The Denver Nuggets will again be without the services of Carmelo Anthony tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers, as Melo will miss his third straight game following the loss of his sister to a pre-existing medical condition.
In Melo's absence, Denver (16-12) has counted on guard Chauncey Billups to contribute the scoring punch lost without the team's leading scorer. With Melo gone, Billups has averaged 25 points and five assists while going 19 for 19 from the line. This all comes after Billups had missed the three previous games with a wrist injury.
J.R. Smith, who has been starting in place of Melo had 22 points in points on Wednesday, but was held to six on Saturday.
The Nuggets are hoping to avoid their first three game losing streak of the season, after dropping a pre-Christmas game to the San Antonio Spurs followed by a Christmas affair against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Philadelphia 76ers are led in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocks by Elton Brand. Jrue Holiday leads the team in assists with 6.3 per game.
The tip is set for 6:00 p.m. MT tonight and can be seen on Altitude.