updated 3:44 a.m. ET Dec. 17, 2006

NEW YORK - Denver’s J.R. Smith was still seething as he was escorted to the locker room seconds after he and nine other players were ejected for a brawl in a game against New York on Saturday night.

Kenyon Martin, who is injured and not playing, draped his arm around Smith and coaxed him to the locker room while Smith continued an obscenity-laded tirade. Smith appeared to have a raised red mark along the top of his cheek.

“They caught up. They know I live here,” said Smith, who is from New Jersey.

Spike Lee and his young daughter hurried away from their courtside seats, which were near where the brawl occurred, and briefly stopped in the hallway to watch a replay on the monitor. “They show it? Whoa,” he said before leaving the arena.

The Nuggets’ players were the first ones removed from the court after a fight that began with Denver leading 119-100 when Collins grabbed Smith around the neck with both hands as Smith was going in for a breakaway layup. Smith got up and jawed with Collins, and New York’s Nate Robinson jumped in to yell at Smith.

Anthony rushed in and pushed Robinson in the neck, triggering the roughest moment, when Robinson and Smith went flying into the stands while fighting with each other. Anthony appeared to throw a punch at Collins, and then backed away toward the center of the court.

New York’s Jared Jeffries ran from the baseline toward Anthony, but was tackled by a Denver player. The brawl stretched to the other end of the court toward the Nuggets’ bench before coaches and security finally pulled Smith away and restored order.

Anthony was the first player in the hallway after the ejections and peeled off his jersey as he stood defiantly in the space between the doors leading to the two locker rooms.

MIKE CELIZIC ON NBA Don't fight over it Plenty of blame to go around in Nuggets-Knicks brawl msnbc.com

“I ain’t going nowhere,” Anthony said before being nudged toward the locker room.

He scored 34 points before the melee took place with 1:15 left in the Nuggets’ 123-100 victory over the Knicks.

Before any players left the court, two police officers moved into the hallway from outside and stood along the wall. After the players arrived, a security officer yelled: “Lock both those doors, nobody goes in. Nobody goes in.”

Along with Anthony and Smith, Denver’s Marcus Camby, Andre Miller and Eduardo Najera were ejected. Knicks who were thrown out were Channing Frye David Lee, Collins, Robinson and Jeffries.

“Deja vu, I’ve been here before,” Camby said to no one in particular as he walked to the locker room. “This is crazy.”

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In 2001 when he was with the Knicks, Camby was involved in an incident with Danny Ferry.

After all the ejected Nuggets were in the locker room, security guards locked the doors behind them. Martin had to beat on the door and have it unlocked when he wanted to leave.

He stood in the bowels of the arena and chatted about the incident with Steve Francis.

Finally, the Knicks who were tossed were led toward the locker room. It was mostly a quiet exodus, with only Quentin Richardson stopping to turn around and glare toward the Nuggets’ locker room.

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