The Rocky Mountain News (Chris Tomasson) reports (via blog) on the Nuggets point guard remembering not making the All-Star team in 2005, when the weekend was held in his hometown of Denver: The point guard the previous season had led Detroit to the NBA title was named Finals MVP. And Billups was in the midst of a season in which he would lead the Pistons back to the Finals. Nevertheless, he wasn’t chosen for the game at the Pepsi Center. “I came home and everything and I wasn’t going to go to the All-Star Game, man. ‘I can’t believe I’m not in it,”’ Billups said. “My wife (Piper) was like, ‘Don’t be like that. Still go.’ So I went and I sat there the whole time. I don’t think I said one word the whole time. I was sitting there like, ‘I can’t believe I’m not in this.’ That’s just another one of the pains that fuels my fire. Try to get in next year.”
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Nuggets clamp down on Magic in 82-73 victory
The AP reports: Carmelo Anthony had 29 points and eight rebounds, and the Nuggets ended a 15-game losing streak in Orlando with an 82-73 win over the Magic on Wednesday night… Kenyon Martin scored 13 points, Nene added 12 and Billups had 11 points for Denver, which hadn’t won in Orlando since March 10, 1992. .. Dwight Howard had 16 points and Rashard Lewis scored 12 for the Magic, who finished with a season low in points, a season-high 24 turnovers and were held to a season-low 30.4 percent shooting from the floor.
Nuggets top Heat for eighth straight time, 99-82
The AP reports: Chauncey Billups scored 13 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, Carmelo Anthony finished with 19 points and nine rebounds, and the Denver Nuggets swept the series with Miami for the fourth consecutive year, beating the Heat 99-82 on Tuesday night. Kenyon Martin had 18 points and 10 rebounds, while J.R. Smith scored 10 for Denver, which wasted much of a 20-point first-half lead before pulling away late and defeating Miami for the eighth straight time. Dwyane Wade scored 33 points on 12-for-22 shooting for Miami, which has lost five of its last seven games. Shawn Marion scored 14 and Mario Chalmers added 10 for Miami.
JR Smith replaces Rudy Gay in dunk contest
Denver Nuggets G J.R. Smith has been chosen to replace the injured Rudy Gay of the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2009 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest at NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix, Ariz. on Feb. 14, the league announced today.
Smith, in his third season with Denver, is averaging career-highs of 13.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 2.7 apg in a career-best 27.7 minutes per contest through 50 games this season.
The Nuggets’ high-flyer will be making his second appearance in the annual Slam Dunk Contest. As a member of the New Orleans Hornets, he finished third in the 2005 Sprite Rising Stars Slam Dunk Contest at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo. Smith will become the fifth Nuggets player to appear in an official NBA Slam Dunk Contest, joining Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (sixth place in 1993), Robert Pack (second in 1994), Darvin Ham (fourth in 1997) and Chris Andersen (third in 2004).
Nuggets stars to ignore beatdown
The Denver Post (Chris Dempsey) reports: Asked how the Nuggets expect to bounce back from their last game, a 44-point pounding at New Jersey, forward Carmelo Anthony had a simple response. “What game?” he said, smiling about Saturday’s game that at the time was no laughing matter. Said guard Chauncey Billups: “I forgot all about that game. I didn’t even know we played Saturday. As a matter of fact, we didn’t play Saturday.” Amnesia might be the best way for the Nuggets to move on from their worst loss this season, but as they practiced Monday at American Airlines Arena, they mixed forgetting with equal parts humor and trust.
Scoring comes easy for Melo
The Boston Globe (Marc Spears) reports: Playing with the likes of Chauncey Billups (acquired from Detroit Nov. 3), a healthy Nene, a healthy Kenyon Martin, J.R. Smith, and Linas Kleiza, Carmelo Anthony doesn’t feel the pressure to carry the scoring load anymore. “Scoring will never be an issue as long as I play basketball,” Anthony said. “But it was just like, ‘What else are you going to do? Are you going to come out and average 7-8 rebounds or 3-4 assists? Are you going to make everybody better?’ “And when Chauncey came, it was like we have the type of team where I don’t have to score 25 and 30 points on a night-in and night-out basis. I’m at 20 points, 23 points and I feel better and feel like it’s one of my best seasons so far.”
Harris scores 28, Nets beat Nuggets 114-70
The AP reports: Devin Harris scored 14 of his 28 points from the free-throw line and the New Jersey Nets posted their second biggest victory in franchise history with a stunning 114-70 decision over the frustrated Denver Nuggets on Saturday night… Rookie Brook Lopez added 15 points and nine rebounds for New Jersey, while Carter had 12 points and eight assists. Carmelo Anthony had 15 points to lead the Nuggets on a night that the Nets refused to let them get to the rim, one of the staples of an offense that was averaging 104.7 points, fourth best in the league.
Melo scores 32, Nuggets beat Thunder 114-113
The AP reports: For the second time in two trips to Oklahoma City, Carmelo Anthony made the winning shot, this time a driving runner in the lane with 5.3 seconds left that gave the Nuggets a 114-113 victory Wednesday night… Anthony finished with 32 points and also had 11 assists… Kevin Durant finished with 31 points and eight rebounds. J.R. Smith had 22 points, Nene had 20 and Chris Andersen finished with 12 to help the Nuggets improve to 32-16. The Thunder got 24 points from Jeff Green and 20 from Russell Westbrook, but dropped their third game in a row.
Melo scores 35, Nuggets beat injured Spurs 104-96
The AP reports: This wasn’t quite the test Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets had in mind. With Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili all sidelined Tuesday night, the Denver Nuggets took advantage for a 104-96 win over the San Antonio Spurs after frittering away most of a 17-point lead… Anthony scored 35 points, but he had to come back into the game with 8:47 left and the Nuggets clinging to an 80-78 lead… Denver wasn’t at full-strength, either. Kenyon Martin missed the game with tonsillitis and strep throat, and Billups sprained his right ankle in the second quarter and didn’t return.
Anthony returns from broken hand, Nuggets beat Bobcats
The AP reports: Carmelo Anthony scored 19 points in his first game back from a broken bone in his shooting hand, lifting the Denver Nuggets to a 110-99 win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday night… Nene had 22 points, hitting 10 of 11 shots, and 12 rebounds for his 14th double-double of the season… Raja Bell led the Bobcats with a season-high 27 points, while Boris Diaw added 16 and former Nuggets player Juwan Howard had 11.