LEAD: Gallinari upstages Anthony, Nuggets beat Knicks in double OT

Jan 22, 2012, 6:30 GMT

By Chris Bernucca, dpa =

Los Angeles (dpa) - It was supposed to be Carmelo Anthony's first game against the Denver Nuggets. It was more like Danilo Gallinari's first game against the New York Knicks.

A motivated Gallinari victimized his former team with nine of his career-high 37 points in the second overtime Saturday night as the visiting Nuggets dealt the New York Knicks their sixth straight loss, 119-114.

The teams were playing for the first time since last February's blockbuster trade that sent superstar Anthony to the Knicks for four young players - including Gallinari - and three draft picks. The native of Italy made 9-of-19 shots, 18-of-20 free throws and grabbed 11 rebounds.

'It's special, not just for me but I think for everybody,' Gallinari said. 'Whenever you come to the Garden to play, you always find extra motivation and it's always special.'

The trade paired Anthony with fellow All-Star Amar'e Stoudemire and was supposed to vault the Knicks into title contention. But New York is 20-28 since acquiring Anthony while Denver is 31-16 without him.

'I'm not down, I'm not regretting anything,' said Anthony, who forced the deal by refusing to sign a contract extension with Denver. 'I'm not regretting the trade.'

Nursing ankle and wrist injuries, Anthony scored 25 points on just 10-of-30 shooting. His jumper with 1.7 seconds left forced overtime, but he was 3-of-9 with a turnover in the extra sessions.

'Going against his former team, I know he wanted to have a good game,' Knicks center Tyson Chandler said. 'But he's banged up.'

The Nuggets took a 76-74 lead early in the fourth quarter on a basket by Al Harrington, another former Knick who scored 15 of his 24 points in the period.

Anthony's layup pulled the Knicks within 97-96 with 11 seconds left. Gallinari had a chance to seal it but split a pair of free throws before Anthony tied it with his jumper.

In the first OT, Denver's Andre Miller picked up a loose ball and threw in a 30-footer that beat the shot clock and tied it, 103-103, with 1:24 left. Brazil's Nene - who had missed his first four free throws - made two with nine seconds remaining to force a second OT.

Gallinari's burst gave Denver a 112-111 lead before Harrington drained a three-pointer with 46 seconds to play. Gallinari added two foul shots to seal it.

'It was very emotional for him,' Harrington said. 'All we wanted to do was win. That's the best revenge you could ever get.'

Russia's Timofey Mozgov - another former Knick - scored 16 points, Miller had 14 and 12 assists and Nene added 12 and 13 for the Nuggets, who are 4-0 on a five-game road trip.

Landry Fields and rookie Iman Shumpert scored 18 points each for the Knicks, who fell to 3-6 at home.

'It seems like we have a little bit of a gorilla on our back and we've got to get it off,' Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said.

Miami 113, Philadelphia 92 =

Chris Bosh scored 30 points and LeBron James added 28 as the host Heat improved to 6-0 without injured superstar Dwyane Wade.

Chicago 95, Charlotte 89 =

Carlos Boozer scored 23 points as the Bulls - playing without injured MVP Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah - improved to 7-0 at home. The Bobcats have dropped nine of 10.

Oklahoma City 84, New Jersey 74 =

Russell Westbrook scored 21 points and Kevin Durant had 20 and 15 boards for the visiting Thunder, who overcame a season-low in points with their best defensive effort of the season.

Dallas 83, New Orleans 81 =

Playing without injured superstar Dirk Nowitzki, the visiting Mavericks held on as Lamar Odom scored 16 points. The Hornets have lost 13 of their last 14 games.

Houston 105, San Antonio 102 =

The host Rockets won their sixth straight game as Kevin Martin scored 25 points. Brazil's Tiago Splitter had a career-high 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs, who rested star forward Tim Duncan.

Utah 108, Minnesota 98 =

Paul Millsap scored 26 points for the host Jazz, who have won nine of 11. Spanish rookie sensation Ricky Rubio had 17 points and 11 assists for the Timberwolves.

Atlanta 121, Cleveland 94 =

Joe Johnson scored 25 points for the Hawks, who have won five of six. The visiting Cavaliers have lost three straight by a combined 76 points.

Memphis 128, Sacramento 95 =

Spain's Marc Gasol had 20 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks for the host Grizzlies, who won their sixth straight game.

Detroit 94, Portland 91 =

Rodney Stuckey scored a season-high 28 points as the host Pistons stopped a four-game skid. The Trail Blazers have lost five of seven.