Wednesday was the first game Denver played since Carmelo Anthony fractured his shooting hand, and thus the Nuggets would be without his 21 points per game. No worries — three other Nuggets hit blackjack.
Chauncey Billups, J.R. Smith and fill-in starter Linas Kleiza each scored 21 and Denver won 108-97 against Miami (18-16) at Pepsi Center.
The Nuggets shot 10-for-21 from 3-point range (47.6) and got to the line 40 times (making 30), while Miami went just 16 times (making 15).
Kleiza got the start and put up Anthony-like numbers — in the first half. By halftime, Kleiza had 15 points — including three 3s. He finished, of course, with 21.
With the victory, the first-place Nuggets (25-12) are now 3-0 on this prolonged homestand, entering four brutal home games in the next 10 days, starting with Detroit on Friday, followed by Dallas, Phoenix and Orlando.
That’s a lot of big bodies — Dwight Howard and Shaquille O’Neal come to mind — which makes Denver’s Wednesday acquisition of reserve center Johan Petro even more welcoming.
“I think balancing out the roster makes some sense,” Denver coach George Karl said before the game. “And it looked like (Petro) could rebound the ball, and it looked like he had some pick-and-roll feel to him on the defensive end of the court.”
Against the Heat, both Nene and Kenyon Martin, Denver’s formidable frontcourt, each scored 14 points, but the surprise of the game was reserve guard Anthony Carter, who tallied a game-high nine assists in 25 minutes.
