Allen Iverson fought through jet lag, car sickness and pregame butterflies that felt more like birds before he finally got to play his first game for the Denver Nuggets.
When his debut with the depleted Nuggets was over Friday night, the feeling was familiar for the former 76er. Another crowd-pleasing performance, 22 points and 10 assists over 39 minutes, wasn't enough to prevent a loss -- 101-96 to the Sacramento Kings.
"I'm glad it's over," Iverson said. "That's the only thing I thought about, just getting the first one by me. I wish it could've ended with a win. I felt it could've ended with a win."
As it turned out, it was another former Philadelphia player, fifth-year guard John Salmons, who was the game's most valuable player. He finished with his first career triple-double -- 21 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists -- to lift the Kings to a satisfying win.
Rough weather in Denver put them in a travel bind, and they arrived at the Pepsi Center only 90 minutes before tipoff, or about the same time Iverson finally made it.
"We will never have a worse travel day than today," Kings coach Eric Musselman said. "Our energy and effort was phenomenal."
The Kings might go down as a trivia answer if Iverson's arrival in the blockbuster trade that sent Andre Miller and Joe Smith to Philadelphia takes the Nuggets where they hope it will.
In his debut, playing on a team with only eight healthy players, the newest Nugget gave the kind of gritty, gutty performance that has become his trademark.
He played 39 minutes after a whirlwind of a day in which he arrived in Denver in the late afternoon, was whisked to the Pepsi Center, passed his physical, took a few jumpers on the practice court then suited up to be on the floor for tipoff.
He spent the first 8:35 on the bench. When he finally came in, he received a standing ovation, and never left the floor.
This was widely considered the biggest trade in Denver sports history since the Broncos brought John Elway to town nearly 25 years ago. It's a trade many think could put the Nuggets -- who have long played second fiddle in this city -- into championship mode.
"They embraced me here," Iverson said of the welcome he received. "It was just a great feeling and it was a feeling I wanted to get. A feeling I hoped to get. It was special to me, something I'll remember and cherish the rest of my life."
During a stretch late in the third quarter, Iverson was at his tiptoeing, no-look-passing best, giving a preview of the difference he can make to this team.
He made a pair of 3-pointers, created an open 15-footer for himself and also had a sweet pass to Linas Kleiza as part of a big run that gave the Nuggets their first lead since early in the first quarter.
The highlight was a tiptoe down the baseline, followed by a no-look pass to Reggie Evans through traffic in the key for an easy bucket.
The game was tied at 87 with 3½ minutes left when the Kings started pulling away with six straight points on a pair of baskets by Salmons and a layup by Shareef Abdur-Rahim.
Iverson would have had 20 assists were it not for the struggles of his new teammates, many of them unused to the minutes they played and none of them accustomed to receiving the kind of passes Iverson throws.
"I was just playing basketball, taking what the defense gave me," Iverson said of the Kings, who played a lot of zone trying to stop Iverson. "When they crowded me, and I saw guys open, I made the right plays."
Iverson finished 9-for-15 and this was one of those rare games in which he may not have shot the ball enough.
Earl Boykins scored 25 points on an 8-for-23 night in which the Nuggets shot 37 percent as a team.
"It was a tough game," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "We really wanted to win it for AI and the team. The courage was good, the commitment was good. It was the little basketball frustrations that slowly built to a level that was difficult to overcome."
Certainly, things will change when Carmelo Anthony returns 13 games from now after serving out his suspension for his fight with the Knicks.
But as it currently stands, the Nuggets need everything from Iverson. They are also missing J.R. Smith -- also on suspension -- and learned that center Marcus Camby could be out a while because of a finger injury he suffered earlier this week.
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Although not the prolific scorer he was in his earlier years with the Philadelphia 76ers, Allen Iverson is still a difference maker.
The 34-year-old Iverson showed he still can score, getting 11 of his 20 points in the third quarter. And his presence alone was a factor as the 76ers pulled away in the final period for a 116-106 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.
Lou Williams scored 22 points and Andre Iguodala had 19 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for the 76ers. Both Williams and Iguodala scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, when the 76ers stretched the lead to double digits. Iguodala said part of the credit belongs to Iverson.
"He has helped us out a lot, he really opens the floor for everybody when he's out there," Iguodala said. "He still draws a lot of attention and teams can't key on myself or anyone else."
Iverson is not happy about being limited to 28-30 minutes a game, which are recommended by the team's medical staff to come in shorter increments due to his arthritic right knee. He missed four recent games with a sore knee, but played 32 minutes against the Kings in his second game back, making 6-of-14 shots and adding five rebounds, three assists and three steals.
"All my life I've been watching him play and to have the opportunity to play him was fun," said Kings guard Sergio Rodriguez, who was matched up against Iverson at times. "He showed that he can still play and he can play well. He looked great."
Iverson was at his best in the third quarter, when the 76ers took the lead for good and went into the fourth ahead 79-76. He had 11 points, scoring on a variety of shots, including a 3-pointer that put Philadelphia in front 72-70.
"It's important for me to do whatever I can to help the guys and give them confidence that we can win games," Iverson said. "I was telling them when we were down 13 in the first quarter to stay with it, and make them believe we could come back." Even with Iverson on the bench for less than five minutes in the fourth quarter, that confidence was evident. The 76ers spread the court, moved the ball effectively, and repeatedly made perimeter shots when they built the lead to double digits in putting together back-to-back wins for the first time since Oct. 30-31.
Rodney Carney and Elton Brand scored 14 points apiece for the 76ers. who connected on 9-of-16 3-pointers.
"Allen gives us another dimension, guys are really playing off him," 76ers coach Eddie Jordan said. "Lou Williams got it going, and Carney came off the bench and did a great job. All our guys played well in their roles."
Donte Greene and Omri Casspi each scored 21 points for the Kings, who have lost three of their last four home games. But unlike the previous losses, overtime affairs to Cleveland the Lakers, this loss came against a team that entered the game with only eight wins. Jason Thompson had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Rodriguez also scored 15 points.
"We were ripe to be picked off tonight and we need to learn that we are not as good as people say we are," said Kings coach Paul Westphal, whose team defeated Denver on Monday. "Sometimes you have to not only bounce back from tough losses but you have to bounce back from big wins."
The Kings played their second straight game without rookie guard Tyreke Evans, who is nursing a sore ankle and is day to day. Beno Udrih played a rare poor game in his place, shooting 3 of 11, scoring nine points, and committing three turnovers.
"Tyreke is a big piece of our team and he's been showing that the whole year," Udrih said. "But we can't feel sorry for ourselves. Injuries are a part of the game and you deal with it."
Carney opened the fourth quarter with a pair of 3-pointers, and a jumper by Williams gave the 76ers a 90-81 advantage with 9:40 remaining. With the Kings missing open looks throughout the period, the 76ers' lead grew to 107-95 when Iguodala made a follow shot with 3:34 left.
The Kings squandered an 11-point lead after one quarter and were outscored 33-22 in the second. The aggressive inside play of Brand, who scored 11 points, helped fuel the 76ers' comeback. Casspi had 11 points for the Kings.
Game notes
In the offseason, Jordan was an early candidate for the Kings head coaching job, but took the offer from Philadelphia instead of waiting for the Kings to end their search, which resulted in the hiring of Westphal. ... Carney scored 12 points in his first 10 minutes off the bench, all of them coming via four 3-pointers. ... Iverson entered the game 1 for 3 this season in 3-point attempts, but made both attempts against the Kings.
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Elton Brand said the Philadelphia 76ers' game plan was simple.
Even coming from behind, they made it look easy.
Brand scored a season-high 25 points and had nine rebounds in a reserve role as Philadelphia rallied to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 104-93.
"We attacked. That's really all it was. We attacked," Brand said.
Philadelphia (8-22) shot 75 percent during the third quarter and made 26-of-40 shots after halftime as the Sixers wiped out Portland's 10-point lead in the third quarter.
For the game, Philadelphia made 57.7 percent from the field (45-of-78). The Blazers shot 42.2 percent (35-of-83).
Brand, a former All Star, hit 11-of-16 shots in 30 minutes. Allen Iverson, returning to the lineup after missing the past four games with a knee injury, made 7-of-11 shots and scored 19 points. Marreese Speights hit 7-of-8 shots and was one of three Sixers to score 14 points.
The return of Iverson appeared to give Philadelphia a boost. Iverson's first game since Dec. 16 wasn't easy for the 34-year-old guard.
"Once I got my second wind I was all right. The first couple minutes I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest," said Iverson, who in 31 minutes also handed out five assists and collected four rebounds.
Philadelphia lost three of four games with Iverson sidelined.
"Having Allen back helps. He's a finisher. He can get to the line and get the ball to guy at the right time. We've missed that," Brand said.
Portland (20-13) came into Monday's game having won four consecutive games, all against teams with winning records. Only Minnesota (7-24) and New Jersey (2-28) had worse records in the NBA than Philadelphia.
Brand thought Portland looked past the Sixers.
"If you look at our record, it's easy to overlook a team like us. But we're talented and this is what can happen," Brand said.
Portland coach Nate McMillan, noting that the Blazers gave up 60 points inside the paint and 61 second-half points, was disappointed with his team's lack of urgency after its recent play in wins over Miami, Dallas, San Antonio and Denver.
"We were a step slow all night long. The movement, the ball movement, setting the screens. I didn't think we got to our tempo," McMillan said.
Brandon Roy led Portland (20-13) with 24 points, while LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Portland controlled the second quarter to take a 49-43 halftime lead. The key stretch came midway through the quarter when, with the game tied 36-36, Roy and Dante Cunningham combined to score nine unanswered points to give the Blazers a 45-36 lead.
Portland stretched its lead to 61-51 midway during the third quarter before Philadelphia made its move. The Sixers went on a 13-4 run, then capped the quarter when Royal Ivey hit a buzzer-beating 22-footer to give Philadelphia a 77-73 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Sixers continued their surge during the final period. Over a 13-minute stretch spanning the third and fourth quarters, Philadelphia outscored the Blazers 40-17 to take a 91-78 lead with 6:05 left in the game. The Sixers led by as many as 16 points.
Game notes
Philadelphia has won three straight over Portland and five of its past six over the Blazers. Iverson, acquired by Philadelphia on Dec. 5, is averaging 16.1 points in six games with the Sixers. Since Nov. 11, Philadelphia is 4-18. Roy has scored at least 23 points in 13 consecutive games. It is the longest active streak of 20-point plus games in the NBA. Portland committed a season-low seven turnovers against the Sixers.