Nuggets' forward Carmelo Anthony returned to action on Friday night against the Bobcats, scoring 19 points.

It was his first game back since suffering a broken bone in his shooting hand against the Pacers earlier this month.

"It felt pretty good," Anthony said. "It's still a little tender. That's going to be something that I have to fight through."

Anthony played with his two middle fingers wrapped in athletic tape.

Chauncey Billups was thrilled to be named to the All-Star team on Thursday night, but he believes that teammate Carmelo Anthony should have made the team as well.

"I'm disappointed in that," Billups said. "Because you look at our record and what it is right now, and he has the most, probably, to do with that of anybody on the team, with him being our best player. So it's kind of unfortunate, but the only reason why is because of the injury."

Anthony, who is set to return from a wrist injury on Friday night, was an All-Star last season.

Denver is 29-13 since acquiring Billups from Detroit.

"It's a great feeling every single time," Billups said. "This is something that you can never take for granted. There were times in my career that I didn't think I was going to make one. I appreciate every single one of them."

Carmelo Anthony should be back in uniform for the Nuggets on Friday after he was cleared to come back from a fractured right hand suffered on January 5, the Denver Post is reporting.

"I think it was the best news I could have received so far," said Anthony. "Just to be able to get back out there on the court, go back to war with my teammates and try to win some more games."

Nuggets assistant coaches put Anthony through a tough on-court workout this afternoon, lasting around an hour, after he ran on the treadmill. Anthony will play with tape holding together the middle and ring fingers.

The Cavaliers remained perfect at home on Tuesday night with a tougher-than-expected win over the Kings at Quicken Loans Arena.

- Cleveland 117, Sacramento 110

Team FIC Differential: Cavaliers +17.2, Kings -17.2

The Cavaliers (35-8) won a surprisingly close game against the Kings (10-36) at Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday night. Maurice Williams exploded for 43 points and 11 assists; LeBron James posted 23 points, 15 rebounds; and 11 dimes; and J.J. Hickson added 11 points and 8 boards. Cleveland outrebounded Sacramento by twenty-four and attempted fourteen more foul shots. Kevin Martin had 35 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists; John Salmons tallied 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting; and Brad Miller contributed 7 points and 6 boards in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Maurice Williams, Cleveland ? 35.0

LeBron James, Cleveland ? 33.9

Kevin Martin, Sacramento ? 28.9

John Salmons, Sacramento ? 14.8

- Orlando 135, Indiana 111

Team FIC Differential: Magic +53.5, Pacers -53.5

The Magic (34-10) owned the paint and the glass in a dominant victory over the Pacers (17-28). Mickael Pietrus starred with 27 points and 10 rebounds; Rashard Lewis tallied 24 points; and Dwight Howard turned in 22 points and 10 boards. Orlando outrebounded Indiana by twenty-one and shot 54% at Amway Arena. T.J. Ford led with 23 points; Troy Murphy posted 13 points and 7 rebounds; and Danny Granger added just 10 points on 4-for-14 shooting for the Pacers.

Game FIC Scores

Mickael Pietrus, Orlando ? 27.5

Rashard Lewis, Orlando ? 18.1

T.J. Ford, Indiana ? 12.4

Troy Murphy, Indiana ? 10.8

- Denver 100, Memphis 85

Team FIC Differential: Nuggets +35, Grizzles -35

The Nuggets (29-15) used key runs in the second and fourth quarters to down the Grizzlies (11-32) on Tuesday night. Chauncey Billups scored 29 points; Kenyon Martin posted 12 points and 10 rebounds; and Linas Kleiza added 19 points and 7 boards off the bench. Denver outrebounded Memphis by nine, and limited the Grizzlies to 40% shooting. O.J. Mayo scored a team-high 19 points; Rudy Gay tallied 11 points and 7 rebounds; and Darrel Arthur contributed 10 points and 7 boards in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Kenyon Martin, Denver ? 21.0

Chauncey Billups, Denver ? 20.9

O.J. Mayo, Memphis ? 11.0

Darrell Arthur, Memphis ? 9.3

- San Antonio 106, Utah 100

Team FIC Differential: Spurs +7.4, Jazz -7.4

Tied after three quarters, the Spurs (30-14) did just enough in the fourth to beat the Jazz (25-21) at Energy Solutions Arena. Tim Duncan led with 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists; Tony Parker tallied 24 points and 6 dimes; and Manu Ginobili turned in 13 points, 8 boards, and 5 assists off the bench. Utah outrebounded San Antonio by nine but allowed the Spurs to shoot 50%. Ronnie Brewer scored 23 points on 8-for-11 shooting; Mehmet Okur posted 22 points and 17 rebounds; and Deron Williams added 19 points and 13 assists for the Jazz.

Game FIC Scores

Tim Duncan, San Antonio ? 23.8

Mehmet Okur, Utah ? 23.2

Deron Williams, Utah ? 20.2

Matt Bonner, San Antonio ? 16.5

- Charlotte 117, L.A. Lakers 110

Team FIC Differential: Bobcats +26.5, Lakers -26.5

It took two overtimes, but the Bobcats (19-26) shocked the Lakers (35-9) at STAPLES Center on Tuesday night. Boris Diaw led with 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists. Raymond Felton posted 21 points, 11 boards, and 9 dimes, and Emeka Okafor contributed 19 points and 11 rebounds in the victory. Charlotte outrebounded Los Angeles by eleven and limited the home team to 43% shooting. Kobe Bryant starred with 38 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists; Andrew Bynum cleaned the glass with 24 points, 14 boards, and 6 blocks; and Derek Fisher added 14 points and 6 dimes in defeat.

Game FIC Scores

Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles ? 24.6

Raymond Felton, Charlotte ? 22.8

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles ? 21.5

Emeka Okafor, Charlotte ? 16.1

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their ?Reina Value.?
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

Denver forward Carmelo Anthony is on track to make his return from a broken wrist on Friday against Charlotte.

Anthony will have the hand re-examined Thursday and believes he'll be cleared to play.

Nuggets' coach George Karl doesn't believe that the Lakers are a lock to win the Western Conference.

"Basically, everybody's conceding that the Lakers are going to win (the Western Conference), and I don't believe that," Karl said. "I think there's numerous teams in the Western Conference that still have time to grow up and challenge."

In fact, Karl believes his Nuggets are one of the teams that can challenge the Lakers.

"Yes, I think we are. We have a window of improvement, and we also have that window of experience (to gain from) winning a playoff series that can bring momentum to a young team, a team that's never won."

Nuggets' coach George Karl says that injured guard Dahntay Jones is "going to try to play" Sunday against the Jazz.

Jones suffered a first-degree separation of his right shoulder during a pregame workout on Tuesday, and it was initially believed that he would miss up to two weeks.

Tuesday's schedule was a light one, and the action wasn't overly exciting, but there were still some highlight performances and eight teams in action.

- Atlanta 105, Chicago 102

Team FIC Differential: Hawks -13.6, Bulls +13.6

The Hawks (25-16) won a tight game against the Bulls (18-25), who simply refused to give up on Tuesday night. Mike Bibby led with 31 points and 6 assists, Josh Smith posted 17 points and 14 rebounds, and Joe Johnson contributed 13 points, 7 dimes and 5 boards. Chicago shot better and won the rebounding battle, but didn?t take very good care of the basketball. Ben Gordon scored 21 points, Joakim Noah tallied 9 points and 11 rebounds, and Kirk Hinrich added 13 points, 5 assists and 4 boards off the bench in defeat.

Game FIC Scores

Mike Bibby, Atlanta ? 23.8

Josh Smith, Atlanta ? 18.0

Luol Deng, Chicago ? 14.2

Ben Gordon, Chicago ? 13.2

- San Antonio 99, Indiana 81

Team FIC Differential: Spurs +43.3, Pacers -43.3

The Spurs (28-13) broke things open in the third quarter on their way to an easy win over the Pacers (15-27) at the AT&T Center. Tim Duncan starred with 27 points and 10 rebounds, Tony Parker posted 13 points and 7 assists, and Manu Ginobili turned in 26 points and 8 boards off the bench. San Antonio held Indiana to just 37% shooting and won the rebounding battle by twenty-one. Danny Granger had just 17 points on 5-for-15 shooting, Troy Murphy tallied 6 points and 10 rebounds, and Mike Dunleavy added 15 points in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Manu Ginobili, San Antonio ? 25.9

Tim Duncan, San Antonio ? 21.0

Troy Murphy, Indiana ? 7.2

Mike Dunleavy, Indiana ? 6.1

- Denver 118, Sacramento 99

Team FIC Differential: Nuggets +47.7, Kings -47.7

The Nuggets (28-15) took a lead in the second quarter and never looked back against the Kings (10-32) on Tuesday night. Chauncey Billups had 22 points and 7 assists, Linas Kleiza tallied 27 points and 6 rebounds off the bench, and Nene added 13 points and 12 boards in the win. Denver shot a blistering 56% and outrebounded Sacramento by eight. Kevin Martin led with 25 points, rookie Jason Thompson posted 16 points and 8 rebounds, and Bobby Jackson added 15 points and 4 boards in a reserve role for the Kings.

Game FIC Scores

Chauncey Billups, Denver ? 19.4

J.R. Smith, Denver ? 17.5

John Salmons, Sacramento ? 13.2

Kevin Martin, Sacramento ? 12.0

- Utah 112, Minnesota 107

Team FIC Differential: Jazz +21.1, Timberwolves -21.1

The Jazz (25-17) withstood a furious charge at the end of the fourth quarter to defeat the Timberwolves (13-27) at Energy Solutions Arena. Paul Millsap starred with 28 points and 15 rebounds, Deron Williams posted 17 points and 11 assists, Mehmet Okur poured in 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting. Minnesota shot 51%, but turned the ball over seventeen times and were whistled for thirteen more fouls. Al Jefferson led with 25 points and 8 rebounds, Kevin Love tallied 12 points and 8 boards, and Sebastian Telfair contributed 17 points and 9 assists in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Paul Millsap, Utah ? 26.5

Mehmet Okur, Utah ? 15.9

Sebastian Telfair, Minnesota ? 14.9

Mike Miller, Minnesota ? 12.0

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their ?Reina Value.?
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

Kenyon Martin missed a pair of free throws that could have forced overtime in Denver's loss to Houston on Monday night, but the Nuggets feel they had the game-winning bucket taken away.

With Houston leading 114-113, Linas Kleiza drove into the lane and dished to Nene for a dunk, but the bucket didn't count because referee Bennett Salvatore called a charge on Kleiza as he ran into Chuck Hayes.

"I thought it was definitely a flop," Kleiza said. "I definitely didn't feel like I hit him. But, oh well. It's done. We've got to move on."

The presence of Chauncey Billups in Denver has allowed the Nuggets to enter the season's midpoint with a great deal of optimism even with Carmelo Anthony on the sideline.

"We're in a good place," coach George Karl said. "The courage of our team has been exemplary. I trust this team. This team figures out how to play and how to win."

The Nuggets were 27-14 entering Monday's game against the Rockets.

"I bring so much knowledge to the game. I try not to let ourselves kill ourselves," Billups said. "I have been in so many situations in basketball. I feel like I know the game inside and out. I play with a cerebral touch. These guys listen, they want to learn and they want to be really good and be All-Stars."