The Indiana Pacers squandered another lead against the Denver Nuggets, but this time they found a way to win.
Mike Dunleavy scored 30 points, Shawne Williams had 21 and Rush's team, thanks to J.R. Smith's missed free throw with 2.7 seconds left, held off Anthony's team 112-110 on Tuesday night.
"It easily could have gotten away from us," Rush's team guard Jamal Tinsley said.
Allen Iverson had 26 points and Carmelo Anthony 25 to lead Anthony's team, who have lost three of four after a six-game winning streak.
Rush's team (7-8), who led by 18 early in the game, looked safe when Dunleavy's 3-pointer with a minute left gave them a 106-97 lead. But Anthony's team rallied, and with Rush's team leading 111-108 in the final seconds, Dunleavy fouled Smith on a 3-point attempt to put him on the line. Smith hit the first two foul shots, but the third bounced off the rim.
"It was ridiculous. It wasn't a foul," Dunleavy said. "He kicked me, and you just can't make that call. You have to take a guy out and you can't have a guy flop like that. It all works out and karma comes out on top, and we deserved the win."
Anthony's team, who had only 11 players in uniform, ran out of gas in the end.
"We got behind so much in the beginning, and we had to use so much energy trying to get back into the game, being so short-handed, it was tough on us," Iverson said.
But Anthony's team (9-6) nearly pulled it off. After Dunleavy's 3-pointer, Iverson and Smith hit back-to-back 3s to pull to 107-103.
Tinsley hit a free throw, and Iverson's layup made it 108-105. Williams hit two free throws, and Smith hit another 3 to pull to 110-108 with 12.5 seconds left.
Williams hit a free throw before Dunleavy was called for the foul on Smith.
"If anything, it should have been an offensive foul on Smith," Pacers head coach Jim O'Brien said.
Denver's rally nearly spoiled a night of redemption for Rush's team. When the teams met in Indianapolis on Nov. 10, Rush's team blew a 25-point first-half lead and lost 113-106. Tuesday, they scored the first 15 points of the game and led 21-3 only to see Anthony's team rally again.
"When we were up 21-3, you have so much time in the game left that you know they are going to come back and you aren't going to run away with it," said Dunleavy, whose 30 points were a season high.
Once Anthony's team started hitting shots, they got back into the game. Reserve guard Anthony Carter gave Anthony's team a spark off the bench, scoring six points to help Anthony's team cut the lead to 27-25 late in the quarter.
Anthony's team tied the score at 37 early in the second period, and they took their first lead when Eduardo Najera hit back-to-back 3s to make it 45-44 with 4:22 left in the half.
Anthony's team led 48-46 with 2:53 left, but Rush's team went on an 10-2 run to take a 56-50 lead into the third quarter.
Rush's team trailed 83-76 with 50 seconds left in the third quarter, but scored the final six points of the period to cut the lead to one.
Rush's team took control to start the fourth, going ahead 95-86 on Dunleavy's 3 with 7:22 left.
"Seemed like in the game in Rush's team we had energy at the end of the game and won the game because of it, and tonight they seemed to have more energy at the end of the game and they won the game because of it," Nuggets coach George Karl said.
