Nuggets hang on to beat Cavs

Allen Iverson added 25 points and nine assists for the Nuggets, who have won back-to-back contests for just the second time since the former 76er came to the Mile High City. J.R. Smith ended with 14 points and Linas Kleiza 12 for Denver, which beat the Cavs for the seventh time in the last 10 meetings.

The Nuggets have Saturday night’s contest at Houston remaining before they get star Carmelo Anthony back from his 15-game suspension Monday at home versus Memphis.

"Not having Melo has been tough for us, but we only have one more to go," Iverson said. "It was a great team effort."

LeBron James registered his first triple-double of the season with 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, but Cleveland suffered its third consecutive defeat, tying a season-high.

Denver led by as many as 25 in the third quarter. Iverson’s layup pushed the score to 82-57 midway through the period, but the Cavs started to close the gap and got within 88-70 going into the fourth.

Several lapses on defense allowed Cleveland to cut the deficit to single digits late in the fourth. James’ driving layup made it 100-92, capping an 11-4 run, with just over four minutes left.

A three-pointer by Damon Jones got Cleveland within 103-98 with 3:15 left, but Nene hit two free throws, then blocked Donyell Marshall’s shot and slammed at the other end to extend the advantage to nine. Iverson’s two free throws made it 109-98 with 2:11 left.

Marshall ended with 14 points and Larry Hughes 13 for Cleveland.

Two consecutive baskets by Camby, including a dunk, capped eight straight points by the Nuggets for a 15-8 lead. Denver held a 29-22 advantage after 12 minutes.

The Nuggets boosted that lead to as many as 21 in the second quarter, the last time at 64-43 on an Eduardo Najera reverse layup in the final minute. Denver’s lead stood at 64-45 at the half.

Game Notes

Cleveland has lost 13 of its last 17 at Denver...The Cavs are 2-4 on their current seven-game road trip, which ends with a contest at Golden State Saturday...James fell to the court with nearly five minutes remaining after getting his right foot caught under the body of a falling Smith. James came off under his own power and returned to the game...Anderson Varejao had 11 points and Zydrunas Ilgauskas 10 for Cleveland.