Sports / Basketball |
Iverson scores points in 76ers' win(AP)Updated: 2006-11-04 14:42 ORLANDO, Fla. - Allen Iverson can hit a game-winning shot even when he's being defended pretty well. Iverson scored 39 points from every angle on the court, including a driving, fallaway runner from 10 feet out with 2.2 seconds left to give the Philadelphia 76ers a 105-103 victory over the Orlando Magic on Friday night. "I wanted to get in a little closer than I did, but I just took what the defense gave me and fortunately, it went in," Iverson said. Magic guard Keyon Dooling was all over Iverson on the play. "That wasn't the first time he threw one in like that," Dooling said. "He was definitely on tonight. That final shot was just another example of a great player making a great play when they needed him." The Magic had a chance to tie the game, but Grant Hill's 12-footer at the buzzer was short. Hill, who led the Magic with 25 points, had hit a similar shot to tie the game at 103 with 12 seconds left, but Iverson answered that with the game-winner. "They wanted it a little more than we did and that's a little disappointing," Hill said. Iverson finished 15-of-25, including three 3-pointers, but he was hardly alone in scoring from the perimeter. Reserve Kyle Korver had 28 points on 10-of-13 shooting, while Andre Iguodala and Chris Webber each added 11 for Philadelphia, which shot 56.1 percent from the field. The Sixers scored only 26 points in the paint. Korver was a particular sore spot for the Magic, who tried four different defenders on him, but couldn't find one that could stop him. He hit all four 3-point attempts and all four free throw shots in a near-perfect night of shooting. "You can tell Kyle likes the new basketball and if he likes it, I'll just deal with it," Iverson said. "I call him 'The Sniper' and he proved it tonight." Hedo Turkoglu had 15 points and nine rebounds and Dwight Howard finished with 14 points and nine rebounds for the Magic. The Magic hit 53.4 percent (39-of-73) but turnovers and foul problems kept them from finding a sustained period of success. Orlando committed 23 turnovers and big men Tony Battie and Darko Milicic played a total of 33 minutes because of foul problems. "When you let a team shoot 56 percent and you commit 23 turnovers, you have to play a perfect game to win," Hill said. "We didn't play a perfect game. We've got to learn from it and move on." A three-point play by Dooling sparked a 9-0 run that helped Orlando cut the deficit to 53-52 at halftime. Iverson hit his first five shots in the third quarter, including a 3-pointer that gave Philadelphia a 69-60 lead. His streak ended when the 6-foot-8 Hill took over the defensive assignment. Iverson didn't score again the rest of the period and the Magic used a 14-3 run to gain a 78-77 lead at the end of the quarter. The Sixers went up 92-86 on a 3-pointer by rookie Rodney Carney with 7:15 left, but the Magic rallied again. A three-point play by Hill and 3-pointer by Turkoglu gave the Magic a 99-97 lead with 2:55 left. The Sixers scored six straight points to go up 103-99 with 42 seconds to play, but a dunk by Howard and Hill's driving layup tied the game at 103 with 12 seconds to play. |
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