Nuggets Earn Fifth Straight Victory, Defeat Knicks

Nov 29, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; New York Knicks forward

(7) shoots the ball over Denver Nuggets forward

(21) during the first half at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Nuggets would get on the board first as Randy Foye would convert on an easy lay-up attempt. Ty Lawson answered an Andrea Bargnani jumper with a three-pointer. Four-straight points from Nuggets forward J.J. Hickson led to a New York Knicks timeout as Denver took the lead 15-9.

Carmelo Anthony in his second return the Pepsi Center to a sold-out crowd, didn’t start off too well. Melo would shoot 1-for-5 in the early goings, as he picked up two fouls in the first half. Randy Foye would knock down another three-pointer as Denver would be 3-for-6 early on from deep.

Wilson Chandler would pick up two quick fouls guarding Carmelo Anthony. Jordan Hamilton would replace Chandler and immediately get exposed by Melo, jumping at a pump-fake and fouling Carmelo once more , picking up two fouls. At the buzzer, Andre Miller would drill a three-pointer that bounced off the rim and in. With that three, he was 7-of-9 from deep on the year.

The Knicks would open the second quarter on a 6-2 scoring run as Amar’e Stoudemire, J.R. Smith, and Tim Hardaway Jr. would each score. Nate Robinson would light it up for the Nuggets off the bench, scoring ten-straight points, going 4-for-7 from the field. The Knicks would claw back into the game, going on an 8-0 run as Andrea Bargnani led the charge. He would finish with 13 first-half points on 5-of-7 shooting. The teams would trade lay-ups at the end of the quarter, as Denver took the 51-45 lead going into the half. Denver shot 4-for-11 from deep in the first half, as New York would shoot 1-for-11.

Iman Shumpert would get New York started in the third with a jumper reducing the lead to four. But Randy Foye would continue shooting the rock, as he hit two free throws and a three-pointer. Kenneth Faried would be favoring his right leg as he was taken to the locker room. He was diagnosed with a right quadricep contusion and didn’t return to the game. Carmelo Anthony had eleven points in the third quarter as he scored five of those points at the free-throw line. Darrell Arthur had the task of guarding Melo in the second half, but he was just too quick for him. Arthur would bite on Carmelo’s pump-fakes all night leading to easy points.

Jordan Hamilton would get on the board after going 0-3 from the field, as he knocked down a three-pointer, giving Denver the nine point lead. Lawson and Robinson would each get fouled on back-to-back possessions, going 4-for-4 from the line. But Carmelo Anthony would answer right back with an and-one as he was fouled by Timofey Mozgov. He would convert the free-throw as the third quarter ended with Denver ahead 75-67.

Tim Hardaway Jr. sparked a Knicks comeback early in the fourth quarter, as he would connect for two three-pointers, reducing the Nuggets lead to six. Melo would try his best to keep his team in the game as he hit a jumper to reduce the lead to 84-81 in favor of Denver.

After Bargnani would hit two free-throws, Wilson Chandler would knock down a three in the corner, bringing the Nuggets lead back up to five. Randy Foye would then knock down a three, giving Denver a 94-85 lead, but J.R. Smith would answer with one of his own. Melo would then be fouled, as he hit both freebies at the line as the Nuggets still led by five. After Hickson split both trips at the line, going 2-for-4, Raymond Felton would knock down a corner three, as the Knicks trailed the Nuggets, 96-33 with 31.4 seconds left. On the next possession, Wilson Chandler would be called for the offensive foul on Kenyon Martin, giving the Knicks the ball right back.

Iman Shumpert would get the ball after both teams struggled to get possession of the ball and he would take it to the lane, making the easy lay-up. The Knicks at this point were on a 10-2 run, now trailing Denver by one point, 96-95. Ty Lawson would be fouled on the ensuing possession and made 1-of-2, as the lead was two. Carmelo Anthony would take the last shot as he was closely guarded by Randy Foye, he would try a fade-away but would come up short as the Nuggets took the win, 97-95. With that loss, the Knicks have lost eight-straight.

The Denver Nuggets will be back in action on Sunday in Toronto taking on the Raptors. Tip-off will be at 1:00pm eastern time/11:00pm mountain time.

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