Nuggets rout Pacers to remain unbeaten

By CLIFF BRUNT
AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS — Carmelo Anthony got a little help from his
teammates to lift Denver to its best start in 24 years.

Anthony scored 25 points and Chauncey Billups added 24 as the
Nuggets beat the Indiana Pacers 111-93 on Tuesday night to
improve to 4-0. Nene had 16 points and 13 rebounds and reserve
Arron Afflalo added points 15 for the Nuggets.

“Everybody stepped up tonight,” said Anthony, who was averaging
a league-best 38 points coming into the game. He was just
6-for-17 from the field, but made up for it by making 11 of 14
free throws.

The Nuggets say they have carried momentum from reaching the
Western Conference finals last season.

“We should feel good, we shouldn’t feel no other way,” Anthony
said. “It seems like we’re picking up where we left off from
last year.”

Former Denver guard Dahntay Jones led the Pacers (0-3) with 20
points. He made perhaps the strongest statements after the loss,
Indiana’s third straight by double digits.

“It’s very tough to take three losses in a row like this,” he
said. “We’re sick and tired of losing.”

Danny Granger scored points 18 on 6 of 16 shooting and Roy
Hibbert added 14 points and 12 rebounds for Indiana.

Pacers forward Troy Murphy bruised his lower back when he fell
hard to the floor in the first quarter and did not return. He
was second in the league in rebounding and third in 3-point
percentage last season.

“It’s kind of stiffened up,” he said while sitting in front of
his locker. “It’s not the most comfortable thing right now, but
hopefully, it will feel better tomorrow and I’ll be able to go.”

Denver made 8 of 15 3-pointers on Tuesday while Indiana made
just 3 of 22.

“We had a good defensive feel for the game all night long,”
Denver coach George Karl said. “Any time you win a game on the
road and keep it in double digits, you’re doing a lot of good
things.”

Denver’s players said it was important to get a win at the
beginning of their six-game road trip, and they felt getting off
to a good start would be the key. The Nuggets led 30-13 at the
end of the first quarter, even though Anthony shot 1-for-7.

Indiana shot 22 percent in the opening period.

“The first quarter, we didn’t make shots that we’ve made the
past couple of years,” Indiana coach Jim O’Brien said. “You
can’t shoot poorly and dig yourself out of a 20-point hole in
the first quarter.”

The Nuggets led 55-39 at halftime, but Indiana cut Denver’s lead
to 59-50 on a layup by Jones.

Billups responded with a 3-pointer. Later in the quarter, when
the Pacers again started building momentum, Billups hit another
three. Anthony followed that with a breakaway dunk to make it
71-55. Anthony and Billups combined for 23 points in the
quarter, and Denver led 83-71 at the end of the period.

Denver pulled away in the fourth quarter and led by as many as
25 points. Indiana’s only lead was 6-5 in the first quarter.

The Pacers are starting to feel the pressure.

“It’s a combination of everything, a little combination of the
injuries, the new guys, everything like that,” Murphy said.
“We’ve got to figure it out quick or we’re going to be in a deep
hole, too deep a hole for us to dig ourselves out.”

Denver already feels comfortable and has maintained the
camaraderie it built last season.

That closeness included Jones, who signed with the Pacers as a
free agent in the offseason. Some Denver players joked with him
from the bench in the fourth quarter as he shot free throws,
yelling out “he’s with us” and “he wants to be wearing blue.”

“We have a real good aura, a real good feel about what we can be
as a team this year,” Billups said.

Notes: The Pacers will raise a banner celebrating Mel Simon
before Friday’s game against Washington. The team’s co-owner
died in September. … The Pacers and Nuggets played two
preseason games in Asia this year. … Indiana shot 24 percent
in the first quarter against Miami on Friday, then 22 percent in
the opening quarter on Tuesday. … Indiana’s Mike Dunleavy
(knee), Tyler Hansbrough (shin) and Jeff Foster (ankle), all sat
out.

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