Cooper Is a Winner in His Nugget Debut

Michael Cooper spent most of his first game as an NBA head coach sitting on the bench, hoping the nervousness he felt inside wouldn’t filter out onto the floor.

Apparently, Cooper learned a little about acting in all those years in Los Angeles playing for the Lakers and coaching the Sparks.

Carmelo Anthony scored 24 points in his first game in two weeks and the Denver Nuggets made Cooper a winner in his NBA coaching debut, ending a six-game losing streak with a 97-92 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night at Denver.

Cooper became the interim coach Tuesday after the losing streak and a 13-15 start cost Jeff Bzdelik his job. The Nuggets didn’t look a lot different under Cooper -- good stretches followed by horrible ones -- but certainly had plenty of energy.

Playing most of the game without three starters, Denver scrambled on defense and played just well enough on offense to win for just the second time in 10 games. The Nuggets also stayed poised down the stretch, exactly what Cooper had hoped for with his sit-down style.

“I was excited, but I tried not to show the team that I was excited,” said Cooper, who played and coached in Los Angeles for parts of three decades.

“As a player, I looked to the bench and if Pat Riley was looking a little nervous it affected me on the floor. So I tried to keep my composure so the players don’t see me losing my composure.”

Cooper pledged to make Denver better by focusing on defense, his specialty in 12 seasons as a player. That was put to the test against Philadelphia, which had scored 100 points in eight consecutive games, and Allen Iverson, who had averaged 41 points in his last five.

It didn’t help that the Nuggets were without Kenyon Martin because of a back injury and Greg Buckner because of a groin injury, then lost center Marcus Camby, the league’s fourth-leading shot blocker, to a strained back in the first quarter.

Denver did its best without its three best defensive players, scrapping to get out to Philadelphia’s shooters and collapsing in the lane. The Nuggets were at their best in the fourth quarter, holding Iverson to four points and the 76ers to five-for-14 shooting.

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Seattle 103, Charlotte 97 -- Rashard Lewis scored 27 points and the SuperSonics made 11 three-point baskets at Charlotte, N.C.

Vladimir Radmanovic scored 21 points, including five three-point baskets, and Ray Allen had 18 points for the SuperSonics.

Rookie Emeka Okafor led the Bobcats with a career-high 27 points and also had 10 rebounds, the final one coming with 16 seconds to play to extend his streak of double-doubles to 18 consecutive games.

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Boston 108, Washington 103 -- The Celtics broke a 103-103 tie when Paul Pierce made one of two free throws with 34 seconds remaining at Boston. Jiri Welsch increased the lead to 106-103 with two free throws with 11.5 seconds left. The Wizards’ Antawn Jamison attempted a three-pointer with 6.7 seconds left but the ball hit the rim.

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Sacramento 109, Utah 102 -- Peja Stojakovic scored 13 points in the final six minutes at Salt Lake City, including a three-pointer that banked in with 2:46 left that gave the Kings a 106-94 lead.

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Houston 105, Milwaukee 90 -- Tracy McGrady scored 42 points at Houston to help the Rockets reach .500 (15-15) for the first time since they were 6-6 on Nov. 21. Rocket center Yao Ming skipped a game for the first time in his NBA career, sitting out because of flu.