NEW YORK, 14 April 2004 — Marcus Camby had 12 points, 21 rebounds, seven assists and five blocked shots to lead Denver to a 97-89 home win over the Sacramento Kings on Monday, earning the Nuggets a playoff spot for the first time since 1995.
By clinching at least the eighth seed in the Western Conference, Denver completed one of the greatest rapid turnarounds in NBA history.
The Nuggets won just 17 games all of last season but took their last seven home games this season to edge out the Utah Jazz for the final berth.
The defeat was costly for the Kings, who lost any chance of finishing first place overall in the conference.
Carmelo Anthony struggled with the effects of a migraine but still managed 17 points.
The rookie’s sensational performance was a big reason why the Nuggets are headed back to the playoffs after nine years in the wilderness.
Denver out-hustled the Kings for most of the night thanks largely to Camby’s outstanding overall play, especially after Sacramento had rallied to tie the score at 79 early in the fourth quarter.
Peja Stojakovic led Sacramento with 20 points, while Chris Webber added 18.
In San Antonio, Tim Duncan had 14 points and 15 rebounds as the Spurs edged the Portland Trail Blazers 78-66.
Mark Jackson scored 25 points as the Houston Rockets stopped the Seattle SuperSonics 111-107.
Lamar Odom had 28 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Miami Heat to an 84-77 win over the Boston Celtics in Boston.
The Celtics backed into the playoffs, clinching a spot on the weekend, so they rested star Paul Pierce as the Heat kept its hopes of home-court advantage alive.
LeBron James scored 27 points in his final home game of the season as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 93-89.
Richard Hamilton had 24 points and a career-high 12 assists as the Detroit Pistons won their eighth straight game and 16th of their last 18, 101-79 over the Washington Wizards.
Jermaine O’Neal scored 28 points to lead the Indiana Pacers to their franchise record 60th win of the season, 107-93 over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Bob Sura became the first NBA player in seven years to have three straight triple-doubles with 22 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in the Atlanta Hawks’ 129-107 win over the New Jersey Nets.
Latrell Sprewell scored 24 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves tuned up for the playoffs with a 104-90 win over the Jazz, ending Utah’s postseason aspirations.
Seldom-used Michael Sweetney scored 16 points to lead the New York Knicks past the New Orleans Hornets 101-97.
Juwan Howard scored 38 points as the Orlando Magic beat the Chicago Bulls 93-84.
