Nobody had scored 33 points in a single quarter of a NBA game since San Antonio’s George Gervin did so on the final day of the 1977-78 season.

That was so long ago that he did it against the New Orleans Jazz.

Well, Denver’s Carmelo Anthony matched it Wednesday night at Pepsi Center, against your Timberwolves, of course.

The Wolves led by as many as 16 in the second quarter after their offense showed all the “rhythm” and “flow” new coach Kevin McHale seeks. Carmelo said he and his teammates were “embarrassed” by their first-half showing, so they ratcheted their defense and disrupted the Wolves so much that Anthony got out on the run and scored in every way imaginable.

He scored 45 points in all, four shy of his career record. It was the ninth 40-plus scoring game of his career.

It also broke the Nuggets’ team record for most points in a quarter by one. Coincidentally, that broke David Thompson’s 32 scored in a quarter the same day that Gervin scored his 33. The two players were in pursuit of the league scoring record that year, so Thompson went out in an afternoon game and scored 73 to take the lead and Gervin went out that night and scored 63 to win it.

Anthony did it to the Wolves after Ryan Gomes got into quick third-quarter foul trouble with Corey Brewer and Mike Miller both out of the lineup with injuries.

“I have experienced some good quarters, that was the best I’ve ever seen,” Chauncey Billups said. “He was awesome. We needed it.”

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