"I'm going to run. I'm going to run to the bench. I'm going to run hard to the bench," Anthony pledged on Wednesday without offering an apology after his one-game suspension for refusing to come out of Denver's game at Indiana on Sunday.

Anthony, who had been mired in a shooting funk, had just hit a couple of shots late in the third quarter against Indiana and said he felt his hot hand merited his staying in the game, so he refused to be subbed for Linas Kleiza.

An incredulous Karl said there was a thin line between passionate play and insubordination and his star player crossed it by crossing the coach.

"I didn't want to come out," Anthony said. "If you look at it that deeply, then yeah, I maybe was wrong. I should have come out of the game, but if you're a basketball player, you know how you feel when you get something going finally and you're about to sit, your competitiveness all comes out."

What Karl wanted was for Anthony to come out.

"I think it was a combination of different feelings, he wasn't playing very well and he finally made some shots and his reaction was overboard," Karl said. "And I get to play policeman."

Anthony said he should have gotten off with a warning.

Anthony, who will return to action on Thursday against Portland, and Karl both said there was no rift between them.