The one-on-one play between Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson was what made this game so great. Between the two, 81 points were scored. And even though Anthony won the battle of the points, it was Iverson who would eventually win the game.

Denver came into the game undersized with Kenyon Martin out, and Marcus Camby left the game with an injury only 6 minutes in. Eduardo Najera filled in the gap with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Earl Watson, who got playing time because Boykins would give up too much size to Iverson, had 15 points off the bench.

Both Anthony and Webber scored the first 8 points of the game for their respected teams. Webber finished the first half with 22, mostly all on outside jumpers. After the half, the Nuggets did a much better job trapping him and forcing him to put in on the floor. He still finished with 32.

Coming into the 3rd, the short-manned Nuggets needed to ride on a Carmelo Anthony performance to get a win. They didn