Carmelo's Clamp at Clock

Carmelo Anthony dialed up 31 points and delivered a block at the buzzer as the Nuggets held off the Lakers 98-96 in Denver. The Western conference-leading Lakers dropped their fourth game in five tries but played Thursday without Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum. Pau Gasol carried L.A.’s offense with 26 points and 13 rebounds. Lamar Odom matched Gasol in rebounds and Ron Artest added 22 points in the Pepsi Center road loss. The Lakers failed to clinch the top seed in the conference when Derek Fisher’s 3-point attempt was blocked by Anthony as time expired.
MVP Bryant sat out with nagging injuries for Phil Jackson’s 55-23 Lakers. L.A. is tied with the Orlando Magic for the second best record in the league. Denver dove a full game ahead of Utah for the Northwest division lead with the win. The Nuggets clung to a one point advantage with 18 ticks on the clock. L.A.’s Shannon Brown grabbed a rebound off J.R. Smith’s shot and passed to an open Fisher in transition. Denver’s Chanchey Billups swooped in to break up the pass to give the Nuggets possession. Billups led all players with six assists on the night. The Lakers got the ball back following a Smith free throw and being down by a bucket. Fisher’s last-ditch shot went for naught as Anthony’s outstretched arms prevented the tying basket. Smith finished with 26 points and Billups landed 12 as the Nuggets outlasted the slumping Lakers.
The Lakers were out-scored in every quarter except the third, but made a game of it despite key injuries. Denver raced out to a 15 point lead in the third quarter but the Lakers came roaring back to reclaim the edge. Seven year star, Nene Hilario, made a pair of free throws to give the Nuggets the lead for good with just over a minute remaining. Hilario tallied 11 points and 7 rebounds, while notching 7-of-10 from the line. The Nuggets were just too swift and smooth from the field. Smith was on target with 5-of-11 shots from long range to move into first place on the franchise’s all time 3-point list. Denver made 11 baskets, finishing 44% from the arc. Anthony contributed three from downtown and blocked three shots. The former Syracuse standout committed just one turnover and went 10-of-20 from the field. The Lakers were a sure-handed and accurate 84.8% from the charity stripe. Gasol knocked down 10-of-11 free throws. There has been speculation that Jackson is resting Bryant with the playoffs looming. It’s unknown whether Bryant will play Friday against Minnesota. Sasha Vujacic started in place of Bryant. Vujacic’s slow first half prompted Jackson to replace the Yugoslavian with Brown. Brown grabbed a dozen points. Jordan Farmar hit a trey and Vujacic returned to score six points to give L.A. a lead in the fourth quarter. The Lakers would get as close as two points before losing the game to 52-win Denver.

Parting Points: Take home pay. Brad Stevens is rewarded with a 12 year extension at Butler.

Walk-off win in Cincy. Jonny Gomes goes yard as the Reds top the Redbirds.