The Nuggets’ Yakhouba Diawara received a pass in transition, and the only thing in his way to an uncontested dunk was . . . teammate Allen Iverson.
You see, Iverson had stolen the ball from a helpless Chicago Bull, tossed it to a streaking Diawara, but was right in his teammate’s path. So Iverson, perpetually quick, dodged Diawara, opening a clear lane to the basket.
These were the concerns Tuesday for the Nuggets, who were steps ahead of the Bulls all night long.
The Nuggets scored 72 points in the first half, the most in any half this season, and won 112-91 at the Pepsi Center, their fourth straight home blowout.
“That’s our mentality — beat them by as much as we can as fast as we can,” said guard J.R. Smith, who scored 12 points, including three 3-pointers.
The Nuggets (8-3) are off to their best start since 1985-86, when they began that season 9-2 and finished 47-35, advancing to the Western Conference semifinals. This season’s Nuggets have won six consecutive games, assacring opponents by a 20.8 average during the streak.
Before the game, Nuggets coach George Karl said the Bulls (2-8) are the best perimeter-passing team Denver would play so far this season. Karl said the plan was to continuously keep a defender on sharpshooter Ben Gordon, not letting Gordon’s defender stray in help defense.
The result was an abysmal night for Gordon, who shot 2-for-14 from the field and scored six points. Without an inside offensive presence, and without injured scorer Luol Deng (back), the Bulls couldn’t counter these disparities. Chicago shot just 40 percent from the field, while Denver shot 50.6.
“When you’ve got five guys out there on the same page on the defensive end, it’s pretty hard for you to score the basketball,” Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony said.
Iverson strained his left hamstring at practice Monday, and at Tuesday’s shootaround he admitted that the pain was “scary.” But any fright that Iverson wouldn’t be Iverson was put to rest in the first minute Tuesday, when he stole the ball after a Bulls inbound pass and zipped to the basket for a layup. Iverson scored 20 points in the first half, including 10-for-10 from the free-throw line, and finished with 22 points in 34 minutes. After the game, though, Karl said he was “concerned” about the guard’s lingering injury.
Anthony, who missed the morning shootaround because of a migraine, scored a game-high 26 points in just 30 minutes, resting the entire fourth quarter — again.
Now, let’s not hand the Nuggets the golden Larry O’Brien Trophy just yet. First of all, it’s November. Second of all, they have won eight games, but all eight were against teams who entered Monday at .500 or worse.
Still, you can’t fault the Nuggets for their schedule. And they’re not just sneaking by these teams; they’re blitzing through them.
Moreover, these were the types of games they lost last season. Of their 37 losses last season, nine were at the Pepsi Center against nonplayoff teams.
After Tuesday’s game, the smiling Nuggets lounged in their locker room chairs, when athletic trainer Jim Gillen spotted Anthony.
“When are you going to work a full day?” Gillen asked in jest. “You’re going to get out of shape.”
Nuggets Recap
What you might have missed
Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin, who injured his back in Saturday’s win, was active in his 24 minutes Tuesday, scoring 13 points with a season-high eight rebounds. And center Marcus Camby grabbed 20 rebounds for the second consecutive game.
Final thought
The 3-pointer is becoming an effective part of the Nuggets’ arsenal. Yes, Denver made only six Tuesday, but four came in the first half, when the Nuggets went on a wild tear to lead 72-53 at the half.
Up next
At Los Angeles Clippers, 8:30 p.m., tonight.
DENVER AT L.A. CLIPPERS
8:30 p.m. tonight, ALT, KKFN 950 AM
Spotlight on Cuttino Mobley: The Clippers guard averages 3.4 assists, however in the past three games he tallied seven, four and five. Mobley, in his 10th season, has been a key reason the Clippers haven’t fallen off without the injured Elton Brand. He averages 15.4 points, shooting 53.1 percent from the field, compared with a career average of 43.4.
