Rookie Carmelo Anthony scored a career-high 37 points and Voshon Lenard hit three free throws after being fouled behind the arc with 8.3 seconds left to give the Denver Nuggets a 95-94 victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday night.

The NBA's tallest player Yao Ming (L) of the Houston Rockets at 7 foot 6 inches tall and the NBA's shortest player Earl Boykins of the Denver Nuggets (news) at 5 foot 5 inches, cross paths during a brief break in the action in the first quarter in Denver December 26, 2003. [Reuters]

Anthony was 13-for-22 from the field and scored 22 of his points in the third quarter for the Nuggets, who had lost five straight to Houston. Andre Miller added had 22 points and seven assists.

Reserve Maurice Taylor had 22 points for Houston but missed a shot at the buzzer. Cuttino Mobley had 17 points and Jim Jackson 16.

Each team missed a free throw, Anthony for Denver and Francis for the Rockets, to leave the score 94-92 with 17 seconds to go. Following a timeout, Miller missed a jump shot, but the ball bounded back to Lenard, who was fouled by Mobley behind the 3-point arc.

Lenard hit all three free throws, and Taylor hit the front of the rim from the corner as time expired.

Houston entered the fourth quarter with a 72-70 lead and extended it to 77-70 on Jackson's 3-pointer and a short jumper by Mobley. The Nuggets came back with a 3-pointer by Rodney White and Chris Andersen's jumper to make it 79-78.

Neither team led by more than four the rest of the way.

Anthony shot 9-of-11 with four 3-pointers in the third quarter. His third 3 in the first six minutes trimmed Houston's 14-point halftime lead to 60-55. The Rockets appeared to regroup, and with Francis on the bench with four fouls, used Mobley's 3-pointer and a layup by Taylor to lead 70-59.

Denver closed the quarter with a flurry and trailed just 72-70 entering the fourth.

Yao Ming's hook after a 3-pointer by Mobley with 2:32 left in the first half gave Houston its biggest lead, 47-31. Lenard's leaning one-hander cut the deficit to 51-37 at halftime.

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