On Monday night, the Nuggets hosted the last place Memphis Grizzles. Carmelo Anthony finally made his return, after his 15 game suspension, to the Nuggets lineup in this game. This was game one of the Anthony/Iverson experiment, and all went well, as the Nuggets defeated the Grizzlies 115-98.

Pau Gasol put up some monster numbers in this game: 23 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 blocks. Word in the street is, however, that Gasol has asked for a trade out of Memphis. Chucky Atkins, Hakim Warrick, and Rudy Gay all scored double figures off the bench for the Grizzlies. Atkins scored 15 and dished 7 assists, Gay scored 12 (and also grabbed 3 boards and dished 3 assists), and Warrick scored 11. Defensive stopper Dahntay Jones also chipped in 9 points and 5 rebounds, as Brian Cardinal played 20 minutes to produce 7 points and 7 rebounds. Mike Miller shot just 2 of 11 tonight, including 1 of 6 from deep, scoring just 5 points.

Anthony and Iverson co-existed well in game one, combining for 51 points. Carmelo, in his comeback game, led the team with 28 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. Iverson scored 23, grabbed 4 rebounds, dished 7 helpers, and came away with 2 steals. That’s not all though, a lot of other Nuggets put up some huge numbers. Marcus Camby scored 17, grabbed 17 rebounds, dished 3 assists, and blocked 3 shots. J.R. Smith, who came off the bench, scored 19 points and grabbed 5 rebounds, but did, however, shoot just 4 of 14 from beyond the arc. Newest Nugget, Steve Blake, scored just 5 points but he also dished out 12 assists. Nene was also effective off the bench, scoring 11 points and grabbing 5 rebounds.

Player of the Game: Carmelo Anthony

28 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists

Nuggets star forward Carmelo Anthony has just completed his 15 game suspension for his actions in the fight at Madison Square Garden last month. What does this really mean? Well, first of all, it means that the Nuggets get their franchise player back. But, that’s not what everyone is most concerned about.

The Anthony-Iverson era is now in effect. Can the two stars co-exist? Will they play unselfishly in the long run? I happen to think so, what the answers won’t be revealed for a while. The Anthony-Iverson era will officially begin tomorrow night when the Nuggets host the Memphis Grizzlies at 7:00 pm MST.

On Friday night, the Rockets traveled to Denver to face AI and the Nuggets. Steve Blake made his Nuggets debut in this game, as he was just traded from Milwaukee in a deal for Earl Boykins and Julius Hodge, and did a great job. Neither team in this game played as well as they usually do, but Houston ended up with the 4 point victory, 90-86, due to some clutch plays (especially from Shane Battier).

For Houston, Shane Battier was the hero tonight. McGrady shot poorly and Yao obviously wasn’t in action, but Battier really stepped up tonight, especially late in the game. He finished with 25 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals on 7-13 shooting, including 5 of 9 from deep. McGrady shot just 5 of 17, as he really struggled shooting the ball, but he did make some excellent setup plays. He finished with just 12 points, but also 8 rebounds and 11 assists. Dikembe Mutombo had another double digit rebounding effort, as he scored 7 points, grabbed 10 boards, and blocked 4 shots. Juwan Howard had a solid offensive night, as he finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Rafer Alston had yet another horrible shooting night, shooting just 5 of 15, as he ended the game with 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Luther Head hit a few deep shots as well, as he went for 15 points and 3 rebounds off the bench.

Allen Iverson started this game off on fire, but wasn’t as effective in the second half, yet he still played a solid game. Iverson ended the game with 28 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Marcus Camby hit just 3 of his 10 shot attempts, but he managed to pull down a ridiculous 24 rebounds. J.R. Smith and Yakhouba Diawara were ice cold from the floor tonight. Smith shot 4-17, going for 11 points, while Diawara shot 5-14. However, that 5-14 includes 3 of 12 from three point land. Diawara finished with 13 points on horrid shooting, but he did do a good job defensively on Tracy McGrady. Nene shot just 2 of 8, as he ended up with 8 points and 7 rebounds off the bench.

Steve Blake, who made his Nuggets debut in this game, played very well. He played under control and he knocked down his shots, as well as set up his teammates nicely. Blake went for 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists in his Nuggets debut, on 5-8 shooting, including 3-5 from deep.

Player of the Game: Allen Iverson

28 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals

The Nuggets and Bucks have completed a deal that will send guard Steve Blake to Denver, as guard Earl Boykins and guard/forward Julius Hodge will be shipped to Milwaukee. This deal, on paper, looks like the Bucks made out better, but it really was a fair deal. This deal was about the money, and it helps Denver out with the luxery tax situation. Blake is also a pure point guard who plays under control in the flow of the offense. Boykins is a scorer, and he really doesn’t fit on a team with Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, and J.R. Smith anymore. Blake’s game will compliment the Nuggets’ style/scorers much better.

Blake played 33 games for the Bucks this year, averaging 3.6 points and 2.5 assists per game.

On Wednesday night, the Nuggets hosted the Spurs at home in J.R. Smith’s return (after serving a 10 game suspension from the NBA for his actions in the fight at Madison Square Garden). Despite an excellent offensive outing from Allen Iverson, the Nuggets lost the game 92-83. San Antonio only turned the ball over 10 times, while Denver turned it over 17 times, and San Antonio’s “Big 3″ played well.

Tony Parker led the way for the Spurs, scoring 26 and dishing 7 assists. Tim Duncan racked up the double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds, and he also blocked 3 shots. Manu Ginobili did it all as well, coming up with 16 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals. Bruce Bowen contributed 11 points and 3 steals on 5 of 6 shooting. Michael Finley, Fabricio Oberto, and Mat Bonner combined for 13 rebounds off the bench as well, while Robert Horry started and grabbed 7 of his own.

Allen Iverson had a dynamite offensive night, shooting 15 of 25 and coming up with 33 points and 6 assists. Earl Boykins, who started with Iverson in the backcourt, scored 18 on 8 of 14 from the floor. Marcus Camby only scored 9 points, as he shot just 3-10 from the floor, but he also managed to grab 16 rebounds. J.R. Smith, in his return from serving his 10 game suspension, shot just 5 of 13 from the floor and ended the game with 12 points and 4 rebounds off the bench. Nene, Reggie Evans, and Yakhouba Diawara combined for 13 rebounds off the bench.

Player of the Game: Allen Iverson

33 points, 6 assists, 2 steals