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Nuggets halt Spurs' win streak at 11

Sat 8th, March 2008

Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Allen Iverson continued his recent strong play, scoring 29 points and dishing out nine assists while committing just two turnovers, and the Denver Nuggets kept pace in the heated Western Conference playoff race by snapping the San Antonio Spurs' 11-game win streak with a 109-96 victory at the Pepsi Center.

Carmelo Anthony recovered from a sluggish start to score 25 points and grab eight rebounds, and the Nuggets knocked off their second straight conference heavyweight, winning for the fourth time in five outings. Denver sprinted past Phoenix Wednesday night, 126-113, with Iverson dropping 31 and playing a turnover-free game.

Anthony shot just 1-for-7 in the first half for eight points, but he, along with his team, caught fire during the final 24 minutes. Denver (37-24) remains a game back of Golden State for the eighth and final seed in the conference.

Manu Ginobili scored 24 points and dished out five assists, but was strangely absent from the Spurs lineup for long stretches of the second half, and the Spurs not only had their season-best win streak halted, but also fell a half- game behind the Lakers for the top seed in the West.

"I am impressed with the Nuggets," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "They played smarter than we did, outplayed us mentally and physically."

The Spurs led by eight at the break, but Anthony emerged from the locker room aggressive, and scored the second half's first seven points to immediately bring the Nuggets back within one.

Ginobili spent the first four minutes of the third quarter on the bench, but bounced off the pine at the 7:51 mark and continued his dissection of the Denver defense. First, he dished to Tim Duncan for a hoop, then hit a jumper to tie the score at 68, and after the Nuggets reclaimed the lead, he buried a stepback three and split a double-team for a bucket right over Marcus Camby.

But the Spurs couldn't get defensive stops, as Eduardo Najera's three extended the Nuggets lead to 80-73 going to the fourth.

Iverson's layup on the break stretched the lead to 86-73 just ahead of the 10- minute mark in the fourth, and J.R. Smith buried a deep three off a back-tap from Najera for a 96-81 advantage with 6:09 remaining.

San Antonio appeared to concede the outcome at that point, as head coach Gregg Popovich went with a group that didn't include Ginobili, Duncan, Tony Parker or Bruce Bowen, allowing Denver to cruise to the finish.

Najera finished with a career-high-tying 19 points and six boards, while Smith scored 15 in his 25 minutes off the bench.

Duncan poured in 23 and nine for the Spurs, but Bowen was the only other scorer in double figures, with 11.

San Antonio jumped out to an early 20-9 lead, but the Nuggets raced back to tie the game at 26 heading to the second quarter.

Both teams struggled to generate much offense the rest of the half, though Parker provided one highlight, threading the needle with a beautiful bounce pass to a streaking Bowen for a lay-in and a 39-36 Spurs lead with just under four minutes to go in the half.

A 10-2 San Antonio spurt had the Spurs up as many as 11, and they took a 54-46 advantage into the halftime break.

Game Notes

Iverson had a string of 15 consecutive assists without a turnover snapped late in the third quarter, when a questionable non-foul resulted in his first giveaway in two games...Anthony turned an ankle after converting a three-point play in the final minute, and left early for the locker room to have it examined...Iverson also had a minor injury, jamming his finger before halftime and undergoing X-rays during the break; they were negative, and he emerged from the locker room with the tape on the finger - tape he removed before the third quarter even started...The Nuggets shot 54 percent for the game, and forced 16 Spurs turnovers...Parker was limited to four points and six assists, while committing five turnovers...Camby had a game-high 13 boards.

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