Actually, it was only three. But Martin likely was referring to another loss the Nuggets had Nov. 6 at Miami, when he was knocked out in the first half with a leg injury.

The bottom line, though, is Martin is very important to the Nuggets, and it showed Saturday. Martin returned after missing the previous two games because of a dislocated left pinkie (losses at Charlotte and at Detroit), and the Nuggets beat Phoenix 105-99.

In 36 minutes, Martin totaled 12 points and nine rebounds.

"I was just trying to help the team," Martin said. "I was just trying to put ourselves (in) a position to win."

Martin did just that. Forward Carmelo Anthony didn't deny Martin means plenty to the Nuggets.

"Everybody knows how big of a part Kenyon is to this team," Anthony said. "His mentality. His effort. His defense. We (missed) that."

Now he's back. Nuggets coach George Karl doesn't believe it's any risk playing Martin, who had his fingers taped Saturday.

"I don't think so," Karl said. "We all have finger problems if you play basketball."

NUGGETS 105, SUNS 99: Perhaps it was because NBA discipline czar Stu Jackson was on hand. Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry suddenly developed a case of amnesia.

Gentry was thrown out of his team's loss to Denver with two seconds left Saturday at the Pepsi Center for arguing what he apparently believed was a non-call on a missed layup by Steve Nash five seconds earlier. But afterward Gentry had nothing to say about that.

"I didn't see anything," said Gentry, whose team blew a 17-point second-half lead. "They didn't call a foul, so obviously it wasn't a foul. I didn't see anything. I'm not giving them my money. So, no, I didn't see anything. It was a great call. No call. That's fine."

Gentry will fork over some money to the NBA for his two technicals, but it's doubtful Jackson, the NBA's executive vice president of basketball operations, will have to take further action. Not only did Gentry leave the court in a timely manner, but Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony said Gentry's ejection happened so fast he didn't realize what was going on until Gentry already was walking to the locker room.

Anthony, who scored a game-high 32 points, hit both technical foul shots for a 103-99 lead. Then Anthony, who had been fouled just before Gentry's ejection, made two more free throws to account for the final score.

"We said, 'Let's go. Fight. Let's play hard. Keep fighting,'" Anthony said of his team wiping out the big second-half deficit to stop a two-game losing streak.

The Suns still had fight in them until Nash, with his team down 101-99, missed a layup with seven seconds remaining. He was closely guarded by Nuggets center Nene, and Anthony gathered in the rebound.

The Nuggets also got 24 points from guard Chauncey Billups. Nash led Phoenix with 28.