Allen Iverson’s words hung in the air like an alley-oop pass.
While he walked off the court Jan. 7 after the Suns’ rout of the Nuggets, Iverson screamed, “We’ll see all y’all (expletive) again!”
And Wednesday, before the rematch, Iverson reminded his teammates: “Remember how they tried to embarrass us. Now we get another chance to do something about that.”
The inspired Nuggets torched Phoenix 126-113, a statement victory during a tough stretch of games. The Nuggets are scrapping for a playoff spot, and to do so, they’ll need to beat playoff-bound teams.
“They’re the Suns. They can run all day, all night,” Denver forward Carmelo Anthony said. “But tonight, we played like they usually play. We got up and down the court. We shared the ball.”
Did they ever. The Nuggets (36-24) tallied 32 assists, improving to a sterling 13-0 when they have 30 or more assists.
More specifically, Iverson and backcourt mate Anthony Carter combined for 23 assists and just two turnovers — both by Carter. Iverson also scored a game-high 31 points on 12-for-25 shooting.
The victory was paramount for the Nuggets, who are 4-4 since the all-star break.
The Houston game Sunday was humiliating — a 103-89 loss — and now the schedule features San Antonio, Utah and San Antonio again.
Moreover, the victory Wednesday was another notch on Denver’s belt, reminding all that the Nuggets can compete with the best of the West. They now have defeated Phoenix, Dallas, New Orleans, Utah and San Antonio at least once this season.
The Suns (40-21) came to town well after midnight after a Tuesday game at Portland.
And on Wednesday, they sleepwalked through some stretches of the game, finishing with 20 turnovers and just 13 fast-break points. Center Shaquille O’Neal, the heralded acquisition from Miami, tallied 12 points and a game-high 18 rebounds. But he couldn’t intimidate the focused home team.
The Nuggets, as Anthony mentioned, epitomized the fast-break, team-concept offense that Phoenix thrives upon. The Nuggets often looked for the extra pass, and made that pass with precision and speed. It was fun to watch, as the satisfied 18,383 at the Pepsi Center can attest.
Anthony contributed all-star numbers, scoring 30 points with 13 rebounds, his third straight double-double at Pepsi Center.
“Tonight, he wanted the ball more than everyone else,” Iverson said.
While Denver coach George Karl called Carter the game’s MVP — Carter had 11 points — J.R. Smith was sparkling.
Often a target of criticism, Smith played a smart game off the bench, shooting 6-for-8 from 3-point range, finishing with 20 points.
And the kid even played some defense.
“There are nights that J.R. has that good-bad game, but tonight, I don’t think he had a good-bad game,” Karl said.
“He was effective and determined defensively,” he continued. “And the shots he made, they’re important. They take us from a good offensive team to a dangerous powerful offensive team.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
