Melo, A.I. Lead Nuggets Past Grizzlies

2031 Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson put on an impressive show. Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal got to watch one. The two-star system debuted to a winning start in Denver, where Anthony finally

Tuesday, January 23rd 2007, 6:33 am

By: News On 6

2031 Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson put on an impressive show. Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal got to watch one. The two-star system debuted to a winning start in Denver, where Anthony finally joined Iverson on the court and led the Nuggets to a 115-98 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night.

No stars were needed in Miami, where Wade took a seat on the sideline next to O'Neal _ and minutes later the Heat compiled their biggest scoring spurt ever in a 101-83 rout of the New York Knicks.

Anthony scored 28 points in his return from a 15-game suspension for fighting and Iverson added 23. The duo had the fans roaring after Anthony threw down a dunk on an alley-oop pass from Iverson in the fourth quarter.

``That's what it's all about. It's about the kids, and about the fans that love the game and the excitement of the greatest game in the world,'' Iverson said. ``I'm enjoying myself. I know it's my 11th season, but this is a fresh start for me, and it feels like my first. I am having a great time and I love my situation here.''

Even with two of the NBA's top scorers on the floor, the Nuggets couldn't compete with what the Heat did. Miami scored a franchise-record 27 consecutive points, racing to a 29-3 lead after 8 1/2 minutes.

``I had a great time watching the guys play,'' said Wade, nursing a sore ankle. ``Their confidence was sky-high.''

In other games, it was: Indiana 98, Chicago 91; Toronto 105, Charlotte 84; Orlando 90, Cleveland 79; San Antonio 93, Boston 89; Utah 106, Minnesota 91; Sacramento 88, New Jersey 87; and the Los Angeles Lakers 108, Golden State 103.

Wade decided shortly before the game to rest the left ankle he sprained Sunday in a loss to Dallas, and O'Neal missed his 35th consecutive game as he nears a return from knee surgery.

But Jason Kapono scored 22 points, Udonis Haslem added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Gary Payton had 13 assists, his highest total since joining the Heat in 2005.

The defending NBA champions are three games below .500 at the halfway point in the regular season.

``We're just tired of losing,'' center Alonzo Mourning said. ``We're tired of waiting on people. We can't wait on Shaq or D-Wade. Whoever is out there has to step up and play, or we're going to dig a bigger hole.''

New York trailed 40-12 after one quarter. The only larger deficit for the Knicks after one was on Feb. 20, 1980, when they fell behind Indiana 42-12, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

``It was like the court was tilted,'' New York's David Lee said. ``They were running downhill, and we were struggling to go uphill.''

The Nuggets had no such trouble, jumping out to a 20-point first-quarter lead, never trailing and turning it on in the fourth quarter.

Denver acquired Iverson, then the NBA's No. 2 scorer, the day after league leader Anthony's suspension began. Though there have been plenty of questions about whether two players who are used to being No. 1 options could coexist, Anthony and Iverson began to answer them Monday.

``We just wanted to show the whole world we could play together,'' Anthony said. ``We know there's a lot of doubt about that.''

The Nuggets went 7-8 during Anthony's absence, and now think they can make a run at Northwest Division leader Utah behind their potent duo.

``They play well together,'' said Pau Gasol, who led Memphis with 23 points. ``They had a chemistry from the first moment. They have fun together and help each other out. I'm interested to see how they play together the rest of the year. They will be a very dangerous couple.

``It's tough to have to guard one of them. It's worse to have to worry about two great players.''

Lakers 108, Warriors 103

Kobe Bryant celebrated the one-year anniversary of his 81-point performance by scoring 42, and Los Angeles snapped a two-game losing streak despite a season-high 24 turnovers.

Al Harrington, playing his second game since being acquired from Indiana last week, led visiting Golden State with 30 points. The Warriors have lost six of seven.

Kings 88, Nets 87

At Sacramento, Calif., Mike Bibby scored the Kings' last 15 points, including the go-ahead jumper with 10.3 seconds to play, and the Kings erased a 20-point deficit.

Mikki Moore scored a career-high 22 points, and Jason Kidd had 18 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds in his eighth triple-double of the season and 83rd of his career.

Spurs 93, Celtics 89

At Boston, Tim Duncan remained unbeaten against Boston, finishing with 21 points and nine rebounds.

The Spurs have won 18 straight against the Celtics and nine in a row in Boston. The Celtics last beat the Spurs on Jan. 8, 1997, the season before Duncan entered the NBA.

The Celtics have lost eight straight and are 2-14 without star guard Paul Pierce.

Pacers 98, Bulls 91

At Indianapolis, Jermaine O'Neal had 22 points and 10 rebounds as Indiana snapped a four-game skid and won for the first time since making an eight-player trade last week.

Darrell Armstrong had 16 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in his second start of the season.

Magic 90, Cavaliers 79

At Cleveland, Grant Hill scored 22 points, Dwight Howard added 18 with 13 rebounds and Orlando snapped a five-game losing streak.

LeBron James had 18 points for the weary Cavaliers, who just completed a seven-game trip out West and were playing their fifth game in seven nights.

Raptors 105, Bobcats 84

At Toronto, Chris Bosh scored 20 points and Jose Calderon had a season-high 19 points and 11 assists.

Gerald Wallace had 19 points and nine rebounds for the Bobcats, who had won five of seven.

Jazz 106, Timberwolves 91

At Salt Lake City, Mehmet Okur scored 28 points and Utah won its fourth straight after a season-high four-game skid.

In their return from one-game suspensions, Ricky Davis scored a season-best 32 points and Kevin Garnett had 17 points and 11 rebounds, but the Timberwolves lost their fourth straight.