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Anthony leads Nuggets past struggling Milwaukee

Feb 17, 2011 - 7:30 AM Milwaukee, WI (Sports Network) - Carmelo Anthony finished with 38 points and 12 rebounds, as the Denver Nuggets used a late push to beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 94-87, at the Bradley Center.

Chauncey Billups added 20 points for the Nuggets, who ended the game on an 11-1 run. Billups scored seven points during the pivotal stretch.

Kenyon Martin had 11 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists to help Denver snap a two-game slide heading into the All-Star break.

"I need a break. I think the whole team needs a break," Anthony said.

John Salmons netted a season-high 33 points and Andrew Bogut grabbed 20 rebounds, but the Bucks lost for the eighth time in their last 10 games.

"We needed it," Bucks head coach Scott Skiles said of Salmons' scoring output. "We couldn't find anybody else to score the ball for us. So John stepped up and scored. He probably wore down a little bit at the end of the game, we were going to him so much. But we didn't feel like we had the choice."

With the score tied, Salmons opened the final quarter with consecutive jumpers. The Bucks were still up with about seven minutes left, when a Salmons bucket made it an 82-77 contest.

But Milwaukee melted down after that, making only one field goal the rest of the way. That was a Salmons layup with 4:23 remaining, which gave the Bucks an 86-83 edge before Denver began its game-ending run.

Billups canned a three for an 88-86 lead with 2:53 left, and Martin added a layup about 90 seconds later. Martin also came up with three blocks in the final minute to keep the Nuggets ahead, and Billups sank 4-of-4 free throws to secure the victory.

Anthony scored 12 points in the first quarter, while the Nuggets held the Bucks to seven field goals and a 0-for-7 mark from three-point range. The combined efforts led to a 27-16 Denver lead, but Milwaukee turned the tables in the second quarter.

The Bucks did so by getting to the free throw line for 13 attempts, and making 10 of them. Salmons scored five consecutive points near the end of the half to help Milwaukee get within 46-43 at the break.

The Bucks pulled ahead shortly into the third quarter thanks to a seven-point burst, but Denver quickly took the lead back and was up by as many as 11.

However, Milwaukee scored the final seven points of the frame, and Earl Boykins' jumper with 1.7 seconds to go made it a 71-71 game moving to the fourth.

Game Notes

Milwaukee shot 39 percent, while Denver made 46 percent of its shots...The Bucks scored no second-chance points...Martin and Bogut both finished with five blocks.