Hornets pull out win over Nuggets

By By Richard Dark/EMG staff writer
January 24, 2004
NEW ORLEANS Nearly nine months ago, rookie sensation Carmelo Anthony was in the Crescent City winning a National Championship with the Syracuse Orangemen. But Friday night, the struggling and shorthanded New Orleans Hornets, were determined not to let him garner another victory here at their expense.
And while Anthony got his, the rest of the Denver Nuggets did not and the Hornets snapped a two-game skid, 97-91.
Stacey Augmon hit a pair of free throws with 21.7 seconds left to give the Hornets (24-19) a 3-point cushion. And the subsequent game-tying trey attempt by Anthony fell short with eight ticks on the clock. Denver (26-19) had won three straight.
Conversely, in the third quarter, the Hornets did not hesitate to get out on the break after Denver turnovers. They used five dunks by the frontline to maintain a five-point lead heading into the final frame.
But the Nuggets roared back from 10 down to pull to within 88-86 at the 2:36 mark of the contest on a fast-break dunk from last year's Final Four MVP, who had a game-high 24.
P.J Brown, who finished with 16, hit a fall-away from the baseline with one second left on the shot clock to give the hosts a 92-88 lead with 1:36 to go.
Jamaal Magloire paced New Orleans with 20 points and 11 boards.
Darrell Armstrong pumped in 18 and nine assists for the home team.
Andre Miller chipped in 17 for Denver, while Marcus Camby pulled down a game-high 15 boards to go with his 12 points.
The Hornets made it interesting by committing 20 turnovers. Robert "Tractor" Traylor continued his stellar play off the bench with 13 points, his sixth double-figure tally in the last eight outings.
The Hornets finish the back-to-back tonight at San Antonio. Their next home game is Wednesday night when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks on "Pack the House" night. All fans in attendance will receive a free Hornets team poster.