Oklahoma City – If Allen Iverson was tired, he wasn’t saying so after struggling in the Nuggets’ loss to the New Orleans Hornets.
Iverson scored 21 points but was just 6-of-22 from the field, including a number of fourth-quarter misses that helped the Hornets rally for a 99-89 victory Friday night.
The Nuggets didn’t arrive at their hotel until 5 a.m. after escaping a snowstorm in Denver following their victory over Seattle late Thursday night. After leading 81-76, Denver scored just eight points in the final 9 1/2 minutes.
“There’s no excuses. That was a game we were supposed to win,” Iverson said. “I stunk it up. I can’t play that way and expect us to win basketball games.”
Iverson had averaged 31 points in his first three games with Denver, but never got going against the Hornets in a matchup of depleted teams. New Orleans was without four of its top five offensive players, including Chris Paul. Denver also was four players short, including Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith, who are serving suspensions.
“We approached it the right way, we knew they were going to come out and fight without their guys,” Iverson said. “We just couldn’t get it done. We struggled so bad offensively, and in the fourth quarter we just couldn’t get it done defensively.”
Rasual Butler scored 20 points, including a big three-point play in the closing minutes, as the Hornets ended a three-game losing streak.
Devin Brown, picked up as a free agent a week ago, had 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists while helping guard Iverson at the other end. Desmond Mason scored 17.
Earl Boykins led the Nuggets with 26 points but scored just eight in the second half.
Butler made a 3-pointer to cap a 10-2 run that gave New Orleans an 86-83 lead. Iverson’s two free throws with 2:24 to play brought the Nuggets within 88-87, but they didn’t score again until the final seconds.
Butler converted his three-point play for a 91-87 lead and, after Iverson’s turnover, found Tyson Chandler on a cut to the basket that pushed the lead to six with 1:39 left.
Chandler then blocked two straight shots by Eduardo Najera, leading to a drive by Mason that gave the Hornets a 95-87 lead with just under a minute left.
