Tawanna Iverson knew something was up.
On Sunday, her husband woke up more than two hours earlier than usual.
“I shocked my wife with that,” Allen Iverson said.
He was eager to rise, and eager to rise to the occasion.
And after Sunday night’s 111-94 win against Houston, Iverson’s Nuggets are in prime position to make the playoffs. The all-star guard was brilliant. He flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 33 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the impressive victory.
“These are the games you want to be a part of,” he said. “You just find out what type of character you have as a team, and find out what type of character you have as a person.”
The playoff spot isn’t official, but the magic number is one. As long as Denver (49-32) beats mediocre Memphis on Wednesday — or Golden State (48-32) loses at Phoenix tonight or to Seattle on Wednesday — the Nuggets are playoff bound, snatching at least the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference.
At 6:59 p.m. Sunday, there was concern that Denver might not even make the playoffs, because playoff-bound Houston (54-26) is dynamic. By 9:21 p.m., the overriding talk wasn’t whether Denver would make the playoffs, but if the Nuggets could possibly be the No. 7 seed.
On Sunday night, Dallas lost at Seattle. So on Wednesday, if Dallas loses to New Orleans and Denver beats Memphis, then the Nuggets and Mavericks would be tied for seventh place.
Guess who has the tiebreaker in that scenario. Denver.
After Sunday’s game, Denver coach George Karl was in awe of his team. On Thursday, it played the most emotionally draining game of the season, winning at Golden State. On Saturday, Denver lost at playoff-bound Utah. But in its third game against a solid team in four nights, Denver dominated.
“Other than playoff games — and maybe even playoff games — I think it’s the hardest my team has played,” said Karl, who became Denver’s coach during the 2004-05 season. “They understood the urgency.”
It was Houston that looked like it was playing the second game of a back-to-back. The Rockets shot a pitiful 34.8 percent from the field. Their starters made just 16 field goals; Iverson alone made 13.
Denver also won because it shut down Houston star Tracy McGrady.
Here’s what the Nuggets did. First, they generally played a physical game against McGrady, gambling on some defensive plays, in efforts to rattle him. Then, on pick-and-rolls, they backed into a temporary zone to keep him from driving. McGrady settled for jumpers, what Karl called “the tough two.” And McGrady missed a lot of them. He was 5-for-18 from the field and had 16 points.
Meanwhile, Denver’s hottest shooter was hitting and hitting often. In just 24 minutes, J.R. Smith scored 23 points, shooting 8-for-13 from the field, including 5-for-8 from 3-point range.
Asked what Smith does to ignite the Nuggets, Iverson said: “All he has to do is come into the game. That’s all he has to do, and the energy is there. It just hypes us up. He excites us as teammates. He’s a weapon that other teams are going to have to deal with in the playoffs.”
Nuggets Recap
What you might have missed
Denver forward Carmelo Anthony actually played one of his worst games Sunday, tying a season low with 11 points on 3-for-14 shooting. But because he cracked double digits, his NBAleading streak of 10-plus-point games extended to 206.
Final thought
The Nuggets admitted they play better with their backs against the wall. They showed that Sunday, and Thursday at Golden State. If anything, this is a good sign heading into the playoffs, because there aren’t any gimme games in the postseason.
Up next
vs. Memphis, 7 p.m., Wednesday.
Nugs’ playoff scenarios
Denver owns the tiebreakers over Dallas and Golden State:
No. 7 seed: On Wednesday, Nuggets beat visiting Memphis and Dallas loses at home to New Orleans.
No. 8 seed: Denver and Dallas win; or Dallas wins and Golden State loses (tonight at Phoenix or Wednesday vs. Seattle); or one Golden State loss and a Denver loss.
Out: Nuggets lose to Memphis; Golden State wins both.
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
