"My big thing with Melo is be a team leader," said Nuggets coach George Karl. "The more effective and efficient he is both as a player and as a leader, a captain, a locker-room guy, the more consistent he is in his approach, I think the more we're going to feel comfortable following him."

The Nuggets already are feeling very comfortable with Anthony. He's second in the NBA in scoring, and off to the best start in his career.

What's one of his secrets? Anthony said he looks for unflattering things written or said about him to help motivate him.

"I just use what people say, what I read and what I hear, to fuel my fire," he said. "I search for any and all that stuff. That's just me. I'm a competitor, so I'm going to find anything that somebody's saying that I can't do."

There's one thing, though, that Anthony doesn't hear anymore.

"I don't hear I can't get out of the first round no more, so that's a good thing, said Anthony, whose Nuggets lost in the first round his first six seasons before advancing last spring to the Western Conference finals.

--Nuggets coach George Karl has tried twice to win his 939th career NBA game. But twice his team has come up short.

Karl, though, figures soon to reach that milestone. It's important because 938 is how many career games won by Red Auerbach. It was the most in NBA history when Auerbach retired in 1966 and remained that way until Lenny Wilkens broke the record in 1995.

Karl remains tied for eighth with Auerbach for most NBA wins. He entered the season No. 10 but, with his third win, passed Dick Motta's total of 935.

Karl soon should pass Bill Fitch's total of 944 to move into seventh place. But it's uncertain after that if Karl ever again will move up the list.

The top six winningest coaches all have 1,040 or more wins, and four of them are active.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I can tolerate playing. I'm not worried." --Nuggets F Kenyon Martin, out for a week or two with a left lower leg contusion suffered Friday at Miami.