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 Iverson's big effort came against the Los Angeles Lakers, and it came in defeat. This time, he mixed in 12 assists as the Nuggets won for the third time in seven games.
Linas Kleiza benefited from Iverson's passing, scoring a season-best 23. Carmelo Anthony had 23 points and Marcus Camby added 14 rebounds and eight points.
Dirk Nowitzki tied his season high with 32 points and had 12 rebounds, and Jerry Stackhouse scored a season-high 23 points, but
-- like Iverson the night before -- it was hardly a consolation. The Mavericks lost their second straight, third in four games and sixth in the last nine.
Dallas gave up its most points this season in a quarter (39, the first), a half (64) and a game. The problems were at both ends of the court as the Mavericks also committed a season-high 19 turnovers.
Fans watching on TNT got a little more insight than ever before in a broadcast as it was the first with players and coaches wearing microphones. There were sideline interviews with the coaches between quarters, too.
Among the insights: Nuggets coach George Karl saying, "When we pass the ball, we usually play well," and Mavericks coach Avery Johnson telling his team, "Good hustle, men, keep it up," during a timeout.
Iverson made 12-of-19 field goals and was 11-of-13 from the line. He played 43 minutes, despite having gone all 48 the night before.
Denver took control with a 24-7 run during a span bridging the first two quarters. The Nuggets led by as many as 16, but the Mavericks tied it at 82 late in the third.
Dallas was still within 94-92 in the final minute of the period, but things didn't stay close for long. A pair of baskets by Iverson in the final seconds of the quarter started a 13-2 spurt that also included a 3-pointer from defensive specialist Eduardo Najera.
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Najera, the microphone-wearing Nuggets player, smacked Nowitzki on his way to the basket, starting a fast break for Denver's final points in the rally.
Najera had five points and seven rebounds. Kenyon Martin, a Dallas native, had 18 points and seven rebounds.
Josh Howard had 20 points for Dallas. He had 17 at halftime, then got his fourth foul seconds into third quarter and didn't score again until there was 8:18 left in the game.
Nowitzki picked up some of the slack for Howard, scoring 13 in the third quarter. But he had only two points in the final 16 minutes.
Devin Harris scored 12 points for Dallas. Devean George was scoreless in seven minutes, but at least he played. He'd been out all season with a stress reaction in his left foot.
Notes: Dallas allowed at least one 30-point quarters for the 10th time in 11 games. That might explain why former assistant coach-turned-consultant Del Harris, who used to be their defensive specialist, was in attendance. ... George got a nice ovation when he came in. Nine seconds later, refs welcomed him back with his first foul. ... Nowitzki got back-to-back technicals in the third quarter, one for a defensive 3-seconds and another for throwing the ball into the scorer's table in disgust. However, Anthony missed them both. He actually went 1-for-4 on technicals, missing another in the first half. Funny thing is, he was 4-of-5 on his other foul shots. ... Denver G Von Wafer was involved in a car accident Thursday. He got to the arena late, but said he was OK and declined to discuss what happened. He dressed but didn't play.
[Associated Press; By JAIME ARON]
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
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