Through one half of play it appears as though Santa delivered the Denver Nuggets a nice Christmas present, as they lead the Oklahoma City Thunder by a score of 58-56 midway through the game in Oklahoma City.
The Nuggets are playing without Carmelo Anthony, who is spending time with his family after the death of his sister due to a pre-existing medical condition. Michelle Anthony passed away earlier this week and Melo is home in Baltimore with family, though he is expected to rejoin the team after the Christmas holiday.
J.R. Smith started in place of Melo and has scored two points. Nene leads the Nuggets in scoring at half with 15 points and Al Harrington is the leading rebounder.
Playing in their second consecutive game, after missing time due to injuries, Kenyon Martin has four, the Birdman, Chris Andersen, two and Chauncey Billups 11.
Kevin Durant has 19 points at half for the Thunder, Russell Westbrook has added 11.