It’s as if the headaches Carmelo Anthony gave opponents all season were inserted in Melo’s head Thursday.
The Nuggets’ all-star dealt with pain all day, but he suited up for Thursday’s game, explaining in the pregame locker room, “I’m not dead.”
On Wednesday at Oklahoma City, Anthony bumped the right side of his head on Kevin Durant’s hip. Anthony fell to the floor and stayed motionless for a matter of minutes. The referees didn’t stop the game until after the Thunder inbounded the ball — and after the Nuggets stole the ball and J.R. Smith drove right at the basket.
Nuggets acting coach Adrian Dantley screamed to the officials that he wanted a timeout, but the refs didn’t hear him, and neither did Smith.
Asked if the refs should have stopped the game, Dantley said, “Maybe so, the way Melo was stretched out there a long time.”
Dantley joked with Anthony after the fact: “I told him he could never play football. He said he got hit on the temple. But the way he was spread out on the floor, well, it was pretty interesting.”
Up next.
Denver has three games left in the regular season. First up, a hot San Antonio team that has won seven of its past 10. The Grizzlies have given the Nuggets fits all season, but they’re slumping, losing seven of 10.
Phoenix is battling Denver for one of the top four seeds in the conference playoffs, and has won nine of the past 10.
Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post
