Nuggets lose in Iverson’s debut

DENVER — Allen Iverson fought through jet lag, car sickness and pregame nervousness before he finally got to play his first game for the Denver Nuggets.

When his debut with the depleted Nuggets was over Friday night, the feeling was familiar for the former Philadelphia 76ers standout. Another crowd-pleasing performance, 22 points and 10 assists over 39 minutes, wasn’t enough to prevent a loss -- 101-96 to the Sacramento Kings.

“I’m glad it’s over,” Iverson said. “That’s the only thing I thought about, just getting the first one by me.

“I wish it could’ve ended with a win. I felt it could’ve ended with a win.”

John Salmons finished with the first triple-double of his career -- 21 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists -- to lift the Kings to the victory.

Rough weather in Denver put the Kings in a travel bind, and they arrived at the Pepsi Center only 90 minutes before tipoff, or about the same time Iverson finally made it.

“We will never have a worse travel day than today,” Kings Coach Eric Musselman said. “Our energy and effort was phenomenal.”

In his debut, playing on a team with only eight healthy players, the newest member of the Nuggets gave the kind of gritty performance that has become his trademark.

He played 39 minutes after a whirlwind of a day in which he arrived in Denver in the late afternoon, was whisked to the Pepsi Center, passed his physical, took a few shots on the practice court, then suited up to be on the court for tipoff.

He spent the first 8 minutes 35 seconds on the bench. When he finally entered the game, he received a standing ovation, and never left the court.

“They embraced me here,” Iverson said of the welcome he received. “It was just a great feeling, and it was a feeling I wanted to get. A feeling I hoped to get. It was special to me, something I’ll remember and cherish the rest of my life.”