The New Orleans Hornet lead the Denver Nuggets, 59-50, at halftime through a strong effort by their bench players. Guards Marcus Thornton, Jerryd Bayless and Willie Green lead the bench scoring with a combined 20 points. Power forward David West leads the Hornets’ starting five with nine points and five rebounds.
For the Denver Nuggets, Chauncey Billups leads with 13 points (nine free throws made) and three assists. Carmelo Anthony has added 10 points and four rebounds. Coming off the bench, J.R. Smith has scored nine points. Shelden Williams, who had 16 rebounds in the season opener, has only played four minutes thus far. Arron Afflalo is having a quiet night so far, scoring five points and having three assists.