Allen Iverson scored 17 points, Elton Brand added 16 and the Philadelphia 76ers held off a furious rally to beat the injury-riddled Denver Nuggets 108-105 on Sunday night.
Iverson went five for 11 from the field but made all seven of his free throw attempts. A.I. added seven assists.
Nene had 24 points and 15 rebounds, and Ty Lawson scored 23 points for the Nuggets, who have lost six of eight.
The Nuggets played their second game in as many nights without their top two scorers. Carmelo Anthony (right knee contusion) and Chauncey Billups (left groin strain) were in street clothes. Billups has missed seven of the last eight games since sustaining the injury last month.
Denver's rotation got even shorter when reserve forward Chris Andersen left the game with a sprained ankle midway through the second quarter and did not return.
The 76ers took the lead for good with a 16-0 run that spanned the third and fourth quarters. The big shots -- Jason Smith hit a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to give Philadelphia an 82-76 lead, and Willie Green followed with a jumper with 30.7 seconds left in the period.
