Chauncey Billups scored 21 points and dished out the ball 13 times to help the Denver Nuggets to a 113-100 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night. Carmelo Anthony added 25 points on a night he shot 9-of-13 from the field, 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. Arron Afflalo added 22 points to give three starters 20-plus points. As a team, the Nuggets shot 54.4 percent from the field.
Kenyon Martin contributed seven points, six rebounds and four assists. J.R. Smith, who was ejected from last night's game and fined $25,000 for his flagrant-2 foul, scored 14 points (10 down the final stretch of the game) and pulled down seven rebounds. Ty Lawson was ruled out for the game with a sprained knee.
The Timberwolves brought the game close in the third quarter, which they outscored the Nuggets 38-28, but Denver regained the edge in the fourth quarter. Kevin Love continued to be a beast, scoring 18 points and grabbing 19 rebounds. Michael Beasley led the team with 23 points.
The Nuggets (30-21, 9-15 away) host the Houston Rockets on Monday.