DENVER (AP) -- The Denver Nuggets did just fine without Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to finish off the regular season, hardly missing the All-Star duo in the wake of their blockbuster deal with the New York Knicks.
They sure could've used them in the playoffs, though.
The Nuggets lacked a go-to guy such as Anthony in crunch time and they sorely missed Billups' free throw shooting.
They watched as another elite scorer, Kevin Durant, took over in Game 5 and carried the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 100-97 win Wednesday night to send the Nuggets to another first-round exit.
Nonetheless, the Nuggets are in far better shape heading into the offseason than they would have been had they held onto Anthony and then lost him in free agency without compensation.
(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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