Nuggets Head to Dallas
One of the many signature performances of Allen Iverson’s remarkable career wasn’t enough to get Denver a win on Wednesday.
One night later, the Nuggets are hoping that Iverson can help them end their struggles in Dallas when they visit the Mavericks.
Oddsmakers from Bodog have made Dallas –7.5 point spread favorites (NBA Odds) for today’s game, the over/under has been set at 213.5 total points (Matchup). Our public betting information shows that 59% of bets for this game have been placed on Dallas –7.5 (View NBA Bet Percentages).
Iverson scored a season-high 51 points Wednesday night, but Denver (11-8) still lost for the fourth time in six games, falling 111-107 to the Los Angeles Lakers. Iverson managed only two points – a layup with 3:15 left – in the critical fourth quarter.
"When somebody gets 49 points in the first three quarters obviously its going to draw attention to the other team," said Iverson, who has reached the 50-point mark 11 times in his career. "When somebody’s got 49 points they want to make sure I get the ball out of my hands, and that’s what they did. My responsibly is to give it up and my teammates had to make plays."
Iverson’s easily exceeded his previous season high of 37 points against Cleveland on Nov. 12. His 51 points were the most by a Nuggets player since Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf scored 51 at Utah on Dec. 7, 1995, but fell 22 shy of David Thompson’s franchise record set on April 9, 1978, against Detroit.
Iverson, who had scored at least 20 points in each of his previous four games, had 33 in the first half, matching his career high.
"I just got in a rhythm. I kept attacking," Iverson said. "Everything that I saw open, I attacked, and I was able to knock down shots. When I got the ball, it seemed like every move that I made, it would throw the defender off."
Carmelo Anthony added 26 points for the Nuggets, but Eduardo Najera – with 10 points off the bench – was the only other Denver player in double figures. Aside from Iverson and Anthony, Denver’s starting lineup managed only 10 points.
Anthony leads the team with 25.3 points per game, while Iverson is averaging 24.9. There’s then a big drop-off to J.R. Smith, who ranks third with 11.6 points per game.
The Nuggets will likely need a more balanced effort in Dallas (12-7), where they have dropped five straight visits since a 107-102 win on Jan.31, 2004, and 18 of 19 since the start of the 1997-98 season.
The Mavericks are 8-1 at home this season, but are coming off a 1-2 road trip. They lost 97-95 on Wednesday at San Antonio to a Spurs team playing without superstar Tim Duncan.
"They made shots and tough buckets in the lane over our centers. … We should have won this game, but we didn’t, said Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki, who had 15 points and nine rebounds.
Josh Howard led the Mavericks with 22 points and nine boards, and Jason Terry added 20 points.
"We weren’t very good for enough of this game. The breakdowns are very disappointing," said Dallas coach Avery Johnson, whose team has dropped five of eight overall following a 9-2 start to the season. "Once the guys get sick and tired of having the same breakdowns over and over again, like I am, then we’ll have some consistency."
By: Marc Young – theSpread.com – Email Us
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