Iverson, Nuggets still getting acquainted

Philadelphia has lost five of its last seven at Denver. The Nuggets have won two in a row in the series.

The Nuggets acquired Iverson and forward Ivan McFarlin, who was released, on December 19, 2006 from Philadelphia for point guard Andre Miller, forward Joe Smith and a pair of 2007 first-round draft picks.

Iverson, who is playing in his 11th season in the NBA and was originally selected out of Georgetown by Philadelphia with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1996 draft, was the NBA’s MVP in the 2000-01 campaign and led the Sixers to the 2001 NBA Finals, where they fell in five games to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Georgetown product is averaging 28.6 points and 8.8 assists in five games for Denver. The Nuggets are just 2-3 with their new All-Star guard in the lineup.

Denver enters Tuesday’s contest on a two-game losing streak. On Sunday, Josh Howard recorded 28 points and a game-high 17 rebounds, as the Dallas Mavericks edged the Nuggets, 89-85 at the Pepsi Center.

Iverson netted 28 in the loss for the Nuggets. Earl Boykins scored 20 off the bench, while Marcus Camby notched a double-double with 13 points and 13 boards.

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, while Smith has recorded 16.7 per contest.

The Nuggets are 9-6 at home this season. They will visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday at the Staples Center. Denver has lost seven straight and 17 of its last 18 at the Lakers.

Denver is 16-3 when it scores 100 or more points this season.