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Iguodala helps Sixers beat Nuggets

Jan 31, 2011 - 6:18 AM Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Andre Iguodala scored 24 points and dished out seven assists to lead Philadelphia past Denver, 110-99, at the Wells Fargo Center.

Thaddeus Young came off the bench to provide 21 points and seven rebounds while Elton Brand supplied 15 points for the Sixers, who bounced back from Friday's loss to Memphis to win for a fourth time in their last five games.

"Andre Iguodala was fabulous. He was fabulous," Sixers head coach Doug Collins said. "He made a couple of plays that were maybe the best all season long that we have had. Andre is a very proud guy. Some of his best defensive efforts all season long have been against some of the best guys in the NBA."

Chauncey Billups poured in a game-best 27 points while J.R. Smith scored 23 in a reserve role for the Nuggets, who had a four-game win streak snapped.

Denver next plays at New Jersey Monday less than two weeks after Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov said his team no longer had interest in acquiring Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony, who scored only 12 points on 3-of-12 shooting and committed six turnovers in the loss.

"We had too many turnovers," Nuggets head coach George Karl said. "Turnovers let them run."

The Sixers ran off 12 in a row to take the lead for good at 67-55 with 8 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. Brand scored five during the burst and Spencer Hawes chipped in with four of his eight points on the night.

The host maintained a double-digit advantage for most of the remainder of the period and took an 82-72 edge into the final quarter.

Evan Turner's three-point play and a driving layup by Young finished an 8-0 push that stretched the Sixers lead to 101-86 with 4:55 to play in the game.

Philadelphia, which coughed up a 16-point fourth quarter lead two nights ago, did not falter down the stretch in this game, as four different players hit buckets in the final four-plus minutes to ensure victory.

Billups poured in 16 points to help the Nuggets forge a 34-32 lead after the first 12 minutes. Denver made 10-of-17 shots from the floor, including 7-of-9 from three-point range, in the opening stanza.

The scoring pace slowed in the second quarter, as Philadelphia used a 5-0 surge over the final 66 seconds to take a 54-51 lead at the break. Denver's shooting cooled off measurably, as the visitors connected on only 6-of-20 from the field in the period.

Game Notes

Iguodala made 8-of-12 from the floor and 6-of-7 at the foul line...Brand hit 6-of-7 shots and grabbed five caroms...Lou Williams and Jodie Meeks finished with 12 points for the Sixers while Turner totaled 11 points, eight boards and six assists...The Sixers shot 55 percent from the field in finishing off their first season sweep of the Nuggets since 2002-03...Billups made 8-of-12 shots, including 4-of-7 from long distance...Ty Lawson scored 12 points and Nene contributed 12 points and six boards in the defeat...The Nuggets made 10-of-19 from beyond the arc but finished the game shooting 46 percent overall.