The Nuggets rallied for a 106-98 victory over the Phoenix Suns, erasing a 12-point deficit with a 24-4 run over the final seven minutes.
Denver improved to 2-0 under assistant Mike Evans, who is coaching the team while Issel serves a four-game suspension imposed by the club for an obscenity-laced ethnic slur directed at a fan following a loss Tuesday.
"We had energy and we had focus tonight," Evans said. "This was an effort win for us. They have a lot of weapons on this team and I felt if we could keep it close with five minutes to go, we could win."
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from Suns-Nuggets: 56k | 300k  Nick Van Exel looks to create. William R. Sallaz NBAE/Getty Images |
"It was very similiar to our last game with Denver," Phoenix coach Scott Skiles said. "We had trouble stopping them. We broke down defensively. They got the momentum with a few minutes to go and we didn't react well to it."
Denver opened the season with a 99-96 victory at Phoenix on October 30.
"Early in the season, we beat Phoenix in Phoenix, so we knew we could win the game," Evans said.
The Suns appeared to be in control, opening a 94-82 lead with seven minutes left. Nick Van Exel sparked the Nuggets by scoring 11 of his 24 points in the fourth period.
"We dug deep tonight and we didn't give up," Van Exel said. "Our energy has been there, especially in the fourth quarter tonight. We need it for four quarters, not just one."
Stephon Marbury scored 27 points for Phoenix but was blanked in the fourth period, when the Suns were outscored, 30-15.
"We had a big effort in the fourth quarter, especially when we contained Marbury," Van Exel added. "We tried to take the ball out of his hands and make someone else try to beat us."
Van Exel tied the contest, 96-96, with a pair of free throws with 2:22 left, then hit a 3-pointer to give Denver the lead for good with 1:47 to play.
"Nick Van Exel can hit those big shots," Skiles said. "He's fearless out there and can make the big play."
After Penny Hardaway's driving layup pulled Phoenix within one, Van Exel hit another jumper to make it 101-98 with 1:01 left. Voshon Lenard delivered the back-breaker, drilling a 3-pointer from deep in the left corner to extend the advantage to 104-98 with 29 seconds to go.
Lenard was asked if he and Van Exel tried to take over the game in the fourth quarter.
"We're just trying to work to get on the same page as a team," said Lenard, who scored 19 points. "We're trying to get everyone involved in the game."
Rodney Rogers added 18 for Phoenix, which took an 83-76 lead into the fourth quarter.
"We let this one get away," Marbury said. "I think we got complacent with the big lead we had. We got kind of lax. Our defense at the beginning of the game was well-executed but our defense at the end was poor."
Raef LaFrentz also scored 19 points for the Nuggets, who shot 47 percent (41-of-88) from the field, their best total in 10 games.
Van Exel had 10 assists for his third straight double-double and fourth of the season.