76ers 95, Nuggets 89
Jrue Holiday led the way with 22 points and Elton Brand added 16 points and 17 rebounds as the Philadelphia 76ers came from behind to earn a 95-89 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
Thaddeus Young chipped in 20 points and seven rebounds off the bench, and Jodie Meeks scored 17 for the 76ers, who improved to 2-2 on their eight-game road trip.
The teams took turns going on long runs for the first three quarters, with the Nuggets taking a 71-66 edge into the final frame. Denver pushed it to 82-70 on Chauncey Billups’ free throws with 8:11 left before Philadelphia decided it was time for another burst, ripping off 12 straight points to tie it at 82-82 with 4:31 on the clock.
The Sixers took their first lead of the quarter on Andre Iguodala’s free throw at the 3:30 mark and continued to push it, outscoring the Nuggets 25-5 in the final eight minutes to take away the lead. Nene’s dunk with 1:08 briefly gave Denver some hope but Meeks came down and drained a 3-pointer to seal it.
Billups scored 24 points and Aaron Afflalo added 14 for Denver, which was again without Carmelo Anthony due to a death in the family.