Nuggets’ English Scores 54 Points

Alex English has a knack for rising to the occasion. And the Denver Nuggets were asking a lot from the NBA’s leading scorer Tuesday night at Denver.

The Nuggets were without star guard Fat Lever, had several other regulars hobbling and were playing Houston, the team everybody keeps saying is the class of the Midwest Division.

English responded with a fabulous performance. The 6-8 forward scored a career-high 54 points, 18 in the third quarter when the Nuggets broke open a close game and rolled to a 127-113 victory. English made 21 of 30 shots from the field and all 12 free-throw attempts to put the Nuggets back on top in the division.

Ralph Sampson and Robert Reid tried to check the shooting star, and both got into foul trouble. English, whose previous best was 47 points, scored in double figures in every quarter. When he departed with three minutes left, the 11,533 fans, who braved a snowstorm to get there, gave him a standing ovation.