Artest vs. Anthony

Ron Artest won the game within the game today, slowing Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets. Artest held Anthony to 21 points on 7-for-19 shooting, forcing him into eight turnovers before fouling him out with 2 minutes, 13 seconds remaining in the Lakers' 95-89 victory at Staples Center. Artest benefited from the rough-and-tumble confrontation between the two muscular small forwards. "It's cool," he said. "It pushes you to the limit. It's fun to play a game where they're letting it go, where you're getting frustrated a little bit, but you're in the grind and you want to be in that situation. It's fun. It's like old-school basketball. I miss that."