Allen-less SuperSonics visit Iverson, Nuggets

Superstar Allen Iverson poured in 28 points and dished out 13 assists to lead Denver past the Boston Celtics, 116-105, at the Pepsi Center. Iverson, who was acquired earlier this month in a blockbuster trade from the Philadelphia 76ers, finished 9-of-22 from the floor and went 9-of-13 from the line, while Earl Boykins contributed 28 points off the bench.

Eduardo Najera scored 16 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, while Nene added 12 points and 14 boards for the Nuggets, who have won three of their last four games overall.

Denver continues to play without star forward Carmelo Anthony and guard J.R. Smith. Anthony is serving a 15-game suspension for his role in December 16th’s brawl at Madison Square Garden, while Smith received a 10-game suspension.

Anthony is averaging 31.6 points per game, and Smith has netteded 16.7 per contest.

On the injury front for Denver, center Marcus Camby is sidelined with a broken finger on his right hand. Camby is averaging 11.7 points and a team-best 11.0 rebounds per game.

Denver is 8-5 at home and 2-1 on the homestand. The Nuggets are scheduled to visit the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets on Friday at the Ford Center.

Seattle tries to win its third straight game. On Tuesday, New Orleans/Oklahoma City may have suffered a bigger loss during the game than at its conclusion, as Chris Paul’s ankle injury overshadowed Luke Ridnour’s 27-point, nine-assist performance during the SuperSonics’ 102-94 victory over the Hornets at KeyArena.

Chris Wilcox notched a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds in the win over the Hornets for Seattle, while All-Star Ray Allen ended with 21 points and eight assists for the SuperSonics, who won their second straight contest.

Allen is expected to miss tonight’s contest to be present for the birth of his third child. Seattle is 3-6 without Allen this season.

The SuperSonics are 4-10 on the road this season. They will visit Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday at the Target Center.

Seattle has lost two of its last three at Denver. The teams have split the last eight contests in this series.