Carmelo Anthony

at Denver 127, Dallas 91: Carmelo Anthony scored 19 points in his return from an ankle injury and the Nuggets had their biggest win of the season. Anthony had been out eight games. Oklahoma City 89, at Portland 77: Kevin Durant had 33 points and 11 rebounds to help the Thunder win its season-high sixth in a row. Durant has scored 25 or more points in 25 consecutive games-- the longest streak since Allen Iverson's 27 games during the 2000-01 season. at Philadelphia 119, Minnesota 97: Andre Iguodala scored 24 points and Elton Brand added 21 in a game played before a sparse crowd that braved the area's second major snowstorm in less than a week.

DENVER — Eighteen years later, the image still torments George Karl. Dikembe Mutombo is lying on the floor underneath the basket at Seattle's Key Arena, his outstretched arms holding the ball above his head in triumph. Mutombo's Denver Nuggets had just come back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Karl's SuperSonics in the deciding game of their best-of-five series, becoming the first eighth-seeded team to defeat a top-seeded opponent in the first round. "It was probably the worst day of my life," Karl, now coach of the Nuggets, said Friday.

He eased into the Denver Nuggets' locker room dressed in a brown vest, brown pants, brown tie, brown boots, looking as if he had just left a board meeting. A smile crossed his face as the assembled media gathered before him seeking something from Carmelo Anthony. It was clear that this was a new Anthony, an evolving young man who still is making strides. He won an Olympic gold medal in 2008 playing alongside Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade , learning from them what it took to be a professional.

The shots weren't falling for Kobe Bryant. Not the three-pointers, the turnaround fadeaways or even the short pull-up jumpers. The Lakers star had missed 18 of his first 20 shots last month in a game against New Orleans that threatened to turn into a horrid loss against the team with the worst record in the Western Conference. With the Lakers trailing by two points and fewer than 30 seconds to play, the Lakers needed a basket. There was no doubt to whom they would look to make it. Bryant rose up from beyond the three-point arc and buried a jumper, surprising none of his teammates.

Carmelo Anthony scored a career-high 50 points, and the Denver Nuggets beat the New York Knicks, 128-125, Friday night for their 17th straight regular-season home win. Al Harrington had 41 points -- one shy of his career high -- for the Knicks, who lost their fourth straight. David Lee had 23 points and 11 rebounds. Anthony scored 13 points in the third quarter, helping Denver take a 92-87 lead into the final period. The Knicks remained within striking distance, tying it at 100 with 7:56 left and going ahead, 111-110, with 3:55 to go. That would be their final lead.

LeBron James had 29 points and 10 rebounds, Dwyane Wade added 28 points and nine boards, and the Miami Heat overcame Carmelo Anthony's 42 points to beat the New York Knicks, 93-85, on Sunday to clinch the Southeast Division title. Originally scheduled to be here in November, the Heat's lone regular-season game in New York came with the compressed regular season coming to a close — and with a chance they'll be back again soon. "This is obviously a lot of our favorite places to play, but I think it came at a good time for us," Wade said.

Clippers tonight AT DENVER When: 7:30. Where: Pepsi Center. On the air: TV: TNT; Radio: 980. Records: Clippers 19-22, Nuggets 27-14. Record vs. Nuggets: 1-0 Update: The Clippers open an eight-game trip tonight against Carmelo Anthony and the first-place Nuggets, who lost to the Clippers, 106-99, on Nov. 20 at Staples Center. It was the Clippers' first win in eight games against Denver. Anthony is among the NBA's leading scorers with an average of 30 points per game.

Carmelo Anthony was on his way to another game of 30-something points, if not roaring into the 40s, blowing past the Lakers for 14 in the first quarter, when something new and unusual happened. The Lakers finally stopped him. Anthony came into Game 3 averaging 36.5 points in the Western Conference finals, but he scored 21 harmless points Saturday as the Lakers defeated the Denver Nuggets, 103-97. He was stalled by foul trouble, undoubtedly, fouling out with 36.

at Denver 119, Utah 112: Carmelo Anthony scored 37 points and Chauncey Billups had 29 for Denver, which improved to 3-0 against Utah this season and ended the Jazz's winning streak at four games. at Toronto 110, Dallas 88: Chris Bosh had 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Raptors, who won for the seventh time in their last eight home games and reached the season's midpoint with a winning record (21-20). The Mavericks have lost three of four. -- associated press

Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose has the top-selling jersey at the NBA Store and nbastore.com since last April, the NBA announced Thursday. Rose, the reigning MVP, beat out NBA superstars Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Bryant's jersey has been the top seller six times while James' jersey has been No. 1 twice since 2001.  Knicks guard Jeremy Lin's jersey came in second, even though his apparel wasn't even sold in stores or online until February. Bryant's jersey finished third, James' fourth and Carmelo Anthony's fifth.

Delonte West didn't really give Gordon Hayward a "wet Willie" Monday night. That would have been gross. Luckily for Utah's Hayward, there didn't appear to be any saliva involved when West poked him in the ear during the Jazz's 123-121 victory over Dallas. So, instead of gross, the move by the Mavericks guard was simply immature. And thuggish. And despicable. And bewildering. Feel free to add your own adjective. After the game, West insisted that Hayward had lint in his hair and he wanted to give him a “wet Willie.” But, West also admitted, “I forgot the NBA is a gentleman's game.” The bizarre move earned the Dallas Mavericks guard a technical foul but no ejection.

LeBron James had 29 points and 10 rebounds, Dwyane Wade added 28 points and nine boards, and the Miami Heat overcame Carmelo Anthony's 42 points to beat the New York Knicks, 93-85, on Sunday to clinch the Southeast Division title. Originally scheduled to be here in November, the Heat's lone regular-season game in New York came with the compressed regular season coming to a close — and with a chance they'll be back again soon. "This is obviously a lot of our favorite places to play, but I think it came at a good time for us," Wade said.

The madness shifts gears What's the difference between Linsanity and insanity? One L too many for the New York Knicks. Of course, it wasn't the Knicks having lost eight of their previous 10 games that prompted Coach Mike D'Antoni to resign Wednesday as much as it was D'Antoni having failed in his efforts to coexist with forward Carmelo Anthony. D'Antoni's offensive system is ideally suited to player and ball movement; Anthony prefers to have the ball in his hands and to take as many shots as possible.

Mike D'Antoni has resigned as coach of the New York Knicks, Yahoo Sports is reporting . The Knicks have lost their last six games and are tied for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. The top eight teams in each conference advance to the playoffs. It was only a month ago that New York was caught up in "Lin-sanity," when the Knicks went 8-1 in mid-February on the heels of the electrifying play of point guard Jeremy Lin. Lin-sanity came to a halt when Carmelo Anthony returned to the team after an injury.

Reporting from Orlando, Fla. -- Life as a supernova has its ups and downs. On Thursday, Jeremy Lin was one for 11 from the field and had only three assists in the New York Knicks' loss to the Eastern Conference-leading Miami Heat. The New York press dubbed his performance as "Linvisible" and "Linept. " But on Friday, there was Lin getting his very own media availability, all by himself, at the All-Star game. Commissioner David Stern is the only other person who will get the solo treatment.

Jeremy Lin's buzzer-beating three-pointers and underdog past have basketball fans and neophytes alike hooked on one of the most captivating — and pun-happy — Linderella tales in a while. Now, if only businesses could figure out what to do with him. Retailers caught unprepared for his sudden ascent have hustled to get Lin-branded merchandise on their shelves. But the big money for Lin isn't in shirts and caps; it's in his image and his staying power — and what he and major sponsors can do with that.

Tony Parker scored 23 points and Matt Bonner hit five three-point shots and the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Utah Jazz, 106-102, Monday night in Salt Lake City for their 11th consecutive victory. Richard Jefferson's three-pointer with 6.5 seconds left sealed the victory for the Spurs, who have not lost on the road since Jan. 29 in Dallas. San Antonio is 7-0 on a nine-game trip. Al Jefferson had 20 points and Paul Millsap 16 for Utah, which fell below .500 for the first time since Jan. 2. The Spurs kept the NBA's longest win streak alive despite injuries to Manu Ginobili and Tiago Splitter, both expected to miss two weeks.