Anthony, Evans hurt SuperSonics
DENVER – Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points and moved the Nuggets closer to winning the Northwest Division title with a 117-104 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics on Friday night.
The win was the third straight for Denver and reduced its magic number to seven games. Any combination of seven Denver wins and Utah losses clinches the title.
Of more interest to the Nuggets was the career-high 22 points provided by Reggie Evans. Evans, acquired from Seattle in a Feb. 23 four-team trade to provide energy off the bench, did just that.
“I thought Reggie really kept us in the game in the first half,” Denver coach George Karl said. “He might have been the MVP of the game.”
Luke Ridnour led Seattle with 18 points and eight assists. Ray Allen had only 14 points on 6-for-19 shooting.
“Tonight, I was just off,” Allen said. “I can’t make excuses. I didn’t make shots.”
“We didn’t play. None of us,” Seattle coach Bob Hill said. “As bad as we played, Denver should have beaten us by 50.”
Allen’s jumper and his lone 3-pointer got Seattle as close as 91-84 with 10:04 left in the fourth quarter, but DerMarr Johnson sank two straight 3-pointers to put the Nuggets back up 97-84. The Sonics trailed by eight, but Johnson’s layup off a feed from Anthony made it 107-97.
Nuggets 117, SuperSonics 104
| FG | FT | Reb | |||||
| SEATTLE | Min | M-A | M-A | O-T | A | PF | PTS |
| Lewis | 34:42 | 3-12 | 4-4 | 0-5 | 1 | 3 | 12 |
| Wilcox | 22:00 | 6-8 | 1-1 | 1-3 | 0 | 4 | 13 |
| Petro | 15:47 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 3-3 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Ridnour | 37:44 | 7-15 | 4-4 | 3-9 | 8 | 2 | 18 |
| Allen | 34:01 | 6-19 | 1-1 | 4-5 | 4 | 2 | 14 |
| Swift | 32:13 | 7-9 | 3-6 | 5-11 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
| Watson | 21:20 | 4-12 | 0-4 | 0-4 | 6 | 5 | 9 |
| Moore | 20:51 | 3-6 | 2-3 | 2-5 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| Wilkins | 16:28 | 2-6 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Wilks | 2:55 | 1-2 | 2-2 | 1-1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Felix | 1:59 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals | 240:00 | 41-98 | 18-27 | 20-47 | 22 | 27 | 104 |
Percentages: FG .418, FT .667. 3-Point Goals: 4-24, .167 (Lewis 2-7, Watson 1-5, Allen 1-8, Felix 0-1, Wilks 0-1, Ridnour 0-2). Team Rebounds: 11. Team Turnovers: 17 (17 PTS). Blocked Shots: 7 (Swift 4, Lewis, Petro, Ridnour). Turnovers: 17 (Watson 4, Ridnour 3, Swift 3, Lewis 2, Moore 2, Allen, Petro, Wilcox). Steals: 3 (Lewis 2, Ridnour). Technical Fouls: Defensive Three Second, 6:20 second; Lewis, 6:48 third.
| FG | FT | Reb | |||||
| DENVER | Min | M-A | M-A | O-T | A | PF | PTS |
| Anthony | 37:21 | 9-26 | 13-15 | 3-5 | 1 | 3 | 31 |
| Elson | 22:13 | 3-6 | 2-2 | 2-9 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| Camby | 35:43 | 4-11 | 0-0 | 0-13 | 5 | 1 | 8 |
| Patterson | 25:38 | 5-10 | 1-2 | 2-3 | 3 | 1 | 11 |
| Miller | 35:02 | 3-7 | 2-3 | 2-5 | 15 | 3 | 9 |
| Evans | 29:17 | 8-13 | 6-9 | 6-9 | 1 | 1 | 22 |
| Buckner | 20:52 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Eisley | 12:59 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Kleiza | 5:40 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Johnson | 15:16 | 6-9 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 1 | 3 | 16 |
| Totals | 240:01 | 43-93 | 24-31 | 15-52 | 31 | 20 | 117 |
Percentages: FG .462, FT .774. 3-Point Goals: 7-14, .500 (Johnson 4-7, Buckner 2-3, Miller 1-3, Eisley 0-1). Team Rebounds: 13. Team Turnovers: 15 (18 PTS). Blocked Shots: 6 (Camby 5, Miller). Turnovers: 14 (Miller 3, Patterson 3, Anthony 2, Eisley 2, Johnson 2, Camby, Evans). Steals: 7 (Miller 4, Camby 2, Elson). Technical Fouls: Defensive Three Second, 3:56 first; Anthony, 2:52 first; Defensive Three Second, 8:37 second.
| Seattle | 27 | 28 | 24 | 25—104 |
| Denver | 27 | 30 | 32 | 28—117 |
A—19,099 (19,099). T—2:12.