--It didn't have the fanfare of last season but Chauncey Billups still considers it special returning to Detroit. Billups, who was named NBA Finals MVP in leading Detroit to the 2004 NBA title and also helped the Pistons to the 2005 Finals, Thursday made his second return to the Palace of Auburn Hills since he was traded in November 2008 to the Nuggets. Billups scored 21 points but shot an air ball on a lay-up just before the buzzer that would have forced overtime in the 101-99 loss. Billups' first return was last March, when he received a moving introduction. While Billups knows nothing ever will top that, he expects his annual trip to Detroit to continue to have meaning.
"This is always special to come back," said Billups, who scored 34 points in his return last season, a 100-95 loss by the Nuggets. "I feel the same way I did when I was in Detroit and would come to (Billups' native) Denver for one game a year. It's just kind of flip-flopped.
"This is always going to be my home away from home. It's always going to be special when I return to this building."
--G Carmelo Anthony has bounced back in a big way after his streak of 20-point games came to an end. Anthony scored just 14 points Monday at Philadelphia, ending a streak of 20 straight games reaching 20. He was the last NBA player to have scored 20 in every game. Since the streak ended, Anthony has averaged 37.0 points the past two games. He scored 40 in Thursday's 101-99 loss to Detroit, his fourth game this season of 40 or more. "He was good," said Nuggets coach George Karl. "He was very, very good. He's amazing when he gets into an offensive mode. But we didn't have enough guys come with him."
Anthony shot 16-of-28 from the field and 6-of-7 from the foul line.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We give a team that is young and doesn't have a great record confidence by not going after them right away." -- Nuggets coach George Karl, whose team lost 101-99 Thursday at Detroit after falling 107-95 Tuesday at Charlotte.
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