Portland adds to Denver's pain

Iverson, Anthony each score 34 for depleted Nuggets

Aaron J. Lopez

Published December 22, 2007 at 12:45 a.m.

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Photo by Jonathan Ferrey / Getty Images

Nuggets guard Allen Iverson drives against Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy during Denver's 99-96 loss Friday.

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With both feet in an ice bucket and his right shoulder wrapped up as though he had just thrown 120 pitches, Carmelo Anthony was the perfect postgame symbol for the Nuggets.

His 23-year-old body felt more like 43.

"You see what I got on, right?" he said. "I feel as old as a (expletive) right now."

To say the Nuggets were a banged-up group as they limped out of Portland would be an understatement on par with saying Jamie Lynn Spears is a poor role model for teenage girls.

The bodies were bruised but the Nuggets at least showed some heart Friday night, nearly toppling the NBA's hottest team in a juiced-up atmosphere at the Rose Garden.

Anthony and Allen Iverson became the first Denver teammates in 17 years to score at least 30 points in consecutive games, but they didn't get enough support in a 99-96 loss to the Trail Blazers.

One night after combining for 73 points in a double-

overtime win against Houston, Anthony and Iverson each scored 34 points. The rest of their teammates combined for 28.

"We probably just didn't get enough from the other guys," coach George Karl said. "You can't ask much more from A.I. and Melo than we got."

Playing without injured big men Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby, the undermanned Nuggets faced a tall task against a Portland team that extended its winning streak to an NBA-best 10 games.

Denver gave the Blazers a run, taking a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter but made only 9-of-23 shots and suffered several defensive lap- ses in the final 12 minutes of the game.

"I'm sure we'll all feel good about the energy and the commitment we made to the game, but it's disappointing," Karl said. "We probably don't have enough bodies on the court to make as many mistakes as we did in the fourth quarter."

The Blazers started the fourth with a 16-2 run to take an 85-78 lead with 8:13 to play. At that point, the Nuggets could have gone meekly into the night, but they rallied to tie the score at 94 with 1:27 to go.

James Jones gave Portland the lead when he made 1-of-2 free throws with 36.2 seconds left, and Brandon Roy made a huge defensive play against Anthony on Denver's next possession.

Roy, who gives up about 2 inches and 20 pounds to Anthony, blocked Anthony's shot in the low post with 23 seconds left, and the Blazers secured the win with four free throws down the stretch.

"I didn't even think he was going to jump," Anthony said. "It wasn't no foul. It was a good defensive play by him."

Roy struggled from the floor, missing 11-of-15 shots, but he still finished with 18 points. Martell Webster added 19 points and LaMarcus Aldridge had 18 points as the Blazers boasted five players in double figures. Portland's reserves outscored Denver's bench 39-10.

Asked if he and Anthony needed a third person to help ease the scoring burden, Iverson said: "It definitely would have helped, but everybody tried to contribute and do what they could do."

Even with the top-heavy scoresheet, the Nuggets had an opportunity to tie the score in the closing seconds, but Travis Outlaw blocked Linas Kleiza's three-point attempt as time expired.

The final defensive stop allowed the Blazers to pull a half-game back of Denver for the Northwest Division lead.

"The Trail Blazers, I don't want to say they're a sleeper in the West," Anthony said. "They are a tough team."

After employing a small lineup that often featured 6-foot-8 forward Eduardo Najera as the de facto center, it is uncertain whether the Nuggets will get reinforcements in time for their game Sunday at Sacramento.

Martin, who averaged 13.3 points and 8.8 rebounds in his four previous games, did not play because of strained right hamstring and described himself as "day to day."

Camby, Denver's defensive anchor in the middle of the paint, sat out after taking a nasty fall Thursday night but said he possibly could return Sunday. His streak of consecutive games played ended at 25, three short of his personal ironman mark.

"I can't pinpoint one spot (that hurts)," Camby said. "It's my hip, back and neck."

After the game Friday, Anthony can relate.

ETC.: Orlando Woolridge and Walter Davis were the last two Nuggets to score at least 30 points each in consecutive games. They did it Nov. 7 and Nov. 9, 1990. . . . Nuggets assistant Doug Moe was not on the bench for the second game in a row because of an illness.

Trail Blazers 99, Nuggets 96

FG FT Reb

DENVER Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts

Anthony 40:07 14-26 6-9 1-12 1 4 34

Kleiza 33:45 4-8 2-4 3-5 1 4 11

McCoy 18:23 1-1 0-0 1-4 0 3 2

Iverson 45:03 11-26 11-12 0-4 3 1 34

Carter 35:13 2-3 0-0 0-5 9 3 5

Najera 23:56 2-3 0-0 4-5 1 2 4

Jones 13:45 0-1 0-0 1-2 0 4 0

Atkins 20:48 1-8 0-0 0-0 2 0 3

Smith 8:59 1-3 0-0 0-2 1 0 3

Totals 240 36-79 19-25 10-39 18 21 96

Percentages - FG .456, FT .760. Three-point goals - 5-20, .250 (Carter 1-1, Smith 1-3, Kleiza 1-4, Atkins 1-5, Iverson 1-5, Anthony 0-1, Najera 0-1). Team rebounds - 5. Team turnovers - 11 (9 pts.). Blocked shots - 1 (McCoy). Turnovers - 11 (Carter 2, Iverson 2, Jones 2, McCoy 2, Kleiza, Najera, Smith). Steals - 4 (Iverson 2, Anthony, Najera). Technicals - Defensive three second, 8:40 third; Jones, 10:15 fourth.

FG FT Reb

PORT. Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts

Webster 27:14 7-12 1-1 0-5 1 3 19

Aldridge 33:12 8-16 2-4 4-8 5 2 18

Przybilla 12:54 1-2 0-0 1-4 0 4 2

Roy 38:00 4-15 10-12 0-3 5 4 18

Blake 26:26 1-2 0-0 0-3 7 1 3

Frye 20:27 4-6 0-0 3-10 2 1 8

Jack 27:34 1-4 2-2 0-2 2 0 5

Rodriguez 4:06 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0

Outlaw 23:32 4-11 4-6 2-6 2 3 12

Jones 26:35 4-7 3-4 0-2 1 2 14

Totals 240 34-75 22-29 10-43 25 21 99

Percentages - FG .453, FT .759. Three-point goals - 9-25, .360 (Webster 4-8, Jones 3-5, Blake 1-2, Jack 1-3, Outlaw 0-1, Roy 0-6). Team rebounds - 10. Team turnovers - 14 (17 pts.). Blocked shots - 6 (Outlaw 3, Blake, Przybilla, Roy). Turnovers - 13 (Jones 3, Blake 2, Jack 2, Roy 2, Aldridge, Outlaw, Rodriguez, Webster).

Steals - 2 (Jack, Webster). Technicals - None.

Denver 22 30 24 20 - 96

Portland 30 20 19 30 - 99

A - NA (19,980). T - 2:21. Officials - Dick Bavetta, Sean Corbin, David Guthrie.

NUMBERS GAME

48 hours that Jelani McCoy was without a job after being waived by the Nuggets on Wednesday. Denver re-signed McCoy on Friday and the veteran center was in the starting lineup against Portland because of injuries to power forward Kenyon Martin and center Marcus Camby.

TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE

No one can accuse Hall of Fame center Bill Walton of being conservative in his opinions.

Portland's Brandon Roy, 23, has been playing like an All-Star this season, but Walton, now an ESPN analyst, predicts much bigger things for the guard in his second season.

"This guy, he is going to the basketball Hall of Fame," Walton said on the air Friday.

Roy, who is averaging 19.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.6 assists, laughed when told about Walton's lofty expectations.

"I think that's cool. It's funny, but it's cool," Roy said.

EARLY CHRISTMAS GIFT?

Coach George Karl had planned to spend Christmas Eve with his son, Coby, who is playing for the Los Angeles Lakers' development league affiliate, but it looks like a promotion to the NBA will change those plans.

The elder Karl said Friday that Coby has been told he will rejoin the Lakers on Monday in advance of their Christmas Day game against the Suns.

Coby Karl, averaging 18.4 points in nine NBADL games, has a nonguaranteed contact that would become guaranteed Jan. 10.

HE SAID IT

"I think we've got to be careful of wearing him out. . . . He would deny that because he's Superman, but history says once you get playing towards 3,000 minutes a year, there's injuries or circumstances that statistically aren't positive."

Karl, on Nuggets guard Allen Iverson, who is on pace to play 3,362 minutes this season after logging nearly 57 minutes Thursday.

Aaron J. Lopez

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