NBA Round-Up: 3 January, 2011 - (Part III)
Denver Nuggets 113- Houston Rockets 106
All five starters, and six players overall, scored in double figures to help the Denver Nuggets to beat the visiting Houston Rockets 113-106 at Pepsi Center in Denver.
Carmelo Anthony, who had one of his finest games against Houston with 33 points, 11 boards and five assists, as he dominated both ends of the court with his athleticism
to lead the Nuggets.
"I felt good. I just needed to get that one game out of my system. Being off a week and a half without doing anything, I got that game out of my system and we're ready
to rock," Carmelo Anthony said after the game.
Nene came off the bench to have a productive game, as he added 16 points and 11 rebounds for Denver, who won their 20th game of the season. Arron Afflalo poured in 15
points for the Nuggets, who won their fourth straight game. Luis Scola led Houston with 24 points, four assists and seven rebounds. Kyle Lowry had 21 points, while Brad Miller had 11 rebounds
and 10 points for Houston, who lost their 18th game of the season.
"We played hard. We just couldn't keep them off the line," Houston coach Rick Adelman said.
The Nuggets controlled the game from the beginning, leading 25-21 after the opening quarter. However, Houston got going defensively in the second quarter, and leveled
the score 52-52 at half time. New Orleans and Denver began the game at a crisp pace after the break, using 29 possessions apiece in the third quarter.
Patrick Patterson made consecutive jumpers, pulling Houston to 90-89 in the fourth quarter, but Denver extended their lead with a 6-0 burst. After Nene converted a three-point
play with three minutes left, the Nuggets went in front 103-95 and never lost the lead for rest of the period.
Nuggets guard Chauncey Billup said, "We're an attack team; we are attacking at all times, guys putting it on the deck trying to get to the basket. That's kind of how we
win - get to the free-throw line more than anybody else."
Utah Jazz 102 - Detroit Pistons 97
The host Utah Jazz defeated the Detroit Pistons for the 11th straight time, with a 102-97 victory at the EnergySolutions Arena on Monday night.
Deron Williams contributed 22 points and 10 assists to lead the Utah Jazz. Al Jefferson had 16 points, while Andrei Kirilenko and Paul Millsap each contributed 15 points
for Jazz, who won their 24th game of the season.
Tayshuan Prince scored a game-high 26 points for the Pistons, who lost their 23rd game of the season. Richard Hamilton added 15 points, while Ben Gordon registered 14
points for the Pistons, who have lost four of the last five games.
"I know their record kind of doesn't reflect it right now, but they're surely a dangerous team, in a tight ballgame especially. It was tough. We had opportunities to put
some distance between us. But ultimately we got the win," Jazz shooting guard Raja Bell said after the game.
Both teams started the game with the same energy and enthusiasm, but the Pistons got it going offensively later on to maintain a 28-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. The
Jazz went on a 16-4 run in the second quarter to take a 53-51 lead into the locker room. The Pistons were back into the game in the third quarter, taking a 79-78 lead into the final stanza.
With over a minute to go, Williams' runner in the lane broke a 93-all tie. However, Bell's three-pointer gave Utah the lead for good at 98-95 lead, with just 50 seconds
to play. Tracy McGrady then missed a three-pointer and Williams was fouled, scoring points off both free throws to seal the win.
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