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Warriors take on Nuggets eyeing third straight win

Dec 28, 2007 - 3:38 PM Denver (17-11) at Golden State (17-12) 10:30 pm EST

OAKLAND, California (Ticker) - Monta Ellis and the Golden State Warriors seek their third straight win on Friday when they host the Denver Nuggets.

Ellis scored a career-high 35 points for the Warriors as they claimed back-to-back victories with a 105-101 win over the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves during their last game on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old Ellis is averaging 17.3 points and 4.1 rebounds a game this season, marginally better than his performance last season when he captured the NBA's Most Improved Player Award.

The Nuggets also enter Friday's contest with two consecutive wins after routing the Milwaukee Bucks, 125-105, on Wednesday as superstars Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson and Marcus Camby all played important roles in the triumph.

Anthony collected 29 points and 10 rebounds and Iverson scored 24 points in helping Denver defeat Milwaukee for the eighth time in the last nine meetings. Camby contributed 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks for his third career triple-double as the trio combined for all of Denver's 28 points in the first quarter.

"It felt good, especially coming off the Christmas break," Camby said. "We jumped on them early and never let up. It's always fun when you can play with the lead. It was a solid effort."

Anthony, who was named Western Conference Player of the Week after averaging 33.7 points and 13.3 rebounds in three games last week, currently ranks fourth in the NBA in scoring with just over 25 points a contest.