Nuggets acquire Fernandez, Brewer from Mavericks

DENVER (AP) -- The Denver Nuggets acquired versatile swingman Rudy Fernandez and forward Corey Brewer from the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday for a future second-round pick.

The trade gives the Nuggets added depth as the team attempts to work out deals with free agent big man Nene and guard Arron Afflalo, who is a restricted free agent.

After playing the past three seasons in Portland, Fernandez was traded to Dallas in a three-team deal last June that landed Andre Miller in Denver and Raymond Felton with the Blazers.

Miller and Fernandez will now be paired up again in the Mile High City.

Brewer signed with Dallas late last season and appeared in six playoff games for the NBA champs. He has averaged nearly nine points over four seasons.

"We are excited to add two talented young wing players who have proven themselves in the NBA,'' said Masai Ujiri, the executive vice president of basketball operations for the Nuggets. "I'm confident they will fit well with Coach (George) Karl's style of play.''

Fernandez has been a backup most of his NBA career, averaging 9.1 points over 24.1 minutes in 218 games. His role with the Nuggets is up in the air. Miller and Ty Lawson are looking like the starting guards at this point, especially in light of Afflalo's uncertain return.

But Fernandez's flexibility will allow Karl to find him minutes.

Brewer said on his Twitter account shortly after the trade: "Man the NBA is a business I'll miss you Dallas but can't wait to get to Denver!''

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Grizzlies push Spurs to brink; Mavs, Nuggets

(Reuters) - Western Conference top seeds San Antonio were pushed to the brink of elimination from the first round of the NBA playoffs after the Memphis Grizzlies took a 3-1 series lead with a 104-86 win over the Spurs on Monday.

In other Western Conference playoff games, the Dallas Mavericks took a 3-2 series lead over the Portland Trail Blazers while the Denver Nuggets avoided being swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder, cutting the series deficit to 3-1.

The Grizzlies finished the regular season eighth in the West and were not expected to be a major test for the Spurs but their Game Four win puts them in a commanding position in their best-of-seven series.

"We're a team that doesn't get a lot of attention," Memphis point guard Mike Conley told reporters. "We've been playing great and we're able to beat good teams like San Antonio. We just have to do it one more time."

Memphis were too big and athletic for the Spurs and blew the game open in the third quarter where they outscored San Antonio 30-15.

Conley led Memphis with 15 points, with four others joining him in double figures, as the Grizzlies close in on their first NBA playoff series win.

The Spurs got 23 points from Tony Parker but Tim Duncan struggled with just six points and seven rebounds. Game Five is on Wednesday in San Antonio.

Dallas reclaimed control of their matchup after a 93-82 victory and will get the chance to close out the series in Portland on Thursday.

The Mavericks had blown a 23-point lead in the final 13 minutes of Game Four to lose on Saturday but regrouped with an inspired second half to take a 3-2 series advantage.

Dallas got 25 points from Dirk Nowitzki and 20 from Jason Terry as they outscored the Blazers 31-20 in the third to take control of the game.

Brandon Roy, who was coming off a spectacular performance in Game Four when he tallied 18 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, managed just five on Monday.

Denver survived a late scare from the Thunder to earn their first win of the series 104-101, with Game Five to be played on Wednesday in Oklahoma City.

Ty Lawson scored a team-high 27 points for the Nuggets, who had a 10-point lead with two minutes remaining before the Thunder made their run.

Kevin Durant made a three-pointer to pull his team within two points with four seconds left before Russell Westbrook missed a three-point shot that would have brought the scores level at the buzzer.

Durant finished with 31 and Westbrook had 30 in the loss

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Portland rally stuns Dallas, others leave it too late

(Reuters) - The Portland Trail Blazers, led by Brandon Roy, overcame a 23-point deficit to stun the Dallas Mavericks 84-82, while late rallies by the San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls and Denver Nuggets fell short.

Roy scored 18 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter including the game-winning basket with 39.2 seconds left, thrilling the fans at the Rose Garden, and leveling the best of seven series at two home wins each.

The Trail Blazers survived two missed three point attempts by the Mavericks in the closing seconds.

"It still doesn't feel real yet. Just an unbelievable game, the comeback," said Roy who underwent arthroscopic surgery on both knees in mid-January.

"With everything I've been through this season, it all came into that moment there on the court, when guys were grabbing me and cheering me on. It was real special."

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 18 points for Portland and Gerald Wallace recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 20 points.

In Memphis, the eighth seeded Grizzlies hung on for a 91-88 win over the San Antonio Spurs to grab a 2-1 lead over the Western Conference's top seed.

The Grizzlies seized control of the game early with a 14-4 surge spanning the first and second quarter, but needed a rare three-point basket from Zach Randolph with 41.9 seconds secure the victory.

Randolph led the Grizzlies with 25 points while the Spurs were led by Manu Ginobili's 23 points.

In Indianapolis, the Chicago Bulls blitzed the Pacers in the final four minutes but were unable to complete the comeback falling 89-84.

Chicago outscored the Pacers 18-3 over a 3:30 span to move to within one point at 85-84 with 15.3 seconds but Danny Granger, who led the Pacers with 24 points, hit two critical free throws extending the Pacers lead back to three points.

Chicago's Carlos Boozer missed on a clear three point attempt on a broken play with three seconds remaining and Granger hit two more free throws to finish the game.

Joakim Noah led Chicago with 21 points and 14 rebounds and Rose scored 15 points and had 10 assists.

In the late game, the Oklahoma City Thunder rebounded from a dismal third quarter for a 97-94 win over the Denver Nuggets to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.

The Nuggets outscored Oklahoma City 24-15 in the third quarter to take a 73-71 lead into the fourth quarter. Russell Westbrook led the Thunder to victory in the fourth quarter with 13 of his 23 points.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 26 points and Kenyon Martin, Nene, and J.R. Smith scored 15 points each for Denver.

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Lakers and Spurs even series 1-1, Thunder up 2-0

(Reuters) - The Los Angeles Lakers came alive following their disappointing playoff opener to grind out an 87-78 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday and level their best-of-seven series 1-1.

The San Antonio Spurs also tied up their first round series 1-1 with the Memphis Grizzlies while the Oklahoma Thunder went 2-0 up over Denver.

The defending champion Lakers were shocked in their series opening loss on Sunday when New Orleans point guard Chris Paul ran riot, but they returned with a strong defensive effort and now head to New Orleans for Game Three on Friday.

Andrew Bynum led the way with 17 points and 11 rebounds and Lamar Odom added 16 to offset poor performances from Kobe Bryant (11 points) and Pau Gasol (eight).

"I was just trying to be aggressive defensively," Bynum told reporters. "If I play hard defensively, sometimes we get some stops, some good luck and get transition baskets."

Los Angeles established a six-point halftime lead and were up seven after three quarters before stretching their lead to 15 in the fourth where they held off the Hornets.

New Orleans was limited to just 39 percent shooting. Trevor Ariza scored 22 and Paul had 20 for the visitors.

The Spurs, top-seed in the Western Conference, had to once again fight to earn their 93-87 triumph.

They trailed by three points at half-time but were inspired by Argentine shooting guard Manu Ginobli who missed the opening game of the series through injury but returned with 17 points.

But San Antonio kept their cool and George Hill made sure of the win with four points with free throws.

Sam Young top scored for the Grizzlies with 17 points.

The Thunder comfortably took a 2-0 lead in their series against the Denver Nuggets with Kevin Durant scoring 23 points and Russell Westbrook scoring 21 in the 106-89 win.

The Thunder took charge from the outset and had a 26-point lead early in the second quarter as they secured their second win before the series moves to Denver on Saturday for Game Three.

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In Anthony's world, trade speculation seems to be everywhere

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony put on a gray Denver sweatshirt and a pair of pricey headphones, then sprinted for the bus. A wrong turn kept him from the door and sent him right back into a wall of questions.

The key figure in the longest-running trade story of the season is just looking for a little peace at this point. He can't watch TV, can't read the news and can't avoid the same questions he simply can't answer right now.

"I really don't know what's going to happen, to be honest with you," Anthony said during a cordial chat after a Wednesday shootaround as Denver prepared to play the Milwaukee Bucks.

Speculation on where Anthony might land keeps intensifying, with the latest rumors continuing to point to the Knicks in a blockbuster deal. Or the Nets. Or the Bulls. Or the Rockets.

Anthony said he's ready for a resolution, even though he insists he's not fretting about what might happen as the Feb. 24 trade deadline approaches.

"I know something will have to happen whether I sign the extension or whether the Nuggets move me or whatever," said Anthony, who is averaging 24.9 points this year. "Something is going to happen, so I try not to stress myself out about it."

That doesn't mean he can avoid the hours upon hours of coverage devoted to one of the NBA's biggest stars. He said he can "see" all the rumors out there, no longer needing to watch the latest television reports.

"I turn on the TV, and I turn it right back off because it's always something, it's always a new team, always a rumor, always this person saying that, that person saying this," he said. "I try not to pay attention to it."

Nuggets coach George Karl believes he, Anthony and the organization all want the same thing, and that Denver will have cap space this offseason to build around the superstar if he stayed.

"I think sometimes he thinks he can be better someplace else. As a competitor, I'd say, 'I think you're wrong. I think the best place for you to be is Denver,"' Karl said. "We'll have space, we'll have the ability to make maneuvers, we'll have versatility in our roster for the first time in at least four or five years next year.

"But unfortunately, free agency, we're at the point where we're at the whim of what's going to happen."

Karl described it as a "weird karma" to be talking about Anthony's status every day and that he probably doesn't tell Anthony about the advantages of staying in Denver enough.

Anthony said his thoughts keep turning to a murky future that he hopes begins to clear in a few days. But first, he'll have to get past at least one more major session with the media over the All-Star break.

"I know they're going to be looking to talk to me. And I'm going to be in L.A. for the All-Star weekend and every media outlet is going to be there, so it's going to be a 'MeloWatch,' I guess," he said.

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Anthony's 27 points lead Nuggets past Mavericks

|DALLAS (AP) –  Carmelo Anthony scored 27 points and the Denver Nuggets went 13 for 21 from beyond the 3-point line in a 103-92 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night.
Chauncey Billups added 18 points and Al Harrington contributed 14 points and eight rebounds for Denver.
Jason Terry scored 26 points and Dirk Nowitzki had 23 for the Mavericks, who have lost two of their first three home games.
The teams met in Denver on Wednesday night, with Dallas pulling out a 102-101 victory behind Nowitzki's 35 points. This time, the Nuggets pulled away in the fourth quarter after it was tied at 79 after three.
Anthony hit three 3-pointers in the final 3:47 and scored 15 points in the third, but was on the bench for most of the Nuggets' 12-4 spurt to start the fourth. The run started and ended with dunks by Harrington, giving Denver a 91-83 lead with 7:23 left, and the Mavericks never recovered.
Terry had one point and Nowitzki went scoreless in the fourth quarter.
Denver clung to a 53-52 advantage at the break behind 6-for-9 3-point shooting. Terry's 23 points were among the few Dallas highlights, with Terry draining a 3-pointer with 5.9 left until halftime to get the Mavericks close.
The Nuggets went with a small lineup including 6-foot-9 Sheldon Williams as the tallest starter, and Denver assumed a 26-24 lead after one quarter as Dallas committed six turnovers in the first 12 minutes, 10 in the first half.
Late in the second quarter, Anthony got into a playful exchange with some heckling fans. Anthony was laughing during the give-and-take.
Denver was coming off Friday night's 111-104 home victory over the Clippers. The Mavericks had been idle since Wednesday night.

Notes: These is the 3rd straight game that Denver are without the presence of their three Bigs, Brazilian C Nene missed his third straight game with a strained left groin while Fs Kenyon Martin and Chris "the BirdMan"Anderson are out indefinitely while recovering from knee surgeries.

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