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

On Monday night, the Nuggets played at home vs. the Milwaukee Bucks, who have their star (Michael Redd) out. The Bucks got an outstanding game out of Ruben Patterson, but it wasn’t enough, as the Nuggets went on to win the game 104-92.

Ruben Patterson had his best game of the season, going for 29 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals. As good a game Patterson had, it wasn’t enough. Williams, Bogut, and Bell combined for 10-38 shooting. Williams came up with 9 points, Bell scored 8, and Bogut scored 9 (and also grabbed 11 rebounds). Off the bench, Steve Blake came up with 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists, as Ersan Illyasova contributed 15 points and 3 rebounds off the bench as well.

Earl Boykins led the way for the Nuggets, scoring 26 points, dishing 11 assists, and grabbing 4 rebounds. Allen Iverson was right behind him in the scoring column with 23, as Iverson also dished 3 assists. Marcus Camby had another outstanding game with 19 points, 15 rebounds, 7 blocks, and 3 assists. That stat line is unbelievable. Reggie Evans came up with a double-double off the bench as well, with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Linas Kleiza, who got the start, also chipped in 11 points with 9 rebounds.

Player of the Game: Marcus Camby

19 points, 15 rebounds, 7 blocks, 3 assists

On Saturday night, the Nuggets played at home against one of the best teams in the NBA this season, the Utah Jazz. The Nuggets had a rough night from the field, shooting just 39% from the floor, including 5 of 26 from beyond the arc. Utah, on the other hand, shot 46% from the floor and went on to win the game 96-84 on the road.

Deron Williams was the star for the Jazz, scoring a career-high 28 points and also dishing 12 assists. He even did it defensively, coming up with 4 steals. Carlos Boozer had another double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds, and he shot the ball extremely well: 10-12. Andrei Kirilenko only took 5 shots, and his numbers were not as high as normal: 4 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists. Mehmet Okur had his second rough shooting night in a row, shooting just 4-13 and scoring 10 points. Derek Fisher was very effective off the bench, scoring 10 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, and dishing 3 assists. Rookie Paul Millsap  also had a solid night off the bench, coming up with 5 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots.

For Denver, Allen Iverson had another tough shooting night as well, shooting just 5-19 from the floor. He did manage to hit 11 of 12 from the free throw line, and he came up with 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists. Earl Boykins scored 22 points as well, as he shot 9 of 19. Linas Kleiza tied his career high of 17 points, as he started the game. Reggie Evans also started, as he grabbed 11 rebounds. Eduardo Najera came off the bench and scored 9 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and shot 4-7 from the floor. Marcus Camby did not play in this game.

Player of the Game: Earl Boykins

22 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists

Next Game: Monday (1/8/07) at home vs. Milwaukee at 7:00 pm MST.

On Friday night, the Nuggets headed to L.A. to play the Lakers. This game was supposed to be a Kobe vs. Iverson shootout, but it was far from it. Iverson scored just 16 (the lowest he has scored as a Nugget), and Kobe scored just 8 points. The Lakers did end up getting a lift from a few role players, as the Nuggets lost this game badly. Bryant didn’t even play in the fourth quarter. The final score was 123-104.

For Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant only took 9 shots, and he only made 2 of them. He scored just 8 points, but he also dished 10 assists and grabbed 5 rebounds. Second year center Andrew Bynum had himself a solid night, posting a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds. That wasn’t all he did though, he also blocked 6 shots and dished 3 assists. Luke Walton did a little bit of everything as well, scoring 18 points, grabbing 5 rebounds, and dishing 8 assists. Smush Parker added 23 points, Brian Cook and Maurice Evans each scored 16, and Ronny Turiaf came off the bench to contribute 8 points and 9 rebounds.

Allen Iverson scored the least amount of points he ever has as a Nugget, scoring just 16 points on 5-17 shooting. The leading scorer for Denver was the little man, Earl Boykins, who came off the bench to score 24 points. Marcus Camby had himself a solid double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds. Nuggets rookie Yakhouba Diawara shot just 4-13, but he ended up with 13 points. Nene and Linas Kleiza both had good games off the bench as well, as Nene had 14 points and 6 boards, and Kleiza chipped in a near double-double of 10 points and 9 rebounds.

Also, Julius Hodge surprisingly started for Denver. He played 19 minutes and shot 1-3 from the floor. His stat line was 4 points, 1 rebound, 6 assists, and 2 steals. Not bad for a kid that has only played 1 minute this entire season, before last night.

Player of the Game: Marcus Camby

14 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists

Next Game: Tonight (1/6/07) at home vs. Utah at 7:00 pm MST.