Denver – The Denver Nuggets don’t need their big men when the league’s top tandem is playing this well.
J.R. Smith scored a career-high 37 points and tied a franchise record by making seven 3-pointers in the first half, and Carmelo Anthony added 32 points in the Nuggets’ 123-107 victory over the Miami Heat on Friday night.
Andre Miller had 20 assists, the most ever allowed by the Heat.
The Nuggets started the game without Joe Smith (ankle) and Reggie Evans (strep throat) and soon lost center Marcus Camby, who was ejected in the first quarter after swatting a cup of lozenges onto the floor.
Anthony (31.7) and Smith (16.6) are the top-scoring duo in the NBA with a combined average of 48.3 points. On this night, Smith was the main show and Anthony the sidekick for a change.
While Anthony scored many of his points in the second half after the Nuggets had built a double-digit lead, Smith scored 19 in the second quarter, when Denver turned a one-point lead into a 74-56 halftime cushion.
The Nuggets stretched their lead to 23 in the third quarter before the Heat, behind Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem, each of whom scored 21, pulled to 102-91 heading into the fourth quarter.
Miami, however, allowed three quick baskets and never threatened after that.
Smith was 7-of-8 from beyond the arc in the first half and didn’t even try a 3-pointer after halftime. Five of his 3s came in the second quarter, one of which he turned into a four-point play.
While Smith was personally turning the game into a blowout, Anthony was on the bench grabbing a prolonged breather.
With two free throws at the 3:24 mark of the fourth quarter, Smith surpassed his career high of 36 points set on Nov. 21, against Chicago, which traded him to Denver over the summer for a second-round draft pick in what has quickly become the steal of the offseason.
Camby became irritated during a timeout with 2:02 left in the opening quarter after Anthony was called for a technical foul for yelling at the officials after a loose ball near the Nuggets’ bench was ruled to have gone off of him instead of Wade.
As the teams headed toward their benches, Camby took a swipe at a cup sitting on the edge of the scorer’s table, spraying coach George Karl’s throat lozenges out onto the floor. He was immediately ejected and slowly walked toward the locker room as the fans booed the officials.
The Nuggets got away with Camby’s departure in large part because Alonzo Mourning wasn’t effective playing his second game in 24 hours. Mourning had 10 points and seven rebounds.
Nuggets forward Nene, who scored four points in 14 minutes, returned to action after missing 14 games with a bruised right knee, the same one he had surgically repaired last year. Karl limited his minutes even with his dearth of big men.
Notes: Wade had 14 assists. … Other players who made seven 3-pointers in one half for the Nuggets are: Michael Adams, against Milwaukee on Jan. 21, 1989, and John Roche, against Seattle on Jan. 1, 1982. … The Nuggets were interested in acquiring Allen Iverson last season but Karl said he likes the chemistry on his team this season and wouldn’t want to mess with that. Plus, “I’d never get any sleep,” Karl cracked. … Joe Smith won’t be available for the Nuggets on Saturday night at Dallas but Evans could play, Karl said.
