It felt like a road game. No wonder the Nuggets played like strangers in their building.

The Nuggets had just finished a five-game trip and leave today for a three-game voyage. But the Pepsi Center did not feel like an oasis on their brief stopover.

The Nuggets lost Wednesday night to the Seattle SuperSonics 100-97 for their fourth loss in five games.

Their three-game home win streak ended, and the defending champions were eliminated in the Northwest Division when Utah beat Minnesota.

"There's fatigue on our team," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "We were tired. We didn't have a bounce. We didn't have an energy I thought we would have. I thought we would come and celebrate the good road trip that we had. We kicked ourselves."

The rim kicked away the Nuggets' final chances. With 5 seconds to play and the Nuggets trailing 99-97, forward Linas Kleiza saw his three-point attempt from the left side clang off the iron.

After Seattle forward Rashard Lewis, who scored a game-most 33 points, was fouled with 2.1 seconds remaining, he gave the Nuggets new life by missing the second of two free throws.

The Nuggets inbounded with 1.8 seconds left, but J.R. Smith's 27-foot straightaway three-point attempt banged off the iron.

The Nuggets (35-35) are 19-18 at home. They were plagued by the same problems they've had all season.

"When we play poorly, it's soft defense and we don't pass the ball to the weak side," said Karl, who watched the SuperSonics (29-42) shoot 54.8 percent, including 65.8 percent in the first half.

At least Karl liked the ball movement that led to Kleiza's last-ditch shot. Forward Carmelo Anthony, who scored a team-most 28 points, drove the lane and kicked out to a wide- open Kleiza.

"I had a good look, and it didn't go in," Kleiza said. "(Teammates have) showed a lot of confidence (in him). Melo made a good play. The shot just didn't go down."

Anthony, once known for making big last-second shots, had no problem giving up the ball.

"I could have easily forced a shot," he said. "But he had the best look. I'll let (Kleiza) take that shot a thousand more times."

It only seems like the Nuggets have lost a thousand times this season at home to teams that currently have losing records.

It's 10.

Karl said the SuperSonics, who committed 23 turnovers to 10 for the Nuggets, are "struggling" and "floundering." When some fans told Karl afterward it was a good game, he said, "I didn't think so."

Perhaps not helping Karl's mood was Nuggets guard Allen Iverson needing to have his left elbow drained earlier in the day.

Karl said before the game Iverson had swelling in his bursa sac after aggravating the elbow Monday against the Detroit Pistons and that "you've always got concerns."

Iverson made only 4-of-13 shots for 14 points. For the first time in a postgame setting since his Dec. 19 acquisition from the Philadelphia 76ers, he declined to speak with the media.

"I ain't talking," said Iverson, who has been bothered by the injury for much of his time in Denver and wore extra padding.

When Karl was asked if he thought Iverson's elbow affected his play, he said to a reporter, "You're the injury expert."

Sometimes it's hard to tell what affects the Nuggets. After a tough last-second loss March 22 to the Chicago Bulls, the Nuggets were wiped out the next night at Toronto.

The Nuggets lost 113-109 in overtime Monday to the Pistons when Rasheed Wallace tied the score at the end of regulation on a 62-foot heave. But Anthony denied that had any lingering effect.

"That road trip is behind us," said Anthony, who earlier said the Nuggets "didn't have any energy" and "you can't have any games like that on your home court."

Meanwhile, the SuperSonics, who overcame a 25-point third- quarter deficit Tuesday to beat Minnesota 114-106, allowed that momentum to carry over. They led 59-54 at halftime.

The Nuggets led by as many as four points in the third quarter and were up 90-89 after guard Steve Blake drilled a three-pointer with 6:45 to play in the game.

But the SuperSonics went on an 8-0 run to take control, with Lewis scoring six of the points.

"Rashard has been amazing," said SuperSonics guard Earl Watson, a former Nuggets player who had 10 assists. "I found myself just watching him at times."

And most people thought it was just the Nuggets standing around.

ETC.: SuperSonics forward Andre Brown suffered a broken nose during the first half after being elbowed by the Nuggets' Reggie Evans. Brown said Evans is a "dirty player" and the blow was "kind of intentional." . . . Nuggets forward Nene grabbed 13 rebounds, giving him 30 in the past two games.

		FG	FT	Reb
SEATTLE	Min	M-A	M-A	O-T	A	PF	Pts
RasLewis	37:36	11-21	8-11	2-10	1	3	33
Wilkins	29:57	5-8	2-2	1-3	5	1	12
Collison	42:38	7-10	2-2	1-13	0	2	16
Wilcox	33:17	6-10	0-0	0-5	2	4	12
Ridnour	18:09	2-6	0-0	0-1	6	3	5
Petro	17:35	2-5	0-2	1-5	0	4	4
Brown	1:28	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	1	0
Watson	34:30	3-7	0-0	0-2	10	3	9
Gelabale	24:51	4-6	0-0	1-4	3	2	9
Totals	240:01	40-73	12-17	6-43	27	23	100

Percentages - FG .548, FT .706. Three-point goals - 8-16, .500 (Watson 3-4, Ras. Lewis 3-8, Gelabale 1-1, Ridnour 1-3). Team rebounds - 9. Team turnovers - 23 (35 pts.). Blocked shots - 4 (Collison, Ridnour, Watson, Wilcox). Turnovers - 20 (Ras. Lewis 4, Watson 4, Petro 3, Ridnour 3, Wilcox 2, Collison, Wilkins, Gelabale, Brown). Steals - 8 (Wilkins 2, Collison, Ras. Lewis, Petro, Watson, Wilcox, Gelabale). Technicals - Defensive three second, 3:38 second; defensive three second, 4:18 third.

		FG	FT	Reb
DENVER	Min	M-A	M-A	O-T	A	PF	Pts
Anthony	38:23	12-22	4-6	1-2	2	5	28
Nene	35:44	5-9	7-8	6-13	1	2	17
Camby	32:03	4-12	1-2	2-7	1	2	9
Iverson	37:52	4-13	5-8	0-1	8	2	14
Blake	28:29	3-8	0-0	0-1	5	0	7
Evans	20:53	2-4	1-2	4-7	0	2	5
Smith	20:48	2-9	0-0	0-3	1	1	6
Kleiza	25:48	4-11	3-3	1-3	4	3	11
Totals	240	36-88	21-29	14-37	22	17	97

Percentages - FG .409, FT .724. Three-point goals - 4-18, .222 (Smith 2-6, Blake 1-2, Iverson 1-3, Anthony 0-3, Kleiza 0-4). Team rebounds - 9. Team turnovers - 10 (14 pts.). Blocked shots - 3 (Nene 2, Camby). Turnovers - 10 (Anthony 5, Iverson 5). Steals - 9 (Nene 3, Anthony 2, Camby, Kleiza, Iverson, Blake). Technicals - None.

Seattle ......32	27	22	19	-	100
Denver ......35	19	22	21	-	97

A - 16,847 (19,099). T - 2:14. Officials - Luis Grillo, Phil Robinson, Olandis Poole.

tomassonc@RockyMountainNews.com

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