Anthony returns; Nuggets win

Carmelo Anthony returned from an ankle injury to score 25 points, Allen Iverson added 24 points and 13 assists, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Charlotte Bobcats, 117-101, last night.

Linas Kleiza came off the bench to add 23 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter, as the Nuggets won their eighth straight game at the Pepsi Center. The team is 20-5 at home this season. Denver didn't win its 20th home game last season until April 4.

Jason Richardson tied a season high with 38 points, and Emeka Okafor added 20 points and 18 rebounds. Raymond Felton, playing on a sprained left ankle, scored 14 points.

Anthony (Towson Catholic) missed five games with a sprained left ankle after awkwardly landing on the foot of Kobe Bryant on Jan. 21. The Nuggets were 3-2 in Anthony's absence.

The Bobcats have lost four of their past five games, including three straight road games.

The Bobcats were seemingly in control of the game, leading 87-77 late in the third quarter, when the Nuggets seized control. Denver went on a 23-3 run - including 15 straight points at one point - to wrap up its second straight win.

Charlotte coach Sam Vincent reached his boiling point late in the fourth quarter and screamed at the officials. He was ejected after being assessed a double technical foul.

• Magic 121, Pacers 115 // Dwight Howard had 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Orlando beat host Indiana for its fourth straight victory. Hedo Turkoglu scored 20 of his 23 points in the second half, and Rashard Lewis added 19 points for Orlando (31-18). Danny Granger finished with 29 points, Mike Dunleavy scored 19 and Troy Murphy chipped in 17 for the slumping Pacers (19-29), who dropped their sixth consecutive game. The Magic trailed by two points at halftime, then took its biggest lead of the game, 105-93, on Turkoglu's three-pointer with 8:30 left in the fourth quarter.

• Rockets 91, Bucks 83 // The second edition of Yao vs. Yi didn't quite live up to its billing, as Yao Ming and Houston beat Yi Jianlian and Milwaukee despite relatively quiet nights by both of China's biggest basketball stars in America. Yao scored 12 points and added 12 rebounds for visiting Houston, sitting for much of the first half after getting in early foul trouble and tweaking his ankle just before halftime. Yi scored six points, below the rookie's average of 9.7. Tracy McGrady scored 33 to lead Houston, hitting several jumpers to hold off a late Bucks rally.

• Cavaliers 98, Clippers 84 // LeBron James scored 28 points after missing a game with a sprained right ankle, leading Cleveland over visiting Los Angeles. James missed Cleveland's 101-95 loss in Seattle on Thursday after injuring the ankle the previous night against Portland. James, the NBA's leading scorer, went through a hard workout on the court before the game yesterday. The Cavaliers, who are 0-6 without James this season, announced about 45 minutes before the game that he would start. That provided even more bad news for the Clippers, who played their fourth straight game without leading scorers Corey Maggette and Chris Kaman. Both were out with the flu, and Los Angeles dressed nine players.

• Hawks 104, Nets 92 // Marvin Williams scored 24 points, Josh Smith and Josh Childress each had 23, and Atlanta ended a three-game losing streak with a home victory over New Jersey. The Hawks, who had dropped seven of eight, used a quick transition game to outscore New Jersey 16-7 on fast-break points in the second half. Richard Jefferson led the Nets with 23 points. Reserve forward Bostjan Nachbar finished with 16 as New Jersey had a two-game winning streak ended and dropped to 2-10 since Jan. 11.

• Jazz 110, Grizzlies 91 // Carlos Boozer had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Utah extended its winning streak to eight games with a road victory over Memphis. The Jazz has won 12 of its past 13 and sits atop the Western Conference's Northwest Division. Memphis lost its third consecutive game, and Grizzlies fans got a glimpse of what the rest of the season might be like without team leader Pau Gasol, who was traded to the Lakers on Friday.

Related topic galleries: Troy Murphy, National Basketball Association, New Jersey Nets, Allen Iverson, Richard Jefferson, LeBron James, Denver Nuggets

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