Carmelo Anthony scored 32 points and Anthony Carter had 14 of his career high-tying 21 in the fourth quarter, lifting the Denver Nuggets to a 113-103 win over the Orlando Magic on Friday night.
Allen Iverson added 21 points and 13 assists for the Nuggets. He also had five rebounds, giving him 3,000 for his career.
Carter, who also had 11 assists, scored 21 points against the Magic on Dec. 29, 1999.
Dwight Howard finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds, his NBA-leading 33rd double-double of the season. Howard was also whistled for two goaltending calls in the fourth quarter and accidentally knocked in a basket for the Nuggets in the first half.
“It’s happened to us before. It’s frustrating,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. “Guys are making shots that the percentages say they don’t normally make.”
Denver has won five straight over the Magic at home.
However, the Nuggets still have one of their worst all-time winning percentages against Orlando with a 13-25 mark.
Reserve forward Linas Kleiza scored 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting, and Kenyon Martin added 13 points for the Nuggets.
Orlando entered the game as one of the best road teams in the league, but has dropped two of its past three away games. The Magic play at Utah on Saturday night, their final stop on a four-game road trip.
Rashard Lewis scored 21 and Maurice Evans added 15 for the Magic.
The Magic led by as many as 11 points in the first half, but Denver tied it up at 53 on a 3-pointer by Kleiza with 3.4 seconds remaining before halftime. However, Keyon Dooling hit a 3 from just inside the half-court line at the buzzer to give Orlando a 56-53 lead at the break.
Earlier in the day, Nuggets forward Nene took an indefinite leave of absence from the team to take care of a personal medical issue. The team wouldn’t comment further on what was wrong with Nene, who missed 22 games earlier this season after surgery on his left thumb.
“I’m very upset that I have to put a little delay on being with the team to take care of my health,” Nene said in a statement. “I want to get back on the court as soon as possible to help my teammates.”
The Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel contributed to this report.
