Final
Thunder make a stop in Denver
Jan 19, 2011 - 4:26 PM (Sports Network) - The Oklahoma City Thunder hope to salvage the back end of a brief two-game road trip tonight when they take on a Denver Nuggets team mired in Carmelo Anthony trade rumors.The Thunder dropped the opener of the quick trek in Los Angeles on Monday when Kobe Bryant supplied 21 points, seven assists and five rebounds, and Pau Gasol totaled 21 points and seven boards as the Los Angeles Lakers held on for a 101-94 win over Oklahoma City at Staples Center.
Russell Westbrook poured in 32 points and handed out 12 assists, while Kevin Durant, the NBA's leading scorer at 28.4 points per game, struggled to an 8- of-24 shooting performance in scoring 24 points for the Thunder, who had their winning streak halted at four games.
Oklahoma City shot a miserable 2-for-22 from three-point range in falling for an eighth straight time to the Lakers in Los Angeles.
"We didn't play well offensively," Thunder head coach Scott Brooks commented. "We didn't do a good job of moving the ball. The Lakers make you do things you don't want to do."
The Nuggets, meanwhile, continue to press son despite the ever-present rumors swirling Anthony and fellow star Chauncey Billups.
The veterans were supposed to be on the move to the New Jersey Nets this week but that speculation has died down a bit although Anthony, a three-time All- Star, has already turned down a pair of extension offers with the Nuggets with the intent of playing closer to his home of Brooklyn, NY.
For what its worth, Anthony, who is averaging 23.1 points per game on the season, continues to refute reports of a deal with the Nets.
"If that was the case, I'm sure I would have gotten a phone call," Anthony said on Sunday. "I don't want to talk to nobody. I'll let the front office handle that. It ain't my job to be talking to New Jersey, New York, Lakers, Dallas, no one. I'm going to play Wednesday against Oklahoma City."
With that as the backdrop, Denver fell in San Antonio on Sunday when Tony Parker scored 30 points on 11-of-15 shooting, and Manu Ginobili netted 18 in addition to handing out seven assists, as the rolled to a sixth straight win with a 110-97 victory over the Nuggets.
Anthony was a woeful 5-of-17 from the floor and ended with 12 points for a Nuggets club coming off a 3-1 homestand. Al Harrington had a team-high 18 points, and Nene posted 17 points and seven rebounds in defeat.
"I thought we fought and tried to hang in there but they seemed to have all of the energy on their side most of the game," said Denver head coach George Karl.
The Thunder franchise has lost its last six visits to the Rockies and hasn't won in Denver since Match 28, 2007 when they were the Seattle SuperSonics.
- OKLAHOMA CITY: 107
DENVER: 112
Final
Jan 19 11:27 PM - OKLAHOMA CITY: 86
DENVER: 85
End of 3rd
Jan 19 10:51 PM - OKLAHOMA CITY: 55
DENVER: 55
Halftime
Jan 19 10:05 PM - OKLAHOMA CITY: 24
DENVER: 27
End of 1st
Jan 19 9:35 PM
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