Iverson shot beats Blazers in OT

Nuggets move two games ahead in division race

By Kerry Eggers

LocalNewsDaily.com, Feb 4, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (3 Reader comments)

Allen Iverson couldn’t hit a wall with a can of paint most of the way. But when it mattered most, Denver’s gritty little superstar came through.

Iverson’s 15-foot fadeaway jump shot with .9 of a second left in overtime gave the Nuggets a 105-103 victory over the Trail Blazers Monday night in the Rose Garden.

The 6-foot, 165-pound Iverson never found a rhythm offensively, finishing 10 of 28 from the field. But he knocked down the jumper that gave Denver (29-18) an all-important win in the race to the NBA playoffs.

A victory by Portland would have forced a tie with Denver, two games behind Utah (31-18) in the Northwest Division standings. And it would have meant a 3-1 advantage in the season series with the Nuggets for the Blazers (27-20), who had already won their season series with the Jazz 3-1.

With Wednesday’s outcome, Portland and Denver end their season series 2-2. In the event two teams finish with the same record through the regular season, the season series is the first tie-breaker used to determine playoff seeding.

“We knew this was a big game,” Portland coach Nate McMillan said. “Us, Utah and Denver are right there within a couple of games of each other. You’re going for (series wins over both Denver and Utah). You don’t get it, and it is at home, so yes, it does mean a lot.”

It was a heartbreaking defeat for the Blazers, who rallied from a 17-point second-quarter deficit and had chances to win in both regulation and overtime.

Travis Outlaw could have put Portland ahead when he was fouled on a jump shot with 2.9 seconds to go in the fourth quarter and Denver ahead 100-99. The Blazer forward missed the first free throw, then made the second to tie the score at 100-100. After a timeout, Iverson cast up an errant 3-pointer at the buzzer, and it was on to overtime.

The teams combined to make only 3 of 14 shots and score eight points in overtime. The Blazers blew a golden opportunity after Jarrett Jack stole the ball from Carmelo Anthony but then lost the ball trying to drive to the basket against Iverson with 15.9 seconds left in the extra session.

“I was moving down the court and I saw Iverson in front of me and I guess I was moving faster than the ball was,” a disconsolate Jack said. “It kind of got away from me.”

“That’s just a read,” McMillan said. “It looked like he had a break on Iverson, but everybody caught up to him. You don’t want to turn the ball over in that situation.”

After a timeout, the Nuggets got the ball to Iverson, who dribbled down the clock before launching the game-winner over Jack.

"When I elevated, I saw (Jack) was still on the floor, so I got a real good look at the basket," Iverson said of his final shot.

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