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Iverson, red-hot Nuggets face struggling Bulls

Nov 20, 2007 - 4:45 PM Chicago (2-7) at Denver (7-3) 9:00 pm EST

DENVER (Ticker) -- An embarrassing loss apparently made all the difference for Allen Iverson and the Denver Nuggets, who have done nothing but win recently.

Iverson and the surging Nuggets shoot for their sixth straight win Tuesday when they host the struggling Chicago Bulls.

A preseason favorite to contend for the Northwest Division title, Denver was routed in emphatic fashion in a 119-93 loss to the Boston Celtics on November 7.

The Nuggets trailed by 32 points at halftime and allowed the Celtics to shoot 65 percent in the blowout.

However, the Nuggets have not lost since, averaging 115.6 points while holding opponents to 94.8 points during their five-game winning streak.

Iverson has been the key, averaging 26.7 points over that span.

Iverson and fellow superstar Carmelo Anthony combined for 47 points on 18-of-31 shooting in Saturday's 115-83 victory over the New York Knicks.

The Bulls, who also started the season with high expectations, may have to deal with the loss of up-and-comming forward Luol Deng among all of their problems.

Deng missed Sunday's 106-78 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers because of lower back pain. The defeat dropped Chicago to 1-2 on its six-game road trip.