Iverson lifts Nuggets to crucial win over Suns

Lying in his bed, well past midnight, Allen Iverson didn't have to shut his eyes to experience a nightmare.

After Monday's embarrassing loss at Phoenix, Iverson couldn't get the images out of his head. He thought about watching television, but feared seeing the highlights in living color.

But in Tuesday's 126-120 win, Iverson used his frustration as motivation, defeating the same Suns, this time at the Pepsi Center.

"You want to make sure you don't have that same nightmare," said Iverson, who scored a game-high 31 points. "Honestly, it's just wanting it more than the other team."

This win was huge. Denver (46-29) is now all alone in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of Golden State (45-29), which lost Tuesday to San Antonio.

The Nuggets also are just a half-game behind seventh-place Dallas (46-28), which was idle Tuesday. Sure enough, Dallas hosts Golden State tonight.

The win also showed Denver's recent mental toughness, especially against a stacked team such as Phoenix (50-25). After losing a series of first-quarter blowouts and fourth-quarter flops in March, the Nuggets have established themselves as gritty winners. They won five out of six games to close out the month, including statement victories against Dallas and Golden State. And after blowing a 22-point lead on Monday at Phoenix, they clamped down the Suns in the final minutes Tuesday, and this was after Phoenix took its first lead with 3:11 left.

"Tonight was a strong example of the way we fight going down the stretch," forward Carmelo Anthony said. "There were a lot of things being thrown at us, so we stuck together and won the game."

Or, as J.R. Smith put it: "When we want to play, we can play."

Iverson, as usual, was the heart of the Nuggets, shooting 9-for-18 from the field, while hitting all 11 free-throw attempts. And fellow guard Anthony Carter scored eight points with a team-high 10 assists and a career-high six
steals. And after all those accomplishments, it was Carter's defense that earned the highest praise from coach George Karl: "In a short period of time, he has become one of my favorite defenders."

Carter was responsible for disrupting Steve Nash's shot attempts — after three quarters, Nash had just three points and Denver led by six. To Nash's credit, the former MVP was able to find guys who could get shots off. Nash finished the night with 18 assists, four from tying a career high.

"Steve Nash is such a treat to watch," Karl said.

Karl's Nuggets have now won nine straight games at Pepsi Center, as well as 19 of their past 21. With a 31-7 home record, Denver's best since 1988-89, Iverson was asked if Denver is one of the best home teams in the NBA.

"Honestly, I think so," said Iverson, who suggested the crowd of 18,870 had guzzled Red Bull all night. "The energy is always in this building. People think the crowd doesn't help you, but the fans help you so much. They give you that added confidence. They give you hope."
Nuggets Recap

What you might have missed

The Nuggets shot 37-for-47 from the free-throw line. Not only did the Suns get to the line just 26 times, but they made only 14 shots (53.8 percent). Denver's Marcus Camby scored only six points, but he did hit a clutch jumper from the top of the key with 37.7 seconds left.

Final thought

The Nuggets lost the lead in the final four minutes, and a lesser team might have folded against the likes of Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire. But Denver buckled down defensively, hit key shots and free throws and won a big game.

Up next

vs. Sacramento, 7 p.m., Saturday.

Source: Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294