Flat and unfocused, the Houston Rockets had bigger problems Friday night than their expansive injury list and Tracy McGrady’s poor shooting.
Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points and Denver held McGrady to a single basket over the first three quarters to snap a four-game losing streak with a 108-86 victory over the hobbled and disinterested Rockets.
“Little put into the game,” Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy said. “Not a competitive game. Not a competitive spirit to make it a game. We were beaten before the game started by our attitude and belief.”
Marcus Camby had 12 points and 16 rebounds, and Andre Miller had 19 points and nine assists, as the Nuggets won for the first time since Dec. 13 and pulled within a game of the .500 mark – far worse than many expected from them at this point in the season – heading into the holiday weekend.
“I thought we showed some passion out there,” said Nuggets coach George Karl, who questioned the team’s intensity Wednesday night after a loss at home to Washington.
The Rockets have been an even bigger disappointment than the Nuggets, although they have their reasons. Six players are injured, including Yao Ming, Jon Barry and Derek Anderson. The results have been predictable: Teams try to stop Mc- Grady, and if they do, they win.
Coming off a 2-for-11 night in a loss at Toronto, McGrady went 4-for-17 and finished with 17 points against Denver. Facing double teams and going against a rotation that included Anthony, Kenyon Martin and Greg Buckner, he shot 1-for-13 through three quarters.
Houston had only nine players available, including CBA call-up Stephen Graham, Moochie Norris and Lonnie Baxter, none of whom would be seeing much more than mop-up duty were it not for the injuries.
Anthony, meanwhile, stayed on a scoring streak in which he has averaged more than 28 points over the past 10 games.
