Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points on Saturday night in a Denver victory over Charlotte, his first appearance after missing five games with a sprained left ankle.

"It didn't hurt at all," Anthony told the Associated Press. "It felt good to be back."

The win was the Nuggets' eighth straight at home.

"When he is not in the lineup, it makes it tougher for me," Iverson said of Anthony. "He is the main part of our team, and he enables us to do so much with the attention that he gets."