With Nene doing more of this (rebounding) lately - the Nuggets are starting to outrebound opponents again, and getting tougher in the paint.

ESPN Boxscore Web: Nuggets gaining respect (Denver Post) Up Next: Orlando, Fri @ 5:00MT

Nuggets still on a roll after All-Star break...

The All-Star break festivities in LA are over and its time to get back to work for the NBA. The Denver Nuggets did just that.

The second quarter was a flurry of runs by both the Nuggets and the 76ers. The rest of the game was all Nuggets.

The Nuggets started off the game hot - racing out to a 19-10 lead before they had to worry about Allen Iverson. Iverson was being punished by new 76ers coach Chris Ford, for missing practice Monday, and was held out of the starting line-up. He entered the game for the first time with 4:39 remaining in the 1st quarter. He made one hoop, but the Nuggets continued to run out, finishing the 1st quarter with a 32-19 lead.

Iverson asserted himself in the 2nd, and the 76ers tied the game at 36-36 after a 17-4 run. The Nuggets opened the game up again with some great passes for easy dunks by Andre and Carmelo - leading 57-45 with just 1:30 left in the half. Back came the 76ers one more time, closing out the half with a 9-0 run to make it 57-54.

The Nuggets didn't sweat it, and they outplayed the 76ers in all aspects of the game the rest of the way.

Andre Miller played good man-on-man defense against AI. He bodied him up and kept him from gettting many easy looks. Iverson got his points (27) by waiting for a screen to get around Andre and break down the Nuggets team defense. It was not enough to keep pace with the Nuggets running and passing the ball well thru-out the game.

Voshon Lenard, fresh off his three-point shooting championship started off the game hot hitting his first two three-pointers. The second was an off-balance, 5 feet beyond the arc, 24-second shot clock beating beauty that had the packed Pepsi Center on their feet. Voshon cooled off and ended up with 15 pts on 6-16 shooting, but his fellow starters picked it up. All 5 starters finished in double figures.

Nuggets big men Nene and Marcus Camby both had great games. Combined they had 30 pts, 23 boards, 9 assists, and 5 blocks on 13-19 shooting. Nene has improved his rebounding lately, and Camby has had some of the pressure lifted off his shoulders thankfully. Camby looked good in his first full game since sitting out a couple with an injured hamstring.

Carmelo Anthony - what can I say? The freshman just keeps getting better every month and has been nothing short of spectacular of late. Did you know that he is currently 4th in the NBA for scoring in the month of February? He's making the game look easy, and he's doing everything - scoring, rebounding, handing out assists and playing improved defense. He looks more than ready to put this team on his back and carry them into the Western Conference playoffs.

Have a comment? Discuss this game in the Forum!

Til next game,

Alan