DENVER, (Reuters) – Carmelo Anthony hit 30 points  as the Denver Nuggets bounced back from two consecutive losses  to thump the in-form Oklahoma City Thunder 119-90 on Wednesday.

After below average shooting efforts in the two defeats,  Anthony started with 15 points in the first quarter and  finished with 11 field goals from 19 attempts.

“It’s a confidence booster for us,” Anthony told reporters  after suffering from dehydration prior to the game and being  administered fluids earlier in the day.

“OKC (Oklahoma) is a playoff team right now. For us to go  out there and do what we did tonight boosts our confidence.”

The streaking Oklahoma City (36-24), winners of 12 of their  last 14 games, struggled throughout, with leading scorer Kevin  Durant limited to just 19 points.

Denver (40-21) led by nine points at halftime then scored  14 straight midway through the third to open up a 27-point  advantage.

“We’ve been focusing so much and playing harder than we did  tonight,” Durant said. “It’s a minor setback. It happens, but  we don’t want it to happen this time of the year.”

The Nuggets led by as much as 41 in a dominating effort  that saw the home team make more than 50 percent of their  shots. Denver remained a half-game behind the Dallas Mavericks  for second place in the Western Conference.

The game featured a matchup between two of the leading  three scorers in the NBA in Durant and Anthony, but only one  leading player shone.

Anthony had shot a combined 14-for-40 in previous games  against the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns but returned to  form while adding eight rebounds and five assists.

J.R. Smith had 18 points and four three-pointers off the  bench for the Nuggets who played without rookie guard Ty  Lawson, out a second straight game with injury.

James Harden tallied 19 and Serge Ibaka recorded 15 points  and 13 rebounds for Oklahoma City, who are making a push for  the playoffs with its young roster. Despite the loss, the  Thunder are sixth in the competitive West.