NEW ORLEANS — Like cab drivers at 2:01 a.m. or accountants on April 14, basketball players look at a game’s final 12 minutes as their time to shine.
“It’s winning time,” Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony explained.
Down two points Friday at New Orleans, Melo scored 12 points in those 12 minutes, and the Nuggets were indeed winners, 102-95, for their fifth straight victory during, if you will, the winning time of the regular season.
The Nuggets are just a half-game game behind Dallas for the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference with 17 games left in the regular season.
“We didn’t want to look back and say, ‘Aw, this is a game we should have won,’ ” said Anthony, who scored a game-high 32 points. “Let’s go get it while we have a chance.”
The Hornets swarmed Anthony for the first three quarters, making the star uncomfortable in his post-ups, leading to his 8-for-20 shooting in those three quarters. But during the fourth, Anthony forced his way into the middle of the court, rediscovering his jump shot, shooting 5-for-7 in the final quarter, during which Denver (44-21) outscored the home team 29-20.
It was a nice win, but acting coach Adrian Dantley again was frustrated by the team’s sloppy effort in the first half — just like Wednesday at Minnesota.
“We can play better basketball, we have to play better basketball,” said Dantley, whose team plays tonight at Memphis (35-31).
The Hornets, stung by injuries, had only eight active players Friday, conspicuously missing Chris Paul, the dynamic point guard out after knee surgery. But the Hornets’ frontcourt was intact, and the Nuggets bullied them all night, heading to Memphis with the NBA equivalent of a bunch of lunch money. Check this out: All three Denver frontcourt starters notched double-doubles.
Perhaps the biggest X-factor was Johan Petro, whose presence on an NBA court caused a fan to ask: “Where did this guy Pee-tro come from? I’ve never heard of him.”
Indeed, Petro has been buried on the bench for much of the season, but with Kenyon Martin out due to his left knee injury, Petro logged 24 big minutes, notching 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Nuggets’ front office has looked into potential big men with Martin out, but Petro’s promising play has been reassuring that money doesn’t necessarily need to be spent to fill gaps in the lineup. In the big win against Portland on Sunday, Petro also had 10 boards in just 23 minutes.
Friday’s win was weird. The Nuggets attempted 22 3-pointers, making just three. They turned the ball over 19 times (23 is their season worst). And J.R. Smith went 1-for-12 from the field (though he did play some snappy defense in the second half against Marcus Thornton).
But the Nuggets won because they found consistency in the fourth quarter and sturdiness in the low post. Denver outrebounded the Hornets 49-36. And in the fourth quarter, the Hornets shot 30.4 percent and had just one second-chance point. That kind of defense will win you games in winning time.
“They’re tough,” said Thornton, who finished with 23 points. “Chauncey Billups, he’s a veteran point guard. Nothing frustrates him. Everything you do, he counters it. And Melo, he’s just a gifted player. He uses his talent to do what he does. They just made plays down the stretch.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
RECAP
What you might have missed
Chauncey Billups had a team-high seven assists but also a game-high five turnovers. . . . Nene scored 17 points for the second straight game. . . . The Nuggets have won eight of their last 10 games.
Final thought
Thrilling performance by Denver’s low-post players, notably Nene.
Up next
Tonight at Memphis, 6 p.m.
