Nuggets hold off Sonics

Denver is now a half game ahead of the Clippers for the seventh seed in the Western Conference playoff race.

Allen Iverson notched 26 points and seven assists for the Nuggets, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Linas Kleiza scored 16 points and Steve Blake added 13 points and seven assists.

"No I do not pay any attention to the standings, I am just worried about us," Iverson said. "We expected a battle and they gave us one,"

Earl Watson scored 28 points off the bench for Seattle, which had a three-game winning streak snapped. Rashard Lewis had 27 points and nine boards, while Chris Wilcox added 20 points in the loss.

"They played a little harder than we did and they got the win," Lewis said. "We did not play together enough on defense to win this game."

Seattle cut its deficit to four, 105-101, on Lewis’ trey with 2:15 to go in the fourth, but the Nuggets responded on a 9-2 spurt down the stretch to seal the win.

Denver got going on a 13-2 run capped by an Anthony jumper at the two-minute of the first, and led 28-18 heading into the second.

The Sonics caught up midway through the second by going on a 14-4 run highlighted by a pair of Watson treys for a 46-40 deficit with just under four minutes remaining. They trailed just 54-51 at halftime.

The Nuggets added to their lead, though, by scoring six straight midway through the third. But, Seattle went on a 17-6 burst down the stretch and Mike Wilks’ tip shot with six ticks left trimmed the deficit all the way down to 81-80 heading into the fourth.

Game Notes

This was the fourth and final meeting of the campaign between the Northwest Division rivals. The teams split a pair of games at the Pepsi Center, while the Nuggets defeated Seattle, 117-112, on January 23rd at KeyArena...Denver has won four of its last five at Seattle.