Marcus Camby was already a member of the Nuggets’ 20-20 club. But after the center earned 21 points and 21 rebounds Sunday night in a 99-83 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, he became a more prestigious member.
Camby is one of only four Nuggets who have reached the 20-20 mark at least twice since the franchise joined the NBA during the 1976-77 season. Antonio McDyess and Fat Lever have done it four times, Dikembe Mutombo three and George McGinnis and Camby twice. Eight other players have done it once. For Camby, who is in his ninth NBA season, it was his fourth career 20-20 game, with the last coming in a Jan. 18 overtime contest at Seattle.
“The man is playing on a mission,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “He’s playing with such a toughness and honesty at the defensive end of the court. It would take me a month to get 21 and 21. I thought he was great.”
Camby also made 9-of-14 shots, made three free throws and blocked four shots despite being plagued by early foul trouble at the Pepsi Center. The 6-foot-11, 230-pounder is averaging 16.4 points, 14.3 rebounds and 3.4 blocks this season. Camby has filled the void of forward-center Nene, who is scheduled for right knee surgery today, and forward Kenyon Martin, who missed his third straight game with tendinitis in his left knee.
Despite his play this season, the humble Camby isn’t comfortable talking about himself.
“I’m really not trying to think about it,” he said. “I really don’t want to talk about it. I just want to go out there and just play, just assert myself on the defensive end, controlling the paint, and just hope my teammates follow suit.”
The Nuggets have won three straight overall and five straight at home. The victory also moved Denver (6-5) above the .500 mark for the first time this season and gave them the most wins in the Northwest Division.
Next up for the Nuggets is a tough three-game stretch with Washington and Eastern Conference champion Detroit on the road Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, and the surprising Los Angeles Clippers at home on Friday.
“We’ve won a couple games in a row,” said Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony, who had 21 points and a season-high 10 rebounds. “But this road trip right here is going to put us to the test.”
Denver was up 51-49 at halftime. An Eduardo Najera free throw pushed Denver to an 80-66 lead with 9:49 left in the fourth quarter. A 6-0 Memphis run trimmed its deficit to 80-72 after a Dahntay Jones layup with 7:59 left. But Earl Boykins (18 points) put the game away by scoring nine of his 10 fourth-quarter points during a 13-4 run to stretch Denver’s lead to 93-76. Memphis moves to 7-4.
“Earl has been struggling a little bit, but I have trust and confidence in him,” Karl said.
And there is no question that the Nuggets have a lot of trust and confidence in Camby.
“You don’t see that every day,” Anthony said about Camby’s performance. “That was an all-star performance.”
Najera said: “Marcus is playing just like an all-star. Right now he’s the leader of this team and he’s playing excellent, better than any big man in the country right now.
“I don’t see any big man getting 20 and 20.”
20/20 focus
On Sunday, Marcus Camby joined the small group of Nuggets who have had multiple 20-point, 20-rebound games in Denver:
Player || 20-20 games
Antonio McDyess 4
Fat Lever 4
Dikembe Mutombo 3
George McGinnis 2
Marcus Camby 2
Staff writer Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-820-5449 or mspears@denverpost.com.
