Oklahoma City Has No Answer for Carmelo, Nuggets

Originally Published: Dec 14, 2009 10:40 PM CDT

Vitals | Recap

Gerald Goodridge
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

DENVER, Colorado -- It was the second game in two nights for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

It was the second game in a row that the opponent’s star player had his way with the Thunder’s defense.

LeBron James put up a season-high 44 points. Carmelo Anthony scored 31 and shot 12 of 22 on the way to helping the Denver Nuggets cruise past Oklahoma City 102-93.

Anthony scored 13 of the Nuggets 25 first-quarter points and only had to score two more in the second quarter, but Denver’s lead expanded from two points to 15 points as the half expired. The Nuggets bench, and specifically Chris Anderson and J.R. Smith who both scored 10, outscored the Thunder reserves by 12 points in the first half.

Oklahoma City was anything but efficient in the first half, shooting a poor 36.4% from the floor and going 1 of 6 from 3-point range.

The Thunder’s supporting cast could not get it together in the first two periods. No Oklahoma City player scored in double digits outside of Kevin Durant.

It was more of the same in the second half for the Thunder, with Durant continuing to carry the team, but his teammates not holding up their end of the bargain. Durant scored 12 in the third period, and finished the game with 32, while his teammates scored a collective nine.

Nick Collison was Oklahoma City’s only other bright spot in the game, scoring 14 and providing the spark off the bench that’s usually reserved for backup guard James Harden, who only scored nine against Denver.

The Thunder will try to snap this two-game losing streak at home Dec. 16 against the Dallas Mavericks.