Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler both Leave Loss to Denver with Knee Injuries

Carmelo Anthony had a horrendous first trip back to Denver since forcing a trade to the Knicks more than two years ago. He was booed with gusto while his Knicks were blasted 117-94 and he was forced to leave the game in the third quarter with knee trouble.

Anthony missed three games earlier this month with soreness in his right knee and returned on Monday in Golden State. The Knicks were blown out in that game as well and Anthony has looked like a shell of himself, scoring 14 and nine points respectively in the last two losses. He is headed back to New York to have his knee drained and it's unclear when he'll be able to come back. After the game Anthony said "It started stiffening up. There were some movements I couldn't make. Moving laterally, I didn't feel like I had any pop, any power. So I tried it in the second half, coming back after halftime, and I couldn't move out there. I'm going to get it drained, get the fluid out, get to the bottom of it quickly so I can get back on the court." His final stat line was nine points on 3-of-12 shooting with five rebounds and three assists. As for the vitriol hurled his way by the fans, Anthony dismissed it by saying "I don't pay no attention to that."

Tyson Chandler also left the game early after his knee was banged into by former teammate Corey Brewer. The injury looked scary but Knicks head coach Mike Woodson said he expects Chandler to be in the lineup against Portland tonight.

Nuggets coach George Karl acknowledged that the intensity of the fans helped energize his team. "They couldn't score and we ran by them on almost every possession. It was a great energy, the building had an electricity to it. I think our team was at playoff intensity mode. I also think we caught New York in a bad place. Sometimes that happens."

Wilson Chandler led all scorers with 24 points on 9-of-12 points off the bench, while Danilo Gallinari scored 16 points. Chandler and Gallinari were two of the principle pieces in the Anthony trade.