Thanks to Chauncey Billups early and Allen Iverson late, the buzz didn't simply turn deteriorate into Zzzzzzzzz.

After 24 hours of hype, Iverson's anticipated return to Denver generated its fair share of excitement inside the Pepsi Center on Friday night.

There was a nice ovation for Iverson during introductions, along with the requisite handshakes and hugs, but the showdown itself played out much like any another regular-season NBA game.

Lots of fouls, two disjointed offenses and a crowd that turned energetic only when the game remained close in the fourth quarter. Billups scored 20 of his 30 points in the first half and Iverson finished with 23, as the All-Star guards performed well in front of a sellout crowd. Billups had the ball in his hands in the final seconds, but his three-point attempt missed as time expired.

Iverson, traded for Billups on Nov. 3, scored only three points in the first half but was able to walk away with a smile on his face and a 93-90 victory in his pocket.

"His shot wasn't falling early. We did a decent job keeping him out of his sweet spots," Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin said.

Both teams will go their separate ways until the hype machine cranks up in seven weeks. The Nuggets face the Pistons in Detroit on March 3.

Oh, yeah, the other guy

In Philadelphia, they booed Santa Claus. In Denver, they booed Antonio McDyess.

Santa is probably more deserving.McDyess, one of the nicest guys ever to play in the NBA, was booed whenever his name was announced Friday night. The backlash came as a surprise to McDyess, who was included in the Iverson trade.

"You know what's so crazy about this whole situation? Denver made me look like the bad guy," McDyess said. "When they had control of the whole trade, they never spoke to me about coming here or not. Basically, they cut me. I didn't say I'm not coming to Denver. They made me look like the villain in this whole situation." McDyess, who spent six seasons in two stints with the Nuggets, eventually accepted a buyout of his contract and made his return to the Pistons.

Who picks up the tab?

Nuggets coach George Karl had not talked to Iverson since the trade, and the two are not likely to have a meaningful conversation any time soon.

"My belief with trades is, it's six months afterward when you get together and talk about what happened," Karl said.

"It's not real healthy sometimes six hours or six days or six weeks afterward."

"I would love to, whenever - end of the season - go buy dinner and talk about our great three years."

There goes street cred

Iverson wasn't afraid to express his emotion during pregame warm-ups.

Shortly after the Pistons jogged out of the tunnel, Iverson embraced Kenyon Martin near midcourt. It wasn't the cool, hand-slap, chest-bump type of hug, but a genuine arms-wide-open type of hug. Iverson then proceeded to hug Dahntay Jones, Billups, Nene, Anthony Carter, Sonny Weems, Chris Andersen, J.R. Smith, the three-man officiating crew and the peanut vendor.

Head-to-head

There were a few times Iverson and Billups found themselves guarding each other, with one showdown prompting a fan to shout, "That's the trade, that's the trade! Take him, Chauncey!" Here is a look at how each fared, quarter by quarter:

Player FG-A FT-A Ast Pts

*

FIRST QUARTER

Billups 4-6 1-1 2 9

Iverson 1-5 0-0 0 2

*

SECOND QUARTER

Billups 4-6 3-3 1 11

Iverson 0-3 1-2 1 1

*

THIRD QUARTER

Billups 1-4 3-3 1 6

Iverson 1-4 7-7 0 10

*

FOURTH QUARTER

Billups 2-3 0-0 0 4

Iverson 4-6 1-2 2 10

*

TOTALS

Billups 11-19 7-7 4 30

Iverson 6-18 9-11 3 23

Clearance sale

Talk about a steal.

Iverson jerseys that once sold for $90 were marked down to $25 at the Pepsi Center team store, and they were two-for-one, to boot.

Mixed messages

Two fans sitting about 15 rows behind the basket wore headbands and Iverson's old No. 3 Nuggets jersey, but their real allegiance was evident in their homemade sign:

"Better With Billups."

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