"Twenty minutes after the game, Carmelo Anthony was long gone, his locker empty. He had plenty of time to get as far away from the Pepsi Center as he could after being ejected in the fourth quarter.

Chauncey Billups usually takes more time, but Saturday night he was quickly dressed and ready to go. Yet he stood for a few moments to explain the odd circumstances that surrounded the Nuggets' latest loss, a 104-85 defeat at the hands of the Spurs.

"It was a rough day for us," Billups said. "However you want to put it. They came in and played the way they play. They outhustled us, beat us to offensive rebounds. It was a rough night, period."

It was a night that snapped the Nuggets' four-game winning streak and dropped them a full game behind the Mavericks, who won Saturday night, in the race for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

Even worse, it dropped the Nuggets into a tie with Utah for the Northwest Division lead with two games to play.

And while the Nuggets' effort was suspect, the officiating didn't help. At least the fans didn't think so.

Boos rained on the officials during a self-destructive fourth quarter and as they walked off the court after it was over. At the end of the game, officiating calls had allowed San Antonio to shoot 14 more free throws than the Nuggets. The Spurs had 28 free throws in the fourth quarter alone. All of it spoiled the return of Kenyon Martin, who played for the first time since March 3 (left knee)."