Denver beats Toronto in rare NBA game in Edmonton

EDMONTON, Alberta – Carmelo Anthony scored 15 points, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Toronto Raptors 105-94 in the first NBA game played in the Alberta capital in nine years. Forward Chris Bosh scored 17 points and point guard Jose Calderon had 18 points for the Raptors, who trailed 24-17 after the first quarter of the exhibition and never seriously challenged the rest of the way. Toronto finished the preseason 4-4 and plays its opener Oct. 29 in Philadelphia. Anthony shot five-of-nine from the field and grabbed six rebounds in 28:25 before 17,534 fans at Rexall Place. The last time the NBA played in Edmonton, the Raptors defeated the then-Vancouver — now Memphis — Grizzlies 110-84 in 1999. The Raptors struggled without center Jermaine O’Neal. The six-time All-Star got into foul trouble early and played just 13:25 before sitting out the second half with a leg injury. The 12-year veteran, acquired from the Indiana Pacers in an offseason trade, finished 1-for-2, with one rebound and one blocked shot. He missed half of last season with a knee injury. Bosh was 5-for-8 from the field with three rebounds. Calderon was 5-for-11 to go with five rebounds and seven assists. He made two 3-pointers. The Nuggets, playing without starting point guard Anthony Carter (given the night off) and guard Allen Iverson (right ankle sprain) took advantage of O’Neal’s absence to shred the Raptors’ second-team defense. They led 58-47 at halftime and 80-71 after the third quarter. When the traffic got heavy inside, they kicked the ball outside for five 3-point field goals, including three by guard J.R. Smith. Denver wraps up the preseason with a game against the Los Angeles Clippers in California Friday. – AP