Nifty 50 for Anthony

By Aaron J. Lopez, Nuggets.com

Standing at the foul line with 16.7 seconds remaining, Carmelo Anthony took a noticeably deep breath as he prepared to take advantage of the perfect storm.

Two free throws would give him 50 points for the first time in his seven NBA seasons. They would also go a long way toward helping the Nuggets finally put away the New York Knicks.

“They might have been the two toughest free throws I've shot in a while,” Anthony said. “We've got the game on the line and 50. You're right there and you want to get it. If I didn't say I wanted to get it, I'd be lying to you. At the end of the night, they were two big free throws.”

As cool as a November night in Colorado, Anthony made both free throws and the Nuggets held on for a 128-125 victory Friday night in front of a sold-out crowd at the Pepsi Center. Chauncey Billups added a season-high 32 points, and J.R. Smith scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter.

The only other time the Nuggets had two players go for 50-plus and 30-plus in the same game was nearly 26 years ago. Kiki Vandeweghe scored 51 and Alex English had 47 in a 186-184 triple-overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 23, 1983. That also happened to be the highest-scoring game in NBA history.

With both teams seeming to score at will Friday night, Nuggets coach George Karl felt like he was watching a replay of that Detroit-Denver classic.

“My biggest worry is we've gone to trying to outscore people and not defend people,” Karl said. “That's a very dangerous personality if we continue with it.”

Led by Al Harrington’s 41 points, six Knicks scored in double-figures, but it wasn't enough to offset Anthony's career night. Melo made 17 of 28 shots from the field and 15 of 16 free throws. His final eight points came from the foul line.

“He got dunks and he was scoring every way possible,” said Larry Hughes, one of several Knicks players who failed to slow the league’s leading scorer (30.9). “I'm not sure if he got a three(-pointer), but he did everything else.”

As a matter of fact, Anthony’s 12th, 13th and 14th points came when he drained a 3-pointer 36 seconds into the second quarter. He had 24 points by halftime and 39 after the third quarter, setting the stage for a memorable night.

“That was a treat,” Billups said. “That was a phenomenal performance by Melo. That's one you remember for a lifetime.”

Anthony flirted with 50 points twice during the 2007-087 season. He scored 49 against Washington on Feb. 8, 2008, but couldn't get that final point because the Wizards started double-teaming him near halfcourt.

“I've been there a couple times, and just never got it,” Anthony said. “I'm glad I got that monkey off my back. It's tough to do – 50 in a close game like that.”

The Knicks threw two and three defenders at Anthony in the fourth quarter, but he made them pay by finding Chris Andersen cutting to the basket for a three-point play and hitting Smith for an open jumper a few minutes later.

“My teammates saw what was happening just like I did,” Anthony said. “Guys coming every time I touched the ball, double-teaming and triple teaming. They knew there was opportunities for them and they took advantage of it.”

Anthony's hot hand also gave Billups more room to operate. Anyone who wonders whether the 33-year-old has lost a step needs to watch the replay of his baseline drive that put Denver ahead 125-120 with 26.8 seconds to go. Billups blew past Larry Hughes and avoided David Lee by finishing with a reverse layup.

“I ain't lost no step, man,” he said. “I ain't going nowhere, trust me.”

The same can be said for the Nuggets, whose 12-4 record matches the second-best start in the team's NBA history. They have won 17 in a row at home, dating to last season, and survived a dangerous post-Thanksgiving game that had Karl worried all week.

“As a coach, we have a degree of awareness of holidays,” Karl said. “We're human beings. We're not robotic. I'm not sure we moved ahead tonight, but we didn't move backwards either. We got one more win in the column.”

That win was sealed when the Knicks were unable to get a shot off in the final seconds. Karl thought about fouling intentionally to prevent New York from shooting a potential game-tying 3-pointer, but Hughes lost the ball out of bounds when Billups challenged him near the sideline.

Asked if he fouled Hughes in the act of trying to shoot a 3-pointer, Billups gave the answer you would expect from a 13-year veteran. “I'm not going to tell you that I didn't, but I don't think I did. Maybe.”

Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni lobbied for the foul, but the referees didn't agree after a short video review.

And for that, Anthony was thankful.

"Legs get to be heavy, eating too much food, family's in town. You might not get enough rest," he said. "Feels good to get this one, I'll tell you that."