Iverson leads Nuggets victory

Allen Iverson had permission from Denver Nuggets Coach George Karl to shoot more and pass less.

Iverson preferred to do plenty of both, finishing with 28 points and 13 assists in a 116-105 victory over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Denver.

The Nuggets point guard was playing in his second game -- picking up his second double-double -- since being acquired by Denver for Andre Miller, Joe Smith and two first-round picks in 2007 on Dec. 19.

Earl Boykins scored 28 points, and Reggie Evans had 14 points and 14 boards. Nene, who chipped his tooth in the first quarter, grabbed 14 rebounds and scored 12.

Iverson was given a standing ovation when he came out with 1:04 remaining and Denver leading, 116-104.

“I got it,” Iverson said of the offense. “This is the system that I always wanted to play in -- just run, run, run all the time. That’s one thing in basketball I can do is run.”

The Nuggets’ snowed-out game with Phoenix on Dec. 20 has been rescheduled for Feb. 5 at the Pepsi Center. With the makeup game officially set, Carmelo Anthony’s return from his 15-game suspension will be Jan. 22 at home against Memphis.

Golden State 116, Philadelphia 97 -- Baron Davis had 21 points and 16 assists to lead the Warriors to their fourth straight home victory. Matt Barnes, his college roommate at UCLA, tied a franchise record with seven three-pointers and scored 25 points.

The 76ers fell to 2-2 without Iverson.

Phoenix 110, Portland 87 -- Leandro Barbosa scored 20 points in a six-minute span bridging the third and fourth quarters at Phoenix, and the Suns won for the 16th time in 17 games.

Barbosa, who had only two points at halftime and missed four of his five shots, was eight for nine in the second half and finished with 22 points.

The loss was the second straight for Portland after five consecutive victories.

Seattle 102, New Orleans 94 -- Luke Ridnour had 27 points and nine assists at Seattle to lead the win over the Hornets, who lost rookie of the year Chris Paul indefinitely to a sprained ankle in the first quarter.

Without Paul -- plus injured Peja Stojakovic (back surgery), Bobby Jackson (cracked left rib) and David West (right elbow) -- the Hornets are missing 65 of the NBA-low 90 points they were averaging before Tuesday.

Milwaukee 114, San Antonio 107 -- Michael Redd scored 36 points, and the Bucks rallied from a 13-point deficit at San Antonio for their fifth straight victory.

The Bucks (14-14) returned to .500 for the first time since they were 2-2 on Nov. 6. Redd was 14 for 22 from the field and made all eight of his free throws as Milwaukee won in San Antonio for the first time in five years.

Dallas 97, Charlotte 84 -- Josh Howard scored 27 points and Dirk Nowitzki had 23 at Dallas as the Mavericks stretched their winning streak to seven games.

Howard was 10 for 19 from the field and grabbed eight rebounds. Dallas is 9-1 this season when Howard scores 20 or more points.

Minnesota 100, Chicago 98 -- Randy Foye made a runner with 1.8 seconds left, and the Timberwolves blew a 25-point lead before recovering in time to defeat the Bulls at Minneapolis. Ben Gordon, who led Chicago with 27 points, drove past Kevin Garnett for a layup with 7.1 seconds left to complete a comeback for the Bulls, who trailed 70-45 midway through the third quarter.

Detroit 92, New Jersey 91 -- Chauncey Billups made two free throws with 7.2 seconds left at Detroit to give the Pistons their fifth straight win.

Billups, who missed nine of his 10 shots from the field, was fouled by Vince Carter on a fastbreak after Jason Kidd missed a three-pointer that could have clinched the game.

Washington 116, Memphis 101 -- Gilbert Arenas scored 31 points, and the Wizards used a big first half to win at Washington.

The Wizards scored 45 points in the first quarter, a Verizon Center record for any quarter, and set another Verizon Center mark with 77 points in the first half.

Indiana 81, Houston 76 -- Al Harrington had 23 points and 14 rebounds for the Pacers at Indianapolis.

Tracy McGrady returned to Houston’s starting lineup after sitting out seven games because of back spasms and finished with 19 points. The Rockets were playing their first game since center Yao Ming was lost for at least six weeks because of a broken bone beneath his right knee.