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Carmelo paces Nuggets to win over Clips

Nov 6, 2010 - 6:57 AM Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Carmelo Anthony netted 30 points and had six assists to pace the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Clippers, 111-104.

Al Harrington added 18 points and eight rebounds, and Arron Afflalo scored 16 for Denver, which has alternated wins and losses through its first five games.

"We had a really good third quarter from the standpoint of scoring (and distributing)," said Nuggets head coach George Karl. "The fourth quarter was kind of a shootout, but it's a win."

Blake Griffin continues to shine in his first season, logging 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Clippers, who were coming off their first win, a surprising 107-92 win over Oklahoma City on Wednesday. Eric Bledsoe scored 12 points and dished out 13 assists in defeat.

The Nuggets never led in the first half but trailed by just four, 28-24, after the first quarter and made it a one-point game, 54-53, at the half.

Denver finally hit its stride in the third, scoring seven straight points early on, with Anthony's 18-footer yielding a 60-56 advantage.

The hosts ended the frame on an 8-2 run, as Anthony's driving layup close to the buzzer resulted in an 82-71 cushion with a quarter to play.

"We came out (in the third quarter) and took a couple quick shots. We didn't do a good job on our weakside defense," said Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro. "We had a couple turnovers."

The closest LA got in the final stanza was six, 93-87, following an Eric Gordon free throw with 6:42 remaining. Denver responded with six straight points, as Ty Lawson's running bank shot made it a 12-point game to help the Nuggets pull away for good.

Game Notes

Nuggets center Nene missed a second straight game with a groin injury...LA guard Baron Davis missed his third straight with a cyst behind his left knee...Gordon and Craig Smith scored 21 and 18 points, respectively, for the Clippers, who shot just 2-for-15 from three-point range...Chauncey Billups finished with 12 points and seven assists for Denver, which is 10-1 over the past 11 contests in this series...Los Angeles is winless in its last eight visits to the Rocky Mountains.