Iverson leads Nuggets over Blazers

Carmelo Anthony added 29 points and eight rebounds for the Nuggets, who beat the Trail Blazers for the 10th time in the last 11 meetings.

Marcus Camby played a big role in the win with 14 points, 10 boards and seven blocked shots, as Denver won its second in a row to pull within a game of the Lakers for the sixth spot in the Western Conference.

"We set the tempo early," Iverson said. "Obviously we had a mindset to come in and get stops. We’re pretty sure we can score with teams and if we play defense we’re going to be hard to beat."

Zach Randolph tallied 26 points and LaMarcus Aldridge ended with 24 points and 17 boards for the Blazers, who lost for the third time in four contests. Brandon Roy had 16 points before fouling out and Jarrett Jack had 13 points and nine assists in a losing cause.

Portland has lost 14 of its last 15 at Denver.

"Anytime you start off with five turnovers and have 14 by halftime, you’re going to dig yourself a hole," Portland coach Nate McMillan said. "You just can’t do that."

Camby’s alley-oop dunk capped eight straight points for the Nuggets, who went ahead 20-12. They carried a 29-19 advantage into the second quarter.

A pair of Iverson free throws widened the margin to 39-21 and Denver’s lead was a comfortable 55-37 score at the break.

However, Portland rallied in the third, closing within 75-71 following a three-pointer from Ime Udoka in the final seconds of the period, but the Blazers trailed 78-71 going into the fourth.

Two straight layups by Aldridge cut Portland’s deficit to 99-93 with 1:44 remaining, but Steve Blake countered with a jumper and the Blazers couldn’t get closer than seven the rest of the way.

Game Notes

Nuggets assistant coach Mike Dunlap released a statement Tuesday saying he has removed his name from consideration for the head coaching vacancy at the University of Colorado...The Nuggets went 29-of-35 at the foul line, including a 14-for-16 effort from Iverson...Aldridge also had four blocked shots and finished 11-of-17 from the field...The Nuggets gave up a season-low 37 points in the first half...Iverson had his 11th double-double of the season, while Camby registered his 23rd.