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DENVER -- Carmelo Anthony heard the boos, but he didn't think they were directed at him. "Maybe a couple. Wasn't too many," said the New York Knicks star about the reaction from the fans of his former team, the Denver Nuggets. "I thought they were booing because we were the opposing team, I didn't feel like they were booing me. Maybe they were. I don't know."
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What Anthony does know is that he still hasn't won in Denver since joining the Knicks.
Kenneth Faried had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and the Nuggets rolled to a 110-94 win over the Knicks on Tuesday.
Nikola Jokic had 20 points and nine rebounds, and Gary Harris scored 16 for the Nuggets, who swept the season series for the first time in seven years.
The Nuggets had six players score in double figures and tied a season low with six turnovers. Faried recorded his sixth double-double in the past seven games.
"Everybody was involved," Denver coach Michael Malone said. "I love when we play like that."
Anthony had 30 points and seven rebounds, but he remains winless in the Mile High City since he was traded to New York in a 13-player deal on Feb. 22, 2011. The closest he came was when he had 27 points and seven rebounds in a 97-95 loss on Nov. 29, 2013.
The fans were mostly unforgiving to Anthony, who helped orchestrate his departure from Denver five years ago. He received a smattering of boos when he was introduced and whenever he touched the ball.
Anthony said he thinks any hard feelings from his leaving have faded.
"Yeah, I think all of that is gone," he said. "The fans that was here when I was here, they understand the situation. There's no love lost from me to them, and the real fans, there isn't any love lost from them, either."
The cool reception didn't bother the 13-year veteran. He was 9-for-18 from the field and hit all 11 of his free throws.
New York's Derrick Williams had 15 points, but rookie Kristaps Porzingis was held to six points in 20 minutes. Porzingis missed the Knicks' win over Detroit on Saturday due to a lower left leg contusion.
Porzingis didn't blame his 3-for-11 shooting night on his leg.
"It didn't affect how I played at all," he said. "I wasn't thinking about it or anything during the game."
Denver (26-38) used a 16-0 run near the end of the second quarter to take control. Harris hit two 3-pointers and the Nuggets scored 10 of their 62 points in the paint in that stretch to go up 56-41 with 2:26 left in the half.
The Nuggets led 60-49 at the break.
New York's 7-0 run in the first 1:30 of the third made it a four-point game, but Denver quickly got the lead back to double digits. Faried scored seven points and Emmanuel Mudiay hit a 3-pointer to make it 74-61.
"When he's playing with that type of energy, I believe he can get a double-double every night," Mudiay said of Faried. "He's probably top-three best energy players in the league."
New York (26-39) cut the deficit to eight on a layup by Anthony with 4:16 left, but D.J. Augustin's layup and three-point play pushed the margin to 100-87.
NOTES: Knicks F Lance Thomas was helped off the practice court before the game and didn't play because of a sore left knee. Thomas planted wrong during a pregame workout. ... Nuggets coach Michael Malone said F Danilo Gallinari (torn ligaments in right ankle) is ahead of schedule in his recovery but is not close to returning. "Being ahead of schedule, I can't even tell you what that means," Malone said. "Maybe instead of being three weeks out he's two." ... Knicks president Phil Jackson is traveling with the team on its six-game road trip. ... Video of Malone playing defense along with his team on the sidelines at the end of regulation against Dallas on Sunday is drawing attention on the internet. "My daughters told me I've gone viral, and that's one thing I've never wanted to be is viral so I'm not very happy about that," he said.
