NBA Game Summary - Indiana at Denver

Denver, CO (Basketball News) - Carmelo Anthony poured in a game-high 28 points and Marcus Camby finished with 17 points and a season-high 22 rebounds, as the Denver Nuggets downed the Indiana Pacers, 96-87, at the Pepsi Center.

Francisco Elson added 14 points and Earl Boykins netted 12 to help the Nuggets win their fifth straight contest. With a 29-29 record, Denver is now tied with the Los Angeles Lakers (28-28) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Stephen Jackson scored 16 points and Fred Jones chipped in 15 for the Pacers, who have dropped three in a row on the heels of a five-game winning streak.

Indiana played the entire second half without leading scorer Jermaine O’Neal, who went down late in the second quarter with a sprained right shoulder. The injury occurred when O’Neal drove the lane and was hit on the right arm by Elson. O’Neal grabbed his arm in obvious pain, but stayed in to convert both foul shots with his left hand. He then headed to the locker room for treatment.

O’Neal had 11 points and five rebounds before leaving the contest.

Denver held a 58-43 edge at halftime and saw its lead grow as large as 22 points in the third quarter. Elson’s jumper made it a 77-55 game with 3:19 left in the third and the Nuggets were able to carry a 79-61 edge into the fourth quarter.

The Pacers put a bit of a scare into Denver in the fourth quarter, but were never able to get the deficit under seven points. The Nuggets held an 83-65 edge after a jumper by Camby early in the fourth quarter, but Indiana used a 20-9 burst to cut the score to 92-85. However, Jones’ basket, which ended the run with 4:13 left, would be the last field goal for Indiana.

"This was a real good win and we are moving in the right direction," Anthony said.

The Nuggets came out firing, scoring eight of the game’s first nine points. Indiana was able to take its only of the contest when James Jones hit a jumper to make it 20-18 with just over three minutes left in the first. However, it was Denver that held a 28-25 lead after one quarter of action.

Denver took control of the game in the second quarter, as it outscored the Pacers, 30-18, in the period. The Nuggets led 31-30 early in the second when it used an 18-5 explosion to grab a 49-35 edge. Anthony scored six points in the stretch and converted on a layup to give Denver the 14-point edge with 4:54 remaining. The Nuggets would take their largest lead of the opening half when Camby hit a free throw to push the cushion to 56-39 with 1:21 left.

Anthony scored 15 points to help Denver to a 58-43 advantage at halftime, while O’Neal led Indiana with 11.