Nuggets 119, Knicks 114 (Double Overtime): Gallinari’s Career-High 37 Points Help Nuggets Top Knicks in Double Overtime

This was not about Carmelo Anthony, or grudges or homecomings or controversial trades â€" or so the participants claimed in the days and hours before the Knicks and the Denver Nuggets finally met again. It was, of course, about all of it, every last emotional twinge and every debated point.

It had been 11 months since the Knicks sent four starters to Denver to get Anthony, forever altering the fates of two franchises. The Nuggets surged. The Knicks wobbled. Opinions were formed.

Anthony worked overtime â€" two of them â€" to change perceptions Saturday night, only to see his former team skip away with a 119-114 victory at Madison Square Garden. Anthony was erratic for three quarters, heroic in the fourth, but off-kilter in two overtime periods as the Knicks lost their sixth straight game, the last four at home.

Anthony finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds, but he was 10 of 30 from the field, extending a prolonged shooting funk. Amar’e Stoudemire had only 12 points (5 of 9) and did not take a shot after the third quarter until hitting a desperation 3-pointer with nine seconds left in the second overtime.

Danilo Gallinari, the key piece of the Anthony trade, scored a career-high 37 points for Denver, including 9 points in the second overtime. Timofey Mozgov, who was also acquired in the deal, had 16 points and 7 rebounds as the Nuggets (12-5) won their fourth in a row.

Denver is now 30-12 since the trade last February. The Knicks (6-10) are 20-24, with every loss undermining Coach Mike D’Antoni’s job security.

Anthony struggled all night, but he found his compass in the final minutes of regulation, attacking the basket and leading the Knicks back from a 6-point deficit. He scored 8 points in the final 2 minutes 20 seconds and tied the score at 98-98 with 1.7 seconds left.

Anthony went 2 for 12 in the first three quarters, but made 8 of 18 shots in the final 22 minutes. Al Harrington, another former Knick, had 24 points for the Nuggets, including several key shots in the overtime periods.

The Nuggets were playing their fourth game in five nights, all on the road, and they were without both of their shooting guards, Arron Afflalo (groin) and Rudy Fernandez (Achilles). Afflalo was injured a night earlier, in a victory over Washington.

So the Knicks figured to have a distinct advantage, or at least should have. They had a 12-point lead in the second quarter and an 8-point edge in the third but could not hold on.

The Knicks opened the final period with series of miscues and missed shots, falling behind 6 points as boos rained down. They got harsher moments later, when Anthony missed an open 3-pointer â€" his 12th miss in 14 field-goal attempts.

The Knicks had a 12-point lead in the second quarter and a 54-46 lead at halftime, although Anthony hardly contributed. He went 2 for 9 and was on the bench when the Knicks made their biggest run, an 18-5 surge that gave them 42-30 lead. Bill Walker sparked the run, scoring 13 points in 4 minutes.

Denver’s leading scorers at halftime were, oddly enough, Gallinari (15 points) and Mozgov (10 points) â€" two of the four players the Knicks sent to Denver last February. Both had nice moments at Anthony’s expense. Mozgov blocked one of Anthony’s early layup attempts and scored 8 of the Nuggets’ first 18 points. Gallinari scored on a tough reverse layup while Anthony fouled him.

They could have been Anthony’s teammates â€" along with Raymond Felton â€" had he waited for free agency to join the Knicks, rather than forcing a trade aimed at securing a $65 million extension.

There were only warm feelings before tipoff, as former teammates mingled and wandered into each other’s locker rooms. Anthony joked with Al Harrington (another former Knick) in the Nuggets’ training room. Gallinari was greeted by a hearty “Gallo!” when he poked his head into D’Antoni’s office.

Even Anthony and Nuggets Coach George Karl, who tussled for most of their five-plus seasons together, had an amicable reunion, chatting for several minutes before the game. It was their first conversation since the trade.

“My philosophy is usually, sometimes it’s best to wait about six, seven, eight months,” Karl said. “I said, ‘Next time, we should go to dinner together.’ And I think we will.”

Karl said they discussed the trade and the Knicks’ struggles. He seemed pleased that Anthony sought him out.

“I’m not saying Melo and I had the best relationship, but I don’t think it was close to what people wanted to write it out to be,” he said. “I always thought we had the ability to talk and get things out.”

They ended the chat with a hug.

“Melo’s a good person,” Karl said. “He’s a good person deep down inside.”

REBOUNDS

Team officials have set Monday as the target for Baron Davis to start practicing with the team, barring any unexpected setbacks. Davis has been recovering for months from a herniated disk and has been gradually increasing his activity over the last week. He may not officially be cleared until Monday morning, however, so the team is refraining from making any public announcement until then. “I’m hoping,” Mike D’Antoni said, “but that’s not for sure.” If all goes well, Davis could join the rotation in the next week.