The Nuggets didn't need 'Melo to send James to his sixth loss in seven trips to the Pepsi Center.
Kenyon Martin filled in nicely for Anthony, scoring 19 points, grabbing 12 boards and playing tough defense on James down the stretch.
The Nuggets went on a 10-1 run to turn an 89-86 deficit into a 96-91 lead.
Despite committing eight turnovers, James scored 35 points and wouldn't go down easily. He sank a 3-pointer with 11.8 seconds left that made it 96-94.
J.R. Smith's two free throws with 11 seconds remaining gave Denver a 98-94 lead, and James misfired a 3-pointer at the other end. But when Nene missed two free throws for Denver, James made a 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left to pull Cleveland to 98-97.
Following a timeout, Chauncey Billups, who returned to the Nuggets lineup after missing eight of Denver's previous nine games with a strained left groin, took Martin's inbounds pass and was fouled by Delonte West.
He sank his first free throw with 0.2 seconds left and missed the second one intentionally.
Nene returned from a sprained ankle and scored 20 points to go with Billups' 23.
ESPN was on hand for what the network surely hoped would be a LeBron-'Melo matchup, but Anthony wouldn't be swayed.
"It would be the same if I was playing Minnesota. My health is more important right now," Anthony said after missing the Nuggets' shootaround. "Maybe five or six years ago, if somebody told me I had a chance to play against LeBron, I probably would go out here and be stupid and play on an injured leg and not even care about that.
