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'Melo has 50, but Nuggets fall to Rockets

Feb 8, 2011 - 7:30 AM Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Kevin Martin finished with 37 points and seven assists and the Houston Rockets topped the Denver Nuggets, 108-103, despite giving up 50 points to Carmelo Anthony.

Luis Scola posted 25 points with eight rebounds and Chuck Hayes added 12 points and 10 rebounds for Houston, which has won three straight. Kyle Lowry and Chase Budinger both scored 11 for the victors.

"We just tried to play the game and when we had the lead we wanted to finish it off," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "It was just one of those games where you just have to stick with it."

Anthony shot 16-of-24 for his 50 points, tying a career high. He also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for Denver, which has lost two of three.

"The jump shot is strong and it opens up for drives to the rack," Anthony said. "Fifty don't mean nothing tonight."

Ty Lawson contributed 19 points, six rebounds and five assists in a reserve role and Al Harrington supplied 10 points and seven boards in the loss.

Houston led by 10, 99-89, after Martin made the first of two from the line with 2:39 remaining. Anthony grabbed the rebound on the second and took it the distance of the court, connecting on a driving layup and making the subsequent free throw after being fouled by Hayes.

Both Martin and Scola then made 1-of-2 from the stripe, and Denver used Harrington and Anthony jumpers -- surrounded a Martin miss -- to cut its deficit to 101-96.

The teams again traded trips to the line, and after Martin made a pair of free throws with 32.4 remaining, Anthony connected on a long three-pointer with 20 seconds left on the clock to put the game at a manageable 105-101.

Forced to foul, the Nuggets sent Kyle Lowry to the line, he made both, and after a Denver timeout Anthony's driving layup with 6.9 ticks remaining capped his 50-point evening.

Martin iced the game with the first of two at the stripe with 5.3 seconds left to account for the final margin.

Anthony paced the Nuggets with nine points in the first quarter as Denver held a slim 26-25 lead the first quarter. Anthony continued his pace in the second, adding 11 more, however, the Rockets shot 55 percent from the field to take a 52-50 lead into the half.

Martin came alive in the third quarter, scoring 18 on 7-of-11 from the field. The Nuggets committed eight turnovers in the third and went 4-of-16 from the field, as the Rockets took a 81-66 lead into the final stanza.

Game Notes

Denver had won four of the last five in the series...The Nuggets dropped to 21-7 at home this season...Anthony previously scored 50 against the Knicks on November 27, 2009...The Nuggets played without center Nene due to an illness...Denver held a 47-37 rebounding advantage, but committed 20 turnovers.