Big nights for Iverson, Nuggets; big win for Mavs

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They rang up numbers that would make defensive purists cringe: Allen Iverson, 46 points. Denver Nuggets, 140 points. In San Antonio, the Spurs and Mavericks played something that more resembled playoff basketball -- and once again it was Dallas coming out on top. On a 13-game night in the NBA, Iverson's stood out among a number of superb performances. He played 45 minutes, went 15-for-30 from the floor, made 16 of 17 free throws, and added 10 assists as the Philadelphia 76ers snapped a four-game losing streak with a 123-108 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday. Not bad for a player who missed two games earlier this week after surgery to remove an abscessed wisdom tooth -- and said he was still in pain. "This thing still kills me," Iverson said. "I didn't take any painkillers before the game because I was scared that it was going to make me drowsy, so I just had to deal with the pain. I can't wait to take some before I leave." The Nuggets deserved some relief, too, after outrunning the Golden State Warriors in a 140-129 victory. It's the most points the Nuggets have scored since a 140-122 win over Sacramento on March 29, 1991. "It (felt) like a recreation game," Carmelo Anthony said. "You're just out there running. You score and they come back down and score, keep going back and forth." In other games, it was: Atlanta 97, Toronto 93; Orlando 107, Miami 104; New York 101, Boston 77; Memphis 95, Washington 80; Indiana 97, Cleveland 87; Detroit 104, Charlotte 95; Minnesota 86, New Orleans 79; Utah 114, the Los Angeles Lakers 108; Sacramento 109, Seattle 100; and Phoenix 99, New Jersey 93. At Denver, J.R. Smith scored 31 points and NBA scoring leader Anthony added 30 for the Nuggets, who already topped the NBA in scoring. Golden State hadn't given up so many points since surrendering 143 against Portland on Jan. 26, 1993. "This was unheard of," Warriors guard Jason Richardson said. "This was depressing." The Spurs had already seen what happened to them Friday -- just last spring. That's when Dallas went into San Antonio for Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals, built a huge early lead and then won in overtime. This time, the Mavs raced to a 14-point lead after one quarter, then held on for a 95-92 victory that extended their winning streak to eight. "We were reminded by (coach Gregg Popovich) about Game 7 and that situation," Spurs star Tim Duncan said. "We have kind of been putting ourselves in a hole these last couple of games. We have to find a way to get away from that." Dirk Nowitzki scored 31 points for the Mavs, who got a boost from the return of forward Josh Howard after he missed eight games with a sprained left ankle. Dallas evened the season series after San Antonio's road win in the season opener for both teams. "I think it's safe to say this is one of the best rivalries in the NBA," Nowitzki said. "Tonight there was a lot of intensity between both teams creating an almost postseason feeling. I wouldn't call tonight's game a must win, but it is definitely a big win." Jazz 114, Lakers 108 At Salt Lake City, Deron Williams scored 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter and Utah won its eighth straight, rallying to improve to an NBA-best 12-1. Carlos Boozer had 31 points and 12 rebounds and Andrei Kirilenko blocked five shots in his first game back after missing five with a sprained ankle. Kobe Bryant scored 27 points and Lamar Odom 26 for the Lakers, who had won four in a row. Suns 99, Nets 93 Amare Stoudemire rebounded from the second scoreless game of his NBA career with 25 points, 10 boards and seven blocked shots, and the Suns held on to beat New Jersey in Phoenix for the 13th consecutive time. Steve Nash added 26 points and 13 assists in the Suns' fifth victory in six games and the Nets' fourth consecutive loss. Nets rookie Marcus Williams scored 21 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter. Magic 107, Heat 104 At Miami, Grant Hill scored 24 points, Dwight Howard had 23 points and 12 rebounds, and the Magic sent the Heat to a third straight loss. Dwyane Wade had 33 points and a career-high 15 assists for injury-depleted Miami, which fell to 4-8 and is just 2-5 at home. Timberwolves 86, Hornets 79 Ricky Davis scored 23 points and Minnesota used a 15-2 fourth-quarter run to hand New Orleans its first home loss of the season. Kevin Garnett had 18 points and 16 rebounds for the Timberwolves. SuperSonics 109, Kings 100 At Seattle, Kevin Martin scored a career-high 35 points, and Sacramento snapped a three-game losing streak despite playing without Ron Artest. Pacers 97, Cavaliers 87 At Indianapolis, Jermaine O'Neal scored 29 points as Indiana rallied from a 16-point deficit in the first half. LeBron James had 30 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Cleveland. Hawks 97, Raptors 93 At Atlanta, Joe Johnson scored 27 points and Tyronn Lue hit an 18-foot fadeaway with 30 seconds remaining to help Atlanta snap a four-game losing streak. T.J. Ford scored 19 of his season-high 25 points in the fourth quarter for the Raptors, who lost for the seventh time in eight games. Grizzlies 95, Wizards 80 Hakim Warrick scored 18 points to lead Memphis over Washington, the Wizards' seventh straight road loss. Gilbert Arenas scored only three points and was 1-for-12 from the field. Pistons 104, Bobcats 95 At Auburn Hills, Mich., Richard Hamilton scored 26 points and Tayshaun Prince added 21 for the Pistons, who have won five straight. Knicks 101, Celtics 77 At Boston, Steve Francis scored 22 points, Eddy Curry added 21 points and 10 rebounds, and New York snapped a three-game losing streak.