Denver Nuggets Blog – Page 71 – NBA Blog

No All-Star spot annoys Carmelo Anthony

Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony was an All-Star starter last season. This year, he’s not even on the team as a reserve.

Averaging 21.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists on 43.7% shooting (his lowest field goal percentage since 2004-05), Melo has played in just 31 of Denver’s 46 games. His missed action due to injury certainly played a big role in being left out.

Still, the proud player isn’t going to pretend he didn’t want to make it.

The Rocky Mountain News (Chris Tomasson) reports:

“A little bit,” Anthony told the Rocky Mountain News on Friday morning in his first public comments about whether he was disappointed in not being selected Thursday to the NBA Western Conference All-Star team. “But it ain’t nothing I can control. It is what it is. I’m happy for Chauncey (Billups) making it, though.” Billups, a guard, was selected by Western Conference coaches as an All-Star reserve for the Feb. 15 game in Phoenix. But Anthony, after being selected the past two years, was left off after missing 10 games with a broken right hand. “Of course,” Anthony said when asked if he didn’t make the team because of his injury. “I didn’t think I did nothing wrong. My game didn’t do nothing wrong. That’s the only thing that could have (cost Anthony). It is what it is. There’s nothing I can complain about.”

There aren’t any small forwards on the entire West All-Star team.

I think had Melo not missed so many games he’d have been picked ahead of Hornets power forward David West.

Carmelo Anthony set to return

Denver Nuggets F Carmelo Anthony was cleared to return to action by the team’s medical staff today. He will play tomorrow night when the Nuggets face the Charlotte Bobcats at the Pepsi Center.

Anthony suffered a non-displaced third metacarpal fracture on his right hand on Jan. 5 against Indiana and has missed the last 10 games.

In 31 games this season, Anthony is averaging a team-high 21.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg and 3.6 apg.

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Hornets beat Nuggets 94-81

The AP reports: Devin Brown hadn’t played much lately. He had been taking extra shots after practice, trying to be ready to come through when called upon. Moving up in the rotation after a first-half injury to Morris Peterson, Brown hit 6-of-7 shots, including all three 3 pointers he attempted, and finished with a season high 18 points to help the New Orleans Hornets defeat the Denver Nuggets 94-81 on Wednesday night… Peja Stojakovic matched a season high with 26 points, but beyond that, New Orleans didn’t get a lot of scoring from a starting unit missing center Tyson Chandler and David West for a fifth straight game. Chris Paul had 12 points and 10 assists, but had an off night shooting for him, going 3-of-12. James Posey, normally the Hornets most productive reserve, was 1-of-13 for six points… Kenyon Martin scored 22 points, and J.R. Smith had 20 for Denver, which was 7-of-20 from the field in the final quarter as a slim lead turned into a double-digit deficit.

Billups scores 29 to lead Nuggets over Grizzlies

The AP reports: Chauncey Billups scored 14 consecutive points in the third quarter and finished with 29 to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 100-85 victory Tuesday night, sending the Grizzlies to their 10th straight loss Hollins’ debut as coach… The Nuggets got 20 points from J.R. Smith and 16 points from Linas Kleiza. Chris Anderson had five of Denver’s 15 blocked shots, a season high… Rookie guard O.J. Mayo led the Grizzlies with 19 points. Gay, Kyle Lowry and Darius Miles scored 13 apiece.

Nene having great season

The Denver Post (Mark Kiszla) writes: In a season full of pleasant surprises for Denver, the biggest one has been Nene. “I’ve been so, so, so impressed with Nene, from his skill level to his IQ for the game. He’s an all-star, man. Without a doubt. When Nene’s on a good team, he’s unstoppable,” Billups said Sunday, when Denver trounced Utah 117-97. While Anthony is the Nuggets’ most talented player and Billups is the team’s most valuable player, Nene is the one player who will determine how far Denver goes in the playoffs… For a man who doesn’t like to be called a center, Nene is playing as strong as anyone between Houston (Yao Ming) and Los Angeles (Pau Gasol) at his reluctantly adopted position. And that includes you, Shaquille O’Neal.

Nene, Smith spark Nuggets’ win over Jazz

The AP reports: Chauncey Billups can’t fathom having a game like Nene did Sunday night. Nene tied a career high with 28 points and sank every one of his dazzling dozen shots in Denver’s 117-97 rout of the Utah Jazz… J.R. Smith scored 13 of his 22 points in the first quarter, setting the tone for Denver’s rare rout of Utah, which fell 4 1/2 games behind the first-place Nuggets in the Northwest Division with its third straight loss and second in 24 hours… Chauncey Billups added 22 points and Linas Kleiza came up with 18 off the bench for the Nuggets, who had lost 10 of their previous 13 against Utah.

Kleiza helps Nuggets push past Kings, 118-99

The AP reports: Linas Kleiza scored 27 points, Chauncey Billups had 22 and the Denver Nuggets used strong second and third quarters to beat the Sacramento Kings 118-99 on Tuesday night. J.R. Smith had 19 points and Nene 13 points and 12 rebounds for Denver, which outscored the Kings 71-44 in the middle frames. Kevin Martin led Sacramento with 25 points and rookie Jason Thompson had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings, who fell behind by 30 in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets trailed by as many as 10 in the second quarter when Kleiza and Smith led the charge back.

Yao, Alston lead Rockets past Nuggets 115-113

The AP reports: The Denver Nuggets felt a bad call cost them a win against the Houston Rockets. Yao Ming scored 31 points, Rafer Alston added 18 points and 11 assists and the Rockets beat the Nuggets 115-113 on Monday. Denver’s Kenyon Martin missed two foul shots with 2.6 seconds left, and Yao got the rebound to clinch the win. But the Nuggets felt they had the go-ahead basket wrongly taken away on their previous possession. Yao missed with 18 seconds left, Martin rebounded and Denver coach George Karl called timeout. Linas Kleiza drove into the lane and passed to Nene for a dunk. But the basket didn’t count because referee Bennett Salvatore called a charge on Kleiza for running into Chuck Hayes… J.R. Smith scored 24, Nene had 23 and Martin 22 for the Nuggets, who lost for just the third time in 12 games… Von Wafer had 18 points and Luis Scola finished with 16 for the Rockets, who have won five of their last six games. Yao went 13-for-19 from the field— 5-for-8 in the fourth quarter.

Turkoglu scores 31 points in Magic’s win over Nuggets

The AP reports: The Orlando Magic believe in themselves. After a dominant road trip, the rest of the NBA is believing in them, too. Hedo Turkoglu scored 31 points, Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis had 23 each and the Orlando Magic completed a perfect four-game West Coast trip with a 106-88 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night… Dwight Howard had 14 points and 20 rebounds to help the Magic win their seventh straight and ninth in 10 games. It was Howard’s second straight 20-rebound game… Linas Kleiza, who had a season-high 26 points, led the Nuggets with seven points in the third.

NBA fines Mark Cuban 25k

The Denver Post (Benjamin Hochman) reports: The Cuban Missed Elbow Crisis has finally come to an end. The NBA decided to fine Mavericks owner Mark Cuban $25,000 for “improper interaction” with Nuggets players at halftime of Tuesday’s game at the Pepsi Center. Cuban walked onto the court and yelled at Nuggets guard J.R. Smith, who earlier threw an elbow that missed the face of Dallas forward Antoine Wright. Smith was not penalized for his actions.

The AP reports: Cuban was angered Tuesday in a 99-97 Denver victory over Dallas and stepped onto the court as the second quarter ended to complain about an elbow thrown by Smith that did not result in a foul, interaction that brought the fine. Cuban also had to be escorted off the court afte the game when he complained about a foul call that set up Chauncey Billups’ game-winning free throws in the final seconds.