sentences:  Carmelo Anthony was also criticized for harming his image as a star, and several writers said the league had penalized the players excessively because it wanted to keep its image free from violence.Entering the game, the New York Knicks had a record of 9–17 while the Denver Nuggets sported a 13–9 record.Despite trailing the entire game, the Knicks came as close as 2 points in the first half but the Nuggets regrouped and closed the half with a 13-point advantage and continued to lead in the second half by as much as 26 points in the third quarter.