, wasn't worthy enough to tape to the refrigerator door.

But Carmelo Anthony's 26 points and career-high 18 rebounds helped the Nuggets piece together a 93-80 win over the Hornets. And at this time of the year, the final score is all that counts, no matter if the performance would win an Oscar or a Razzie.

"The first half was perfect basketball," acting coach Adrian Dantley said.

The second half? Denver didn't look like the team sitting in second in the Western Conference. Missed shots, missed free throws and turnovers gave New Orleans a chance to make it a game.

"We got a little lull, we missed a lot of shots, missed free throws," Dantley said.

Not many would blame the Nuggets for getting distracted. In the past two weeks they've lost Kenyon Martin, their best defensive player and top rebounder, and have had to play without their head coach.

George Karl missed his fifth game in the last six while he's undergoing treatment for neck and throat cancer. He was at the arena Thursday for the morning shootaround and sat in on a meeting, but he was not in the building for the game.

It won't be the last game he misses.

"George said it's going to get a little worse and worse," said Dantley, who is 5-1 as acting coach during Karl's cancer treatment.

Karl's absence hasn't hurt the Nuggets so far. If anything, it has made them closer and more focused. Earlier in the year they were losing games to teams like Detroit, Philadelphia, Washington and Minnesota.

Not anymore. After Thursday's win over the Hornets, the Nuggets have won eight of their last nine, and if not for a poor four-minute stretch against Houston on Monday they would be riding a nine-game winning streak.

One reason the Nuggets are in second place in the West is their bench. Denver's reserves have averaged 34 points during the nine-game stretch, led by the strong play of J.R. Smith. Smith had 13 of his 17 points in the second quarter, when Denver outscored the Hornets 35-20 and took control of the game.

Smith had consecutive fast-break dunks during a 13-0 Nuggets run that gave them a 50-28 lead with 3:52 left in the half.

The Nuggets stretched it to 62-37 at the break despite Anthony and Chauncey Billups, their top two scorers, combining for just 18 points.

"Early in the game, they didn't need it as much," Anthony said. "We had everyone playing well."

Denver's led by as much as 27 early in the third quarter but let the Hornets back into the game. Down 77-61 after three periods New Orleans went on an 8-2 run to open the fourth to cut it to nine.

But when they needed him most, Anthony stepped up. He hit a fadeaway jumper in the lane and after Darren Collison missed a 3-pointer, Anthony rebounded his own miss and hit a short jumper over James Posey to make it 85-72 with 4:20 left.

His 19-foot jumper with 2:51 left gave Denver an 89-72 lead and New Orleans never threatened the rest of the way.

"I was trying to play Robin until the end of the game," Anthony said. "At that point in time it was time for me to step up and take over the game. J.R. had it going early, I was just being Robin out there again. Batman had to come save the day again."

He did it with more than his scoring. Anthony's 18-rebound night surpassed his previous career high of 16 set against Houston on Dec. 20, 2007.

"I was going for 20. That was my goal, get 20 rebounds tonight," he said. "I knew we were going to need it. Nene was going to have his hands full with (Emeka) Okafor. It was a great opportunity for me to grab some boards."

His teammates appreciated the effort.

"It was awesome," Billups said. "He has the ability to do that. With his quickness and explosiveness, most of the time he has an advantage on his defender."

It was the difference Thursday.

• Hornets: Diogu
• Nuggets: Martin

• Hornets: --
• Nuggets: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
• Officials: #48 Scott Foster, #30 Tony Brown, #73 Ed Malloy
• Attendance: 19155
• Duration: 2:22

New Orleans Hornets (33-37)		Denver Nuggets (47-22)
Start of 1st Quarter
(12:00) Jump Ball Petro vs Okafor (Anthony gains possession)
	11:38	Nene Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO)
West Jump Shot: Missed	11:22
	11:22	Billups Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	11:08	Afflalo Jump Shot: Missed
	11:07	Petro Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)
	11:05 [DEN 2-0]	Petro Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)
West Layup Shot: Missed Block: Nene (1 BLK)	10:44
Wright Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	10:43
Peterson Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Wright (1 AST)	10:41 [NOH 2-2]
	10:21	Petro Foul : Offensive (1 PF)
	10:21	Petro Turnover : Foul (1 TO)
West Jump Shot: Missed	10:05
West Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	10:04
West Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)	10:03 [NOH 4-2]
	09:48	Anthony Jump Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	09:48
	09:39	Afflalo Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Collison Running Jump Shot: Missed	09:27
	09:26	Nene Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	09:18 [DEN 4-4]	Anthony Running Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS)
West Dunk Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Collison (1 AST)	09:14 [NOH 6-4]
	09:03	Billups Layup Shot: Missed Block: Okafor (1 BLK)
Okafor Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	09:03
	09:03	Billups Foul : Loose Ball (1 PF)
	08:45	Petro Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
Collison Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)	08:45 [NOH 7-4]
Collison Free Throw 2 of 2 (2 PTS)	08:45 [NOH 8-4]
	08:32 [DEN 6-8]	Petro Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Billups (1 AST)
	08:15	Petro Substitution replaced by Allen
West Jump Shot: Missed	08:10
	08:09	Anthony Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	07:53 [DEN 8-8]	Nene Turnaround Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Anthony (1 AST)
Peterson Jump Shot: Missed	07:37
	07:36	Anthony Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
Okafor Foul : Personal (1 PF)	07:26
	07:17	Billups Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed
	07:15	Allen Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)
	07:15	Allen Tip Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	07:14
Okafor Hook Shot: Missed	07:00
	07:00	Nene Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	06:41 [DEN 11-8]	Afflalo 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Billups (2 AST)
West Driving Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS)	06:27 [NOH 10-11]
Peterson Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	06:20
	06:20 [DEN 12-10]	Billups Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)
	06:20 [DEN 13-10]	Billups Free Throw 2 of 2 (2 PTS)
Collison Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (1 TO)	06:11
	05:50	Billups 3pt Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)	05:49
Collison Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO)	05:37
	05:37	Team Timeout : Regular
	05:17	Allen Jump Shot: Missed
	05:17	Nene Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
	05:14 [DEN 15-10]	Anthony Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Nene (1 AST)
West Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Nene (1 ST)	04:46
	04:43	Team Timeout : Short
	04:32	Anthony 3pt Shot: Missed
	04:31	Allen Rebound (Off:2 Def:0)
	04:31	Allen Tip Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)	04:30
Collison Turnover : Lost Ball (3 TO) Steal:Allen (1 ST)	04:19
	04:17	Allen Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO)
	04:17	Afflalo Substitution replaced by Smith
Wright Substitution replaced by Thornton	04:17
Peterson Driving Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: West (1 AST)	04:04 [NOH 12-15]
	04:04	Nene Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
	04:04	Nene Substitution replaced by Andersen
Peterson Free Throw 1 of 1 (5 PTS)	04:04 [NOH 13-15]
	03:38	Billups 3pt Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:0 Def:6)	03:37
Peterson Layup Shot: Missed	03:33
	03:32	Allen Rebound (Off:2 Def:1)
	03:27	Smith 3pt Shot: Missed
	03:26	Anthony Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
Thornton Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	03:25
	03:25 [DEN 16-13]	Anthony Free Throw 1 of 2 (5 PTS)
	03:25 [DEN 17-13]	Anthony Free Throw 2 of 2 (6 PTS)
West Jump Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Thornton (1 AST)	03:10 [NOH 15-17]
	02:59	Billups Driving Reverse Layup Shot: Missed
	02:56	Allen Rebound (Off:3 Def:1)
	02:56	Allen Tip Shot: Missed
West Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	02:55
Collison Jump Shot: Missed	02:50
	02:50	Team Rebound
Team Timeout : Regular	02:50
	02:33 [DEN 19-15]	Smith Running Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS)
West Jump Shot: Missed	02:15
Okafor Rebound (Off:1 Def:6)	02:14
Okafor Dunk Shot: Made (2 PTS)	02:11 [NOH 17-19]
	01:51 [DEN 21-17]	Allen Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Anthony (2 AST)
West Foul : Offensive (1 PF)	01:32
West Turnover : Foul (2 TO)	01:32
	01:32	Billups Substitution replaced by Carter
	01:19 [DEN 23-17]	Anthony Jump Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Carter (1 AST)
Collison Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed Block: Allen (1 BLK)	00:54.9
	00:53.9	Andersen Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	00:51.0 [DEN 25-17]	Carter Driving Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Team Turnover : Shot Clock Turnover	00:27.0
Okafor Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	00:10.9
	00:10.9 [DEN 26-17]	Smith Free Throw 1 of 2 (3 PTS)
	00:10.9 [DEN 27-17]	Smith Free Throw 2 of 2 (4 PTS)
Collison Running Jump Shot: Missed	00:04.0
	00:00.9	Allen Rebound (Off:3 Def:2)
End of 1st Quarter
New Orleans Hornets (33-37)		Denver Nuggets (47-22)
Start of 2nd QuarterBack to Top
Peterson Foul : Offensive (2 PF)	11:50
Peterson Turnover : Foul (1 TO)	11:50
West Substitution replaced by Songaila	11:50
Gray Foul : Personal (1 PF)	11:44
	11:36 [DEN 29-17]	Allen Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Smith (1 AST)
Peterson 3pt Shot: Missed	11:20
	11:19	Anthony Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
	11:07	Smith Jump Shot: Missed
	11:06	Andersen Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	11:02 [DEN 31-17]	Smith Floating Jump shot: Made (6 PTS)
Thornton Jump Shot: Missed	10:49
	10:48	Anthony Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)
	10:39	Anthony Jump Shot: Missed
	10:38	Andersen Rebound (Off:2 Def:1)
	10:29	Andersen Jump Shot: Missed
Peterson Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	10:28
Gray Jump Hook Shot: Made (2 PTS)	10:15 [NOH 19-31]
	09:59 [DEN 33-19]	Anthony Driving Layup Shot: Made (10 PTS)
Thornton Fade Away Jumper Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Gray (1 AST)	09:42 [NOH 21-33]
	09:24 [DEN 35-21]	Smith Driving Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (8 PTS)
	09:10	Allen Foul : Personal (1 PF)
	09:10	Anthony Substitution replaced by Graham
	09:10	Allen Substitution replaced by Nene
Thornton Jump Shot: Missed	09:02
	09:01	Andersen Rebound (Off:2 Def:2)
	08:49	Nene Jump Shot: Missed
Peterson Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	08:48
	08:44	Smith Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Timeout : Official	08:44
Thornton 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS)	08:36 [NOH 24-35]
	08:20	Nene Finger Roll Layup Shot: Missed
	08:19	Andersen Rebound (Off:4 Def:3)
	08:19	Andersen Tip Shot: Missed
Songaila Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	08:18
Thornton Driving Layup Shot: Made (7 PTS)	08:13 [NOH 26-35]
	07:55	Graham Jump Shot: Missed
	07:54	Team Rebound
Songaila Foul : Loose Ball (1 PF)	07:54
	07:48 [DEN 37-26]	Nene Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Smith (2 AST)
Gray Jump Hook Shot: Missed	07:26
Wright Rebound (Off:2 Def:0)	07:24
Thornton 3pt Shot: Missed	07:19
Gray Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	07:18
Thornton Driving Layup Shot: Made (9 PTS) Assist: Gray (2 AST)	07:14 [NOH 28-37]
	07:06	Carter Driving Layup Shot: Missed
Songaila Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	07:03
Peterson Reverse Layup Shot: Missed	07:00
Peterson Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	06:58
Peterson Layup Shot: Missed Block: Carter (1 BLK)	06:57
Team Rebound	06:56
	06:56	Carter Substitution replaced by Billups
Songaila Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO)	06:46
	06:35	Smith Running Jump Shot: Missed
	06:34	Andersen Rebound (Off:3 Def:2)
	06:31 [DEN 39-28]	Andersen Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Wright Jump Shot: Missed	06:09
	06:08	Andersen Rebound (Off:3 Def:3)
	05:59 [DEN 42-28]	Smith 3pt Shot: Made (11 PTS) Assist: Billups (3 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	05:48
	05:48	Graham Substitution replaced by Anthony
Peterson Substitution replaced by Collison	05:48
Gray Substitution replaced by West	05:48
West Turnover : Lost Ball (3 TO) Steal:Nene (2 ST)	05:35
	05:32 [DEN 44-28]	Smith Slam Dunk Shot: Made (13 PTS) Assist: Andersen (1 AST)
Wright Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Anthony (1 ST)	05:14
	05:10 [DEN 46-28]	Smith Slam Dunk Shot: Made (15 PTS) Assist: Anthony (3 AST)
Team Timeout : Short	05:02
	05:02	Andersen Substitution replaced by Afflalo
Wright Substitution replaced by Posey	04:59
Thornton Jump Shot: Missed	04:47
	04:46	Anthony Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)
	04:33 [DEN 48-28]	Smith Jump Hook Shot: Made (17 PTS) Assist: Billups (4 AST)
Team Turnover : Shot Clock Turnover	04:07
	03:52 [DEN 50-28]	Billups Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Nene (2 AST)
	03:41	Anthony Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Songaila Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)	03:41 [NOH 29-50]
Songaila Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	03:41
	03:39	Anthony Rebound (Off:1 Def:6)
	03:25	Smith Jump Shot: Missed
Collison Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	03:24
Collison Driving Layup Shot: Missed	03:21
	03:19	Anthony Rebound (Off:1 Def:7)
	03:05	Afflalo 3pt Shot: Missed
	03:04	Anthony Rebound (Off:2 Def:7)
	03:03 [DEN 52-29]	Anthony Layup Shot: Made (12 PTS)
Songaila Jump Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Collison (2 AST)	02:48 [NOH 31-52]
	02:38 [DEN 54-31]	Nene Slam Dunk Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Billups (5 AST)
West Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	02:38
	02:38	Team Timeout : Regular
	02:38	Smith Substitution replaced by Andersen
Thornton Substitution replaced by Peterson	02:38
Songaila Substitution replaced by Okafor	02:38
	02:38 [DEN 55-31]	Nene Free Throw 1 of 1 (7 PTS)
Okafor Jump Hook Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Posey (1 AST)	02:17 [NOH 33-55]
	02:03	Billups Jump Shot: Missed
	02:02	Team Rebound
West Foul : Loose Ball (3 PF)	02:02
West Substitution replaced by Songaila	02:02
	01:58 [DEN 57-33]	Andersen Dunk Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Nene (3 AST)
Posey 3pt Shot: Missed	01:36
	01:35	Andersen Rebound (Off:4 Def:4)
	01:23 [DEN 59-33]	Anthony Jump Shot: Made (14 PTS) Assist: Nene (4 AST)
Songaila Jump Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Collison (3 AST)	01:08 [NOH 35-59]
	00:54.2	Anthony 3pt Shot: Missed
	00:53.1	Team Rebound
Songaila Foul : Loose Ball (2 PF)	00:53.1
	00:53.1	Andersen Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	00:53.1	Team Rebound
	00:53.1 [DEN 60-35]	Andersen Free Throw 2 of 2 (5 PTS)
Okafor Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Collison (4 AST)	00:36.6 [NOH 37-60]
	00:23.4 [DEN 62-37]	Nene Dunk Shot: Made (9 PTS)
Collison Running Jump Shot: Missed	00:02.5
	00:01.2	Anthony Rebound (Off:2 Def:8)
End of 2nd Quarter
New Orleans Hornets (33-37)		Denver Nuggets (47-22)
Start of 3rd QuarterBack to Top
Peterson Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO) Steal:Nene (3 ST)	11:46
	11:43 [DEN 64-37]	Nene Slam Dunk Shot: Made (11 PTS)
West Jump Bank Shot: Made (10 PTS)	11:08 [NOH 39-64]
	10:50	Anthony Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed
Peterson Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	10:49
	10:37	Nene Foul : Personal (2 PF)
Wright Turnaround Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS)	10:23 [NOH 41-64]
	10:02 [DEN 66-41]	Nene Slam Dunk Shot: Made (13 PTS) Assist: Billups (6 AST)
West Jump Shot: Made (12 PTS) Assist: Peterson (1 AST)	09:42 [NOH 43-66]
	09:24 [DEN 68-43]	Afflalo Jump Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Billups (7 AST)
Wright Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO) Steal:Petro (1 ST)	09:13
	09:09	Afflalo Driving Layup Shot: Missed
Peterson Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)	09:07
Peterson 3pt Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Collison (5 AST)	09:02 [NOH 46-68]
	08:44	Afflalo 3pt Shot: Missed
Team Rebound	08:43
Okafor Foul : Offensive (3 PF)	08:32
Okafor Turnover : Foul (1 TO)	08:32
	08:20	Anthony Layup Shot: Missed Block: Wright (1 BLK)
	08:18	Anthony Rebound (Off:3 Def:8)
	08:16	Anthony Layup Shot: Missed
West Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	08:15
	08:12	Nene Foul : Shooting (3 PF)
Okafor Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	08:12
Team Rebound	08:12
Okafor Free Throw 2 of 2 (7 PTS)	08:12 [NOH 47-68]
	08:05 [DEN 70-47]	Billups Driving Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Anthony (4 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	08:00
West Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed	07:46
	07:45	Anthony Rebound (Off:3 Def:9)
	07:29	Afflalo Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed
	07:29	Team Rebound
	07:29	Wright Violation:Kicked Ball
	07:21	Anthony Jump Shot: Missed
Collison Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	07:20
Collison Driving Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS)	07:16 [NOH 49-70]
	06:51	Nene Jump Shot: Missed
	06:50	Billups Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	06:44	Afflalo 3pt Shot: Missed
Collison Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	06:43
West Layup Shot: Missed	06:28
	06:26	Team Rebound
	06:26	Afflalo Substitution replaced by Smith
	06:02	Smith Turnaround Fade Away shot: Missed
West Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	06:01
Okafor Jump Hook Shot: Made (9 PTS) Assist: Wright (2 AST)	05:40 [NOH 51-70]
	05:30	Billups 3pt Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:1 Def:7)	05:29
Okafor Layup Shot: Missed Block: Smith (1 BLK)	05:13
Okafor Rebound (Off:2 Def:7)	05:11
Okafor Dunk Shot: Made (11 PTS)	05:10 [NOH 53-70]
	05:01	Team Timeout : Regular
West Foul : Personal (4 PF)	04:51
West Substitution replaced by Songaila	04:51
	04:41	Anthony Step Back Jump shot: Missed
Songaila Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	04:40
Collison Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS)	04:30 [NOH 55-70]
	04:30	Instant Replay - Support Ruling
Collison Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	04:16
	04:16 [DEN 71-55]	Billups Free Throw 1 of 2 (7 PTS)
	04:16	Petro Substitution replaced by Andersen
	04:16 [DEN 72-55]	Billups Free Throw 2 of 2 (8 PTS)
Wright Substitution replaced by Thornton	03:58
Peterson Substitution replaced by Posey	03:58
Collison Jump Shot: Missed	03:54
	03:53	Smith Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	03:41	Smith Running Jump Shot: Missed
	03:40	Andersen Rebound (Off:5 Def:4)
	03:36	Smith 3pt Shot: Missed
	03:35	Nene Rebound (Off:3 Def:2)
	03:34	Smith Running Jump Shot: Missed
	03:33	Nene Rebound (Off:2 Def:2)
Posey Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	03:32
	03:32	Nene Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	03:32	Team Rebound
	03:32 [DEN 73-55]	Nene Free Throw 2 of 2 (14 PTS)
Okafor Jump Hook Shot: Missed	03:18
	03:17	Anthony Rebound (Off:3 Def:10)
	03:04 [DEN 75-55]	Nene Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (16 PTS) Assist: Billups (8 AST)
Thornton Layup Shot: Missed Block: Nene (2 BLK)	02:43
Team Rebound	02:42
	02:42	Billups Substitution replaced by Carter
	02:42	Nene Substitution replaced by Allen
Songaila Jump Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Posey (2 AST)	02:36 [NOH 57-75]
	02:16	Smith Jump Shot: Missed
Songaila Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)	02:15
Songaila Jump Shot: Missed	02:05
Okafor Rebound (Off:3 Def:7)	02:04
Okafor Tip Shot: Missed	02:04
	02:02	Anthony Rebound (Off:3 Def:11)
	01:49	Anthony Turnover : Lost Ball (2 TO) Steal:Songaila (1 ST)
Songaila Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO)	01:38
	01:21	Anthony Running Jump Shot: Missed Block: Posey (1 BLK)
Posey Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	01:19
Thornton 3pt Shot: Missed	01:05
	01:04	Andersen Rebound (Off:5 Def:5)
	00:49.9	Anthony Turnover : Lost Ball (2 TO) Steal:Collison (1 ST)
	00:46.8	Allen Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
Collison Free Throw 1 of 2 (7 PTS)	00:46.8 [NOH 58-75]
Collison Free Throw 2 of 2 (8 PTS)	00:46.8 [NOH 59-75]
Thornton Foul : Personal (2 PF)	00:31.6
	00:28.0	Allen Jump Shot: Missed
Songaila Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)	00:27.0
	00:27.0	Anthony Foul : Personal (2 PF)
Songaila Free Throw 1 of 2 (8 PTS)	00:27.0 [NOH 60-75]
Songaila Free Throw 2 of 2 (9 PTS)	00:27.0 [NOH 61-75]
	00:04.1 [DEN 77-61]	Anthony Driving Layup Shot: Made (16 PTS)
Collison Driving Layup Shot: Missed	00:00.5
Team Rebound	00:00.0
End of 3rd Quarter
New Orleans Hornets (33-37)		Denver Nuggets (47-22)
Start of 4th QuarterBack to Top
	11:41	Andersen Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (1 TO)
Posey 3pt Shot: Missed	11:23
	11:22	Smith Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	11:12	Smith Running Jump Shot: Missed
	11:11	Smith Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
	11:11	Smith Tip Shot: Missed
Posey Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	11:10
Collison Jump Shot: Made (10 PTS)	10:59 [NOH 63-77]
	10:37	Smith Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Thornton (1 ST)
Collison Turnover : Bad Pass (4 TO) Steal:Allen (2 ST)	10:33
	10:21	Graham Jump Shot: Missed
Posey Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	10:20
Songaila Turnover : Bad Pass (3 TO) Steal:Andersen (1 ST)	10:07
	09:58	Smith Substitution replaced by Billups
Okafor Substitution replaced by West	09:58
West Foul : Personal (5 PF)	09:58
West Substitution replaced by Okafor	09:58
	09:44	Carter Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Songaila (2 ST)
	09:42	Allen Foul : Shooting (3 PF)
Thornton Free Throw 1 of 2 (10 PTS)	09:42 [NOH 64-77]
	09:42	Allen Substitution replaced by Nene
	09:42	Graham Substitution replaced by Anthony
Thornton Free Throw 2 of 2 (11 PTS)	09:42 [NOH 65-77]
	09:22 [DEN 79-65]	Anthony Jump Shot: Made (18 PTS) Assist: Nene (5 AST)
Collison Jump Shot: Made (12 PTS)	09:00 [NOH 67-79]
	08:43	Carter Jump Shot: Missed
Songaila Rebound (Off:0 Def:6)	08:42
Songaila Jump Shot: Missed	08:22
	08:21	Anthony Rebound (Off:3 Def:12)
Posey Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	08:16
	08:16	Timeout : Official
Okafor Substitution replaced by West	08:16
	08:16	Andersen Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	08:16	Team Rebound
	08:16	Andersen Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Thornton Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	08:15
Songaila Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed	07:50
West Rebound (Off:2 Def:3)	07:49
West Tip Shot: Made (14 PTS)	07:49 [NOH 69-79]
	07:44	Anthony Turnover : Inbound Turnover (3 TO)
	07:35	Carter Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
	07:35	Carter Substitution replaced by Afflalo
Collison Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	07:35
Team Rebound	07:35
Collison Free Throw 2 of 2 (13 PTS)	07:35 [NOH 70-79]
	07:15	Nene Turnover : Lost Ball (2 TO) Steal:Songaila (3 ST)
West Jump Shot: Missed	07:03
	07:02	Anthony Rebound (Off:3 Def:13)
Collison Foul : Personal (2 PF)	07:00
Thornton Foul : Personal (3 PF)	06:52
	06:42	Billups Running Jump Shot: Missed
	06:41	Andersen Rebound (Off:6 Def:5)
	06:40	Andersen Putback Layup Shot: Missed
Posey Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)	06:39
Collison Turnover : Bad Pass (5 TO) Steal:Nene (4 ST)	06:35
Songaila Foul : Personal (3 PF)	06:34
	06:34	Nene Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	06:34	Team Rebound
	06:34 [DEN 80-70]	Nene Free Throw 2 of 2 (17 PTS)
West Turnover : Bad Pass (4 TO) Steal:Billups (1 ST)	06:17
	06:11	Billups 3pt Shot: Missed
	06:10	Nene Rebound (Off:4 Def:2)
	06:08	Nene Layup Shot: Missed
West Rebound (Off:3 Def:4)	06:07
Collison Jump Shot: Missed	05:56
	05:55	Billups Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
Collison Foul : Shooting (3 PF)	05:55
	05:55	Team Timeout : Regular
	05:55 [DEN 81-70]	Nene Free Throw 1 of 2 (18 PTS)
	05:55	Nene Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Team Rebound	05:55
	05:55	Anthony Foul : Loose Ball (3 PF)
West Running Jump Shot: Missed	05:40
Songaila Rebound (Off:2 Def:6)	05:39
Songaila Tip Shot: Missed	05:39
Songaila Rebound (Off:2 Def:6)	05:38
Songaila Layup Shot: Made (11 PTS)	05:37 [NOH 72-81]
	05:13 [DEN 83-72]	Anthony Fade Away Jumper Shot: Made (20 PTS)
Thornton 3pt Shot: Missed	04:45
	04:44	Andersen Rebound (Off:6 Def:6)
	04:26	Anthony Driving Layup Shot: Missed
	04:25	Anthony Rebound (Off:4 Def:13)
	04:23 [DEN 85-72]	Anthony Jump Bank Shot: Made (22 PTS)
Team Timeout : Regular	04:20
Thornton Jump Shot: Missed	04:08
	04:06	Anthony Rebound (Off:4 Def:14)
	03:46 [DEN 87-72]	Nene Running Hook Shot: Made (20 PTS)
West Turnover : Lost Ball (5 TO) Steal:Nene (5 ST)	03:26
	03:12	Andersen Layup Shot: Missed Block: Songaila (1 BLK)
Songaila Rebound (Off:2 Def:7)	03:10
Thornton Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Afflalo (1 ST)	03:08
	02:51 [DEN 89-72]	Anthony Jump Shot: Made (24 PTS)
Collison Jump Shot: Made (15 PTS)	02:35 [NOH 74-89]
Collison Foul : Personal (4 PF)	02:26
	02:26 [DEN 90-74]	Billups Free Throw 1 of 2 (9 PTS)
	02:26 [DEN 91-74]	Billups Free Throw 2 of 2 (10 PTS)
Songaila Jump Shot: Made (13 PTS) Assist: Collison (6 AST)	02:03 [NOH 76-91]
	01:43	Anthony Jump Shot: Missed
Thornton Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	01:41
Collison Driving Layup Shot: Missed Block: Nene (3 BLK)	01:36
	01:34	Andersen Rebound (Off:6 Def:7)
	01:14 [DEN 93-76]	Anthony Driving Layup Shot: Made (26 PTS)
Thornton Alley Oop Layup shot: Made (13 PTS) Assist: West (2 AST)	01:02 [NOH 78-93]
	00:45.9	Billups Turnaround Fade Away shot: Missed
Posey Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)	00:44.8
Thornton Driving Layup Shot: Made (15 PTS)	00:37.9 [NOH 80-93]
	00:17.9	Anthony 3pt Shot: Missed
Posey Rebound (Off:0 Def:6)	00:16.9
End of 4th Quarter

broadcast information
country		channel			time
usa			TNT	National	9:30 pm ET
		--	ASE	Local	9:30 pm ET
canada			RTV	national	9:30 pm ET