DENVER — NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony was arrested early Monday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence, hours after his worst game of the season.
Police said the Denver Nuggets’ star forward was arrested on Interstate 25. He was pulled over for weaving and failing to dim his lights.
Detective Sharon Hahn said Anthony, who was alone in the car, failed a series of sobriety tests. He was ticketed and released at the scene, but Hahn did not know how Anthony got home. Denver police don’t jail DUI suspects and Anthony was no exception, Hahn said.
Anthony is due in court May 14.
Mark Warkentien, the Nuggets’ vice president of basketball operations, said the team was aware of the situation but declined comment.
Anthony apologized through his attorney, Dan Recht.
“Carmelo apologizes to his fans, the Denver community, his teammates and the Nuggets organization for the distraction this is causing them,” Recht said.
He said Anthony consented to a blood test, but results won’t be available for about two weeks. In the meantime, “Carmelo will try to stay focused on his family and his team,” Recht said.
The Nuggets are in the middle of a heated playoff race. They moved a-half game ahead of Golden State for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference on Sunday night when they beat Houston 111-94.
But it was Anthony’s worst outing of the season. He was held to 11 points and shot 3-of-14 from the floor against a Rockets team that was missing defensive specialist Shane Battier.
Anthony still managed to extend his NBA-best streak of double-digit games to 206. On Saturday, he committed a flagrant foul against Utah’s Deron Williams that changed he course of a close game, and the Jazz ran away with a 124-97 win.
The Nuggets did not practice on Monday and Anthony wasn’t available. He’s expected back on the court at practice Tuesday.
The Nuggets (49-32) can clinch their fifth straight postseason berth by beating Memphis at home on Wednesday night or if the Warriors lose at Phoenix on Monday night or against Seattle on Wednesday night.
Despite his poor game Sunday, Anthony has had another stellar season. He was named an All-Star starter for the first time alongside teammate Allen Iverson, and he’s fourth in the NBA in scoring (25.8) and is averaging a career-best 7.4 rebounds.
Last season, he was involved in a brawl at Madison Square Garden. After J.R. Smith was collared on his way to a breakaway bucket in the closing minutes of a rout, Anthony, then the league’s leading scorer, dropped the New York Knicks’ Mardy Collins with a punch that cost him a 15-game suspension.
In February, Anthony was ticketed in Arapahoe County for driving 25 mph over the posted speed limit. A hearing is set for next month in that case.
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