The Philippine Online Chronicles

Everbody talks about Lebron James and Kobe Bryant as the top two players in the league. However, Carmelo Anthony has been making a strong case the entire year, for him to be included in the Kobe-Lebron universe.

Anthony’s entire arsenal was on full display on Friday as he hit tough fade-away jumpers, twisting layups, two-handed dunks, and a couple of putbacks as he led the Nuggets’ charge against the undermanned New Orleans Hornets. The Nuggets pounded the hapless Hornets, 102-95 as they extended their winning streak to five. It also gave them a 2-game advantage over the Jazz, in the battle for top spot in the Northwest division.

Anthony scored 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in 43 minutes of action. He’s averaging 28.6 points per game and at one point, he was the league-leader in scoring this season. In spite of his superb play, Anthony received a lot of help from veteran playmaker Chauncey Billups who scored 21 points and distributed seven assists.

Others who contributed heavily to the Nuggets’ cause were Brazilian center Nene who had 17 points and 12 rebounds. Johan Petro also had a solid night as he delivered a double-double, by scoring 10 points and grabbing the same number of rebounds.

The Hornets meanwhile got solid numbers from David West who led the Hornets with 30 points.  Rookie sensations Marcus Thornton and Darren Collison had 23 and 17 points, respectively.  Julian Wright meanwhile added 13 for the Hornets, who are still missing point guard Chris Paul. The loss is the Hornets’ eight out of their last ten games, which further reduces their chances for a playoff appearance.

The game was tied at 86 with 6:05 remaining when Billups stole the ball and passed it to a running Anthony, who finished a break-away layup. After getting a slim 88-86 lead, the Nuggets slowly pulled away courtesy of Anthony’s 19-foot jumper and putback.

The Hornets still had a chance, but Emeka Okafor’s pass was intercepted by Billups, who then drew a foul, which lead to two free-throw conversions. After another Hornets miscue, Billups set up Nene for an easy jam that gave the Nuggets a 98-88 lead.

On the other hand, Nuggets coach George Karl wasn’t available for the team’s four-game road swing as he continues to undergo treatment for his neck and throat cancer. Assistant coach Adrian Dantley was there to fill in the void.

All game long, Okafor tried to score inside, but Nene played excellent defense to keep him in check. He struggled mightily  as he only managed to score nine points, makingl only four of his 12 shots.

The game was competitive all throughout, until the Nuggets hit some timely shots through a couple of defensive stops.

Before the Nuggets stepped on the gas in the final period, West was on a tear as he scored 14 points in the third quarter alone. Thornton meanwhile had a jumper late in the third quarter to put the Hornets up 74-73. Morris Peterson had a chance to increase it, but he only made one free throw, giving the Hornets a two-point advantage heading into the final canto.

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