Suns  109    Nuggets  97

Phoenix Suns (29-21) at Denver Nuggets (33-15), 10:30 p.m.

Sports Network | February 3, 2010

(Sports Network) - Playing without your best player is usually a recipe for disaster in the NBA but the Denver Nuggets have persevered without Carmelo Anthony.

The Nuggets hope to have their All-Star forward back in the lineup Wednesday night as they finish off a brief two-game homestand against Western Conference rival Phoenix.

Hampered by a right knee contusion and a sprained left ankle, Anthony played just six games in January but Denver was able to compile a gaudy 12-3 record during the month and continues to play its best basketball of the season.

Most recently, playing without Anthony for a fifth consecutive game, the Nuggets earned a hard-fought, 112-109, overtime victory against Sacramento on Monday. Arron Afflalo poured in 12 points, including the game-winning jumper with 18.4 seconds left in the extra frame in that one.

Kenyon Martin ended with 24 points and 12 rebounds for Denver, which has won nine in a row at home and is a gaudy 22-3 at the Pepsi Center on the season. Chauncey Billups finished with 23 points and nine assists, Ty Lawson donated 15 points off the bench and Nene chipped in 14 points and six boards for the Nuggets, who have won 10 of 11 overall.

Getting Anthony back on the floor and comfortable will be paramount over the next week, however. Before the All-Star game, set for Feb. 14 at Cowboys Stadium, Denver plays five of the top seven teams in the Western Conference.

After tonight's tilt, the Nuggets hit the road to face the top team in the West, the LA Lakers, followed by a game against the red-hot Utah Jazz on Saturday. Denver follows that with a pair of home games against Southwest- leading Dallas next Tuesday and San Antonio two days later.

"We definitely need (Anthony) back," coach George Karl told the Nuggets Web site. "We need to get our A players back on the court."

The Suns, meanwhile, have been playing much better basketball recently and improved to 2-0 on a four-game road trip in New Orleans on Monday when Amare Stoudemire scored 25 points and pulled down 12 rebounds as Phoenix won its third in a row overall, 109-100, over the Hornets.

Channing Frye tallied 20 points off the bench for the Suns, whose current win streak is their longest since a four-game run from November 22-29 that made the club 14-3. The Suns, currently at 29-21, also received 18 points and 12 assists from Steve Nash. Robin Lopez scored 18, while Grant Hill tallied 13, including a couple of big jumpers down the stretch.

"We did a phenomenal job defensively; I think we played great team defense out there for the most part," Stoudemire said. "Once we've got the lead the last few games, we locked up on defense. We've been working on some things so once we get the lead we keep it. It all goes on our defensive effort. We did a great job with that, even our second unit."

The Nuggets have won two of their past three games with Phoenix, including a 105-99 win in the Rockies earlier this season.