CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- The battle between rookies LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony went in favor of an Ohio native. Unfortunately for James, it was pint-sized Denver Nuggets guard Earl Boykins.
Boykins scored 10 of his 18 points in a 2:04 span to lift the Nuggets to a 93-89 victory and upstage James' home debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
James arrived in style at Gund Arena, wearing a white suit for his much-anticipated matchup with Anthony, who led Syracuse to the national title last year. The two exchanged greetings before the nationally televised matchup of two of the league's top young talents, which drew celebrities such as rapper Jay-Z and Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr.
"It'll be like this every time we play," Anthony said. "I have to get used to this."
After logging seven scoreless minutes in the first half, Boykins led the way in the third quarter. The Cleveland native and former Cavalier assisted on Jon Barry's 3-pointer that capped a 9-1 spurt for a 64-56 advantage with 4:28 left.
The Cavaliers responded with four straight points before Boykins nailed a 3-pointer to start his personal tear. He nailed two more jumpers and assisted on another 3-pointer by Barry as Denver took a 77-64 advantage into the fourth period.
"You always want to play well when you come home," Boykins said. "But, it's never personal. I'm not a show stealer. I just want to win basketball games."
Boykins continues to shine, recording his third straight double-digit effort off he bench. The 5-5 guard is averaging 13.6 points after scoring 18 for the second straight game.
"Earl Boykins had a great night," Cleveland coach Paul Silas said.
Boykins' difficult fadeaway jumper as the shot clock expired gave Denver its largest lead at 81-66 with over eight minutes to go.
Anthony bounced back from a 1-of-13 effort in Tuesday's loss at Indiana to exploit Darius Miles for 14 points. The No. 3 overall pick got off to a strong start with seven points in the first four minutes but finished 6-of-17 from the field.
The top overall pick, James did not score in the second half and finished with seven points, seven assists and 11 rebounds. His lone scoring highlight was a one-handed dunk 5 1/2 minutes into the game for his only basket of the first quarter, but he was only 3-of-11 from the floor.
"You all make everything out to be too much, but I can't control that," James said. "Me and Melo just have to go out there and play our game. I love to play the game and competing with one of my best friends makes it even more special."
"He didn't play that well offensively, but he got 11 rebounds for me and seven assists," Silas said.
After the early buzz died down, Anthony went right at Miles for a pair of baskets as Denver grabbed an early 9-2 advantage. He added a driving three-point play that kept the sellout crowd at the Gund Arena quiet in the early moments.
James' jam got the fans going and was part of a dunk-filled opening period. In one sequence, Miles dunked on Marcus Camby and pushed him away. Camby dunked a follow slam on the other end and pushed a stunned DeSagana Diop on his descent.
Miles had three dunks but missed his other five shots in the first quarter.
"We have to change the losing attitude to a winning attitude," Silas said. "That's my biggest challenge."
Cleveland got back into the game in the second quarter behind six points apiece from Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Chris Mihm. Ilgauskas scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
James also guarded Anthony on one possesion in the second quarter, getting credit for a block on a layup attempt. It was the first meeting between the pair since Anthony's Oak Hill Academy team beat James' St. Vincent-St. Mary, 72-66, on February 10, 2002. James outscored Anthony in that one, 36-34.
"I guess I'm 2-0 right now," Anthony joked. "I've got the edge. I really wanted to get it over with."
Denver's starting backcourt also shined as former Cavalier Andre Miller scored 16 points and Voshon Lenard netted 15. The Nuggets shot 43 percent (38-of-88) after a dismal 29 percent showing on Tuesday.
"We wanted to put our best foot forward," Denver coach Jeff Bzdelik said. "We didn't last night, so we responded well."
Nene collected 13 points and nine rebounds and Camby blocked four shots for Denver.
Ricky Davis scored 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting. Miles netted 16 and Carlos Boozer had 10 for the Cavaliers, who shot 38 percent (33-of-87).
