Nuggets trump Melo in New York

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

The Denver Nuggets committed highway robbery when they sent Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks in return for a full complement of up-and-coming talent last season.  That fact was never more apparent than it was on Saturday night after Danilo Gallinari finished trumping Carmelo Anthony at Madison Square Gardens.

The Nuggets managed to grind out a 119-114 double-overtime win in NYC thanks to Gallinari’s dominant play.  In a game that pitted superstar Carmelo Anthony against two of the guys he was traded for – Gallinari and center Timofey Mozgov – it was the Nuggets’ new stars that won the day.  Even if Denver had not landed Mozgov, Kosta Koufos, Raymond Felton and Wilson Chandler in the deal that sent Melo and Chauncey Billups to New York, the Nuggets may have gotten their money’s worth with Gallinari.

Gallo outplayed Melo in virtually every aspect of the game on Saturday night in Manhattan.  Danilo scored more points – 37 to 25 – pulled down more rebounds – 11 to 10 – and played better defense than his New York counterpart.  While defensive prowess is sometimes difficult to demonstrate with statistics, it was wicked simple in this case.  Carmelo finished with a plus/minus of -9 over 45 minutes.  Gallinari finished with a +5… the exact margin of victory for the Nuggets.

Meanwhile, center Timofey Mozgov – who was the final piece in the trade that sent Melo to the Knicks – managed a +5 rating as well.  Mozgov paired that with 16 points and 3 big blocks in a tight game that saw 14 lead changes and 15 ties.

The win was the fourth in a row for the Nuggets – all on the road – who now stand firmly in second place in the Western Conference behind the division-rival Oklahoma City Thunder.  While the season is still in its early stages, Denver has weathered a tough opening schedule and come out on top.  They will enjoy a rare three day break before heading to Sacramento on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, the Knicks drop to 6-10 and have lost six consecutive games.  They are one of two teams with losing records in the top-heavy Eastern Conference that would make the playoffs if the season ended today.

This entry was posted by Ian Cerveny on Sunday, January 22nd, 2012 at 3:02 am and is filed under Nuggets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

Tags: carmelo anthony, chauncey billups, Danilo Gallinari, Denver Nuggets, Kosta Koufos, Madison Square Garden, New York Knick, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov

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