The Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers might have upgraded with key moves ahead of the trade deadline but the Denver Nuggets have lofty ambitions of their own - just ask LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Denver signalled its intent to return to the Western Conference finals with a big 118-116 OT win in Cleveland, snapping the Cavs' 13-game win streak behind Carmelo Anthony's 40-point effort. James and Anthony went toe-to-toe throughout and the Cleveland man was unlucky to be on the losing team after pouring in 43 points to go with 15 assists and 13 rebounds.
The Nuggets got 18 points apiece from Kenyon Martin and Chauncey Billups, who missed a game-winning 3-pointer at the end of the fourth quarter.
In OT, Denver got ahead early and held their nerve as Billups found Anthony, who buried the go-ahead jumper with 1.9 seconds on the clock. It proved to be the winning bucket as James' desperate 3-pointer was off the mark as time expired.
The Cavs were without the recently-acquired Antawn Jamison but the former Wizards power forward was courtside with his new team-mates and Cleveland could have done with Jamison down the stretch.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets improved to 13-13 on the road and continue to show they can win anywhere - even if they have slipped up in Sacramento, Detroit and Charlotte already this season. This was Denver's latest big road scalp and coach George Karl must be encouraged by the way Billups and Anthony continually step up down the stretch. On several occasions, Karl opted not to call a timeout late in the game, knowing that Billups, in particular, would make the smart play.
Things get no easier for the Nuggets in the near future with games against the Celtics and the Lakers on the horizon. But Denver seems to save its best for the playoff-type contests and, with Anthony on fire, will fancy its chances against anyone.
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