Nuggets stop Warriors, control final playoff spot

OAKLAND -- Allen Iverson squared up, made a three-point basket and raised his arms to the air, having thwarted Golden State’s final charge. There was no downplaying the importance of this win that put the Denver Nuggets in control of the race for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Iverson scored 33 points, J.R. Smith had 24 off the bench and the Nuggets overcame a 16-point deficit in the first quarter to win their showdown with the Warriors, 114-105, Thursday night.

“Everybody knew what was at stake,” Iverson said. “It’s easy for players to say it’s just another game. But everybody knows it wasn’t just another game. It was a game that both teams felt they had to have.”

The win moved Denver (48-31) a full game ahead of the Warriors in the race for eighth place in the West with only three games left. The Nuggets also control the tiebreaker.

Golden State (47-32) probably needs to win its last three games and hope Denver loses twice.

“They’re in the catbird seat right now,” Warriors Coach Don Nelson said. “We’ve got a big problem as far as making the playoffs at this particular time. We’re going to need a lot of luck and probably have to win out.”

The Nuggets erased the early deficit by scoring 19 straight points in the second quarter and built the lead up from there, putting back-to-back losses to Sacramento and Seattle last weekend behind them.

Baron Davis had 20 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for the Warriors, who had 18 turnovers and missed nine of 24 free throws.