Nuggets-Knicks Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Dec 09 2012 1:28AM

Carmelo Anthony may have a little motivation to be back on the court.

The New York Knicks could surely use him after their latest performance.

Coming off their worst offensive performance of the season, the Knicks hope to have Anthony available Sunday night when they face the Denver Nuggets, the superstar forward's former team.

Anthony has missed two games with a lacerated middle finger on his left hand, an injury that has caused him difficulty catching passes. It has left New York (14-5) without the league's third-leading scorer at 26.4 points per game.

The Knicks did just fine without him Thursday, winning 112-92 at Miami. However, they clearly missed the five-time All-Star two days later when they fell 93-85 at Chicago, ending their five-game winning streak with season lows in points and shooting percentage (32.1) while turning the ball over 15 times.

"We definitely missed him (Saturday) because having him, he slows down the pace," center Tyson Chandler said. "You can throw it down to him on the block. Having him, you know you'll get to the free throw line."

Now, they may have Anthony back against the Nuggets (10-10), the team he spent his first seven-plus seasons with before being sent to New York in a blockbuster trade in February 2011.

While Anthony's return to Denver is slated for March 13, he's faced the Nuggets at Madison Square Garden already. That game, though, was upstaged by a player the Nuggets got in return as the Knicks lost 119-114 in double-overtime Jan. 21.

Anthony scored 25 points with 10 rebounds, but Danilo Gallinari had 37 and 11, respectively, as he made his return to MSG.

If Anthony is unable to play, Raymond Felton would likely move to the forefront again. The guard had a season-high 27 points against the Heat, then matched it versus the Bulls while launching a career-high 30 shots.

"Probably haven't taken 30 since high school," said Felton, who is averaging 23.5 points over the past four games.

Chandler continues to be a force inside, averaging 15.0 points and 14.3 rebounds after posting 14 and 18 Saturday.

The Nuggets have split the first two of their season-high five-game road trip after winning 92-89 at Indiana on Friday.

Gallinari leads them with 15.2 points per game while adding 6.1 rebounds. However, he's struggled from the field over the last two games, making 5 of 20 shots - 1 of 5 from behind the arc - to total 25 points.

He had only six against the Pacers.

Corey Brewer has been providing a spark off the bench, averaging 19.3 points on 56.5 percent shooting from the field in three games after matching his season high with 20 points Friday. The swingman had 22 at New York in a loss with Minnesota on Jan 26, 2010, but has scored 13 in two subsequent visits.

Andre Miller is looking to build on his own impressive performance as a reserve, totaling 15 points, eight assists and two steals at Indiana. The 36-year-old guard put up eight of those points during a decisive 10-0 run late in the fourth quarter that put Denver up for good.

"He knows how to get shots down the stretch better than some of our other guys, some of our younger guys," coach George Karl said.

Miller is averaging 17.8 points and 7.6 assists in his last five games at the Garden, including 14 and 12, respectively, on Jan. 21.

Anthony returns with 34, Knicks beat Nuggets

By BRIAN MAHONEY
Posted Dec 09 2012 11:51PM

NEW YORK (AP) Carmelo Anthony insists there is no grudge against the Denver Nuggets. He just didn't want his old team - or anyone else - walking into his current home and leaving with a victory.

Anthony returned from a two-game absence with 34 points against his former team, and the New York Knicks beat the Nuggets 112-106 on Sunday night to remain the NBA's lone unbeaten team at home.

Back in the starting lineup after missing two games with a cut on the middle finger of his left hand that required stitches, Anthony twice made baskets in the final 2:08 after Denver had pulled within four points.

"I don't have no hard feelings toward Denver. It was just one of them games that no matter how many runs we went on, they just wasn't going anywhere," Anthony said.

"It was just a matter of us and me not wanting to lose on our home court, protecting our home court. That's something that we always said and we believed in. So there came a point in time in that fourth quarter where it was called upon me to step up."

Jason Kidd scored 17 points for the Knicks, who bounced back from their worst offensive performance of the season a night earlier in Chicago and improved to 8-0 at Madison Square Garden. Tyson Chandler and J.R. Smith each had 15 points.

It's the Knicks' best start at home since beginning 9-0 in 1992-93.

Ty Lawson had 23 points and Danilo Gallinari had 21 points and nine rebounds against the team that drafted him and later dealt him in the package for Anthony in February 2011.

Anthony decided to play after working out before the game, shooting 10 of 24 while adjusting to playing with the finger covered. He beat the Nuggets for the first time after the Knicks dropped a double-overtime game here last season.

And no matter what Anthony said, Chandler said players never stop wanting to beat their old team.

"You always want to show them what they're missing and I think they saw tonight," Chandler said.

Corey Brewer made the first two baskets of the fourth to give Denver an 88-80 lead, but the Knicks came right back with consecutive 3-pointers by Steve Novak and a dunk by Chandler to tie it. Ronnie Brewer scored the next four points to make it a 12-0 run, and after a basket by Kenneth Faried, Anthony made a jumper and a 3-pointer as the Knicks opened a 97-90 advantage.

Denver from there could get it down as close as four, Anthony nailing a jumper on one occasion and driving into the lane for another basket to keep the Nuggets away.

"Tonight we let one player get hot, Melo, and once he started hitting he was unstoppable," Faried said.

The offense wasn't quite fixed after New York was held to 85 points and 32.1 percent shooting in an eight-point loss at Chicago on Saturday. Raymond Felton was 4 for 15 a night after a 9-for-30 night, and Smith was just 5 of 19, leaving the Nuggets feeling as if they let one get away.

"I tell the team all the time, I say I don't mind losing to a good team, but we lose because we give them things," Denver coach George Karl said. "We give them gifts."

Anthony spent the first 7 1/2 years of his career with the Nuggets, telling them in the 2010 offseason he wanted out. He and Karl clashed at times during their time together, but Karl predicted their relationship would be fine someday and said he hasn't backed away from his belief that Anthony will eventually get to the top of basketball.

"I've said that I feel Melo's going to win a championship someday," Karl said before the game. "He's going to figure out that scoreboard numbers and stat sheets aren't important. It's the team scoreboard and intangibles of the game that make winners champions."

The Knicks gave up more than they wanted to in order to get Anthony, and the Nuggets had better balance and more success afterward. Now the Knicks seem to have found the system and personnel that fit best around Anthony, and Karl said the trade was a win-win.

"They wanted to get back to the top of the mountain and they took a chance on going out and getting one of the top 10 players in basketball. It didn't work for a while but it looks like it's working now," Karl said.

Anthony was only 1 of 6 in the first quarter and the Nuggets hit 11 of 19 shots, yet Denver's lead was only 25-23. The offenses got untracked in the second, New York outscoring Denver 38-33 to take a 61-58 lead at the break. Anthony scored 11 points in the period, when the Knicks made 16 of 17 free throws.

NOTES: Knicks F Rasheed Wallace missed the game with a sore left foot. ... Corey Brewer finished with 15 points after scoring 19 or more in three straight games, tying a career best. ... The Knicks began a stretch where they play seven of eight games at home - and the lone road game is just a short trip to Brooklyn on Tuesday.

Notebook: Knicks 112, Nuggets 106

Adam Zagoria, for NBA.com
Posted Sun Dec 09, 2012 10:34 PM - Updated Sun Dec 09, 2012 10:34 PM

THE FACTS: In his first game back from a hand injury that caused him to miss two games, Carmelo Anthony scored a game-high 34 points to lead the Knicks to a 112-106 victory over his former team, the Denver Nuggets, at Madison Square Garden.

Jason Kidd added 17 points and seven assists and Tyson Chandler had 15 points and 12 rebounds for New York, which won for the sixth time in seven games and remained a perfect 8-0 at home this season. J.R. Smith had 15 points and nine boards off the bench.

Ty Lawson paced Denver with 23 points, Danilo Gallinari added 21 and Andre Iguodala and Corey Brewer scored 15 apiece.

The Knicks improved their Eastern Conference-best record to 15-5.

QUOTABLE: "It felt good to come back at home and play against these guys. It was a physical game, tough game. We won, that's all that matters."
-- Anthony on MSG.

THE STAT: Despite wearing tape over a cut on his left (non-shooting) hand, Anthony was 11-of-16 from the foul line and 10-for-24 from the field.

THE STAT II: Knicks coach Mike Woodson is now 19-1 at the Garden.

TURNING POINT: Down 88-80 early in the fourth, the Knicks rattled off a 12-0 run -- keyed by back-to-back 3-pointers from Steve Novak and a dunk by Chandler -- to go ahead 92-88. A 3-pointer by Anthony put New York up 97-90. The Knicks outscored their visitors, 32-22, in the final period.

QUOTABLE II: "I feel that Melo's going to win a championship someday."
-- Nuggets coach George Karl.

WHO'S HOT: The Knicks have won six of seven and now have six of their next seven games at home, where they are unbeaten on the season.

WHO'S NOT: The Nuggets have lost four of six and play their next two on the road -- at Detroit and at Minnesota.

QUOTABLE III: "He led us tonight, especially coming down the stretch we went through him. He had a little guy on him, he posted him, he made plays, we made plays and got the 'W.'"
-- Anthony on Kidd.

NOTABLE: Marcus Camby (sore left foot) and Rasheed Wallace (sore left foot) did not dress for the Knicks.

NOTABLE II: The two teams have quite a bit of common ground. Four former Knicks are on the Nuggets -- Gallinari, Brewer, Timofey Mozgov and Anthony Randolph -- and four former Nuggets are on the Knicks -- Anthony, Felton, Smith and Camby.

QUOTABLE IV: "Melo's playing at such a high level. There's no question he's one of the MVP candidates in this early season."
-- Woodson.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Former Detroit Pistons bad boy Bill Laimbeer, now the GM and head coach of the WNBA's New York Liberty, sat courtside.

UP NEXT: For the Knicks, Tuesday @ Brooklyn, Thursday vs. Lakers, Saturday vs. Cleveland. For the Nuggets, Tuesday @ Detroit, Wednesday @ Minnesota, Friday vs. Memphis.

• Nuggets: Chandler, Stone
• Knicks: Shumpert, Stoudemire

• Nuggets: Gallinari, Karl
• Knicks: Anthony

• Lead Changes: 13
• Times Tied: 11

• Arena: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
• Officials: #15 Bennett Salvatore, #38 Michael Smith, #76 Steven Anderson
• Attendance: 19033
• Duration: 2:24