court his sanctuary.
Carmelo Anthony answered his coach's prayer.
Anthony scored 40 points, including the winning
basket, and Denver overcame LeBron James' triple-double to end the
Cavaliers' 13-game winning streak with a 118-116 victory in overtime
Thursday night in Karl's first game since revealing he has neck and
throat cancer.
"I think he's happy," Anthony said of his
coach. "This boosted his spirit up a lot. In the back of our mind, we
know his situation. We're playing for him."
James had his triple-double by the end of
regulation, finishing with 43 points, 13 rebounds and 15 assists, but
Anthony matched him shot for shot, hitting the winner on a deep jumper
over an outstretched James with 1.9 seconds left.
"It's finally me being on the other end, I
guess," James said. "I'm so used to being on the other end making shots
and looking at guys. It's a great player and a great shot. If I got any
closer, I was going to foul him. Big shot."
Anthony jogged to the other end of the floor
after hitting the shot, nodding his head and shouting to no one in
particular as the Cavaliers called timeout.
"A lot of people got some good pictures out of
that moment," Anthony said. "I wanted the ball. I made the shot."
Cleveland had a chance to win it at the buzzer,
but James slipped while receiving the inbound pass and his 3-pointer
rattled off the rim.
James, who played 47 minutes, missed his final
four shots while Anthony, who played 48 minutes, made seven of his last
eight. Anthony and the Nuggets have won 10 of 14 against James and the
Cavaliers since the two stars entered the league.
"It was a great game to watch, but I'm not
sure it will go on my coaching resume as very polished," Karl said. "We
probably should have won the game a little easier. We kept giving them
chances and they kept taking advantage of them."
Karl will likely miss some games and practices
while undergoing a rigorous six-week treatment program of radiation and
chemotherapy, but he accompanied the Nuggets on their two-game trip
after deciding against taking time off now.
"I think I need the gym and I need the juice
of being happy about kicking someone's butt and preparing and watching
video," Karl said. "I felt very early it made no sense for me to
separate from the team. … It's going to be my sanctuary to do what I
like to do and forget maybe the things that are always going to pop into
your mind."
Denver's Kenyon Martin had 18 points and a
season-high 17 rebounds, but the night belonged to two of the league's
top three scorers, who put on a memorable display.
Anthony added seven assists and six rebounds
for the Nuggets. James' triple-double was his third of the season and
27th of his career. He scored 18 of Cleveland's 27 points in the fourth
quarter and his 15 assists tied a career high.
James and Anthony entered first and third in
the league in scoring, just as they entered the league in 2003 as the
No. 1 and No. 3 overall picks. Neither disappointed on Thursday. The two
combined to make just four of 20 shots in the first quarter, then spent
the rest of the night hitting huge shots in each other's faces.
"You want to play against the best on the
biggest stage," James said. "Tonight was a big stage and we both did
what we had to do to put our teams in position to win. He just made one
more play."
James' triple-double came in front of Oscar
Robertson, who averaged a triple-double during the 1961-62 season. He
was honored before the game along with Jerry West, James and Anthony as
co-captains of U.S. Olympic gold medal basketball teams.
Robertson and West captained the Americans'
gold medal in 1960, while James and Anthony were the co-captains in
2008.
James appreciated recording a triple-double in
front of Robertson, but would've preferred a victory.
"In that sense, it's huge because of what he
was able to do," James said. "But in the sense of us losing the
ballgame, it means nothing."
The Cavaliers introduced Antawn Jamison on
Thursday, but were a bit short-handed since he couldn't be activated in
time for the game. They traded Zydrunas Ilgauskas on Wednesday to
acquire Jamison in a three-team deal from Washington and the team is
hopeful Jamison can be in the lineup Friday at Charlotte.
Shaquille O'Neal had 18 points and seven
rebounds and J.J. Hickson had 14 points for Cleveland, which made just
23 of 40 free throws.
"We have to chalk this under another game of
us beating ourselves," O'Neal said. "The whole world knows we beat
ourselves tonight. Too many turnovers, too many missed shots."
Notes
Robertson believes James could average a triple-double for a season, as
he did. "No doubt about it," he said. … Denver reserve Chris Andersen
walked to the locker room while holding his back in the fourth quarter.
He did not return. … Martin returned to the Nuggets after missing the
final two games before the break with tendinitis in his left knee. …
Denver has won five of its last seven in Cleveland.