Carmelo Anthony hit the go-ahead 22-footer with 2:22 left, then the rookie added four straight free throws in the closing seconds to help the Nuggets finish one of their biggest comebacks ever, 107-102 over Dallas on Saturday.
“We kept our focus. We buckled down defensively and tried to get a basket every time down the court,” Anthony said. “They left us open. NBA players are supposed to make those.”
After trailing 53-37 at halftime, Denver scored 70 points for the fourth-biggest comeback in team history. The Nuggets had 38 shots in each half, making 13 before halftime and 25 after.
Dallas led 64-44 with 8:48 left in the third quarter after Michael Finley made his seventh straight field goal, a 3-pointer.
Andre Miller then sank a short jumper, and after Finley’s shooting streak ended, Anthony had a driving dunk. Miller made all eight of his shots in the third, the last a 14-footer with seven seconds left to get the Nuggets to 79-71.
The Nuggets went ahead to stay on Anthony’s shot from the top of the key. They sealed the game with 10 straight free throws in the final 29 seconds, the first after Mavericks coach Don Nelson was called for a technical foul.
