The Philadelphia 76ers watched their second-half
lead shrink from 19 points to one, and they endured five changes of
possession in the final 20 seconds.
Somehow they hung on, surviving their second frantic finish in
as many nights to beat the Miami Heat 93-90 Friday.
"We had them on the ropes, but we couldn't knock them out,"
said Allen Iverson, who scored 35 points.
Miami missed three 3-pointers down the stretch that would have
tied the score, including an uncontested 24-footer by Lamar Odom
with two seconds to go.
"We played with guts, heart and determination," Odom said.
"But you can't get down 19 points against Philadelphia."
Iverson, who scored the game's final points on a basket with 21
seconds left, had a strange shooting night. He went 5-for-9 from
3-point range, 2-for-14 on two-point shots and 16-for-17 at the
free-throw line.
"I couldn't hit anything inside the arc," Iverson said. "But
fortunately I was able to get to the line and have a big night."
The NBA scoring leader is averaging 38.8 points in his past four
games.
The 76ers, who defeated Chicago 83-82 on Thursday, lead the
Atlantic Division at 11-10 even though they've been hampered by
injuries. Philadelphia snapped a three-game road losing streak and
beat the Heat for the sixth time in a row.
"The fact that we're above .500 and leading our division says a
lot," guard Eric Snow said. "We've been through a lot, been
through the tough times, and we've survived."
They barely withstood a comeback by the Heat, who fell behind
73-54 with three minutes left in the third period before rallying.
Eddie Jones missed a 3-pointer that would have tied the game with
2:50 left, and another with 43 seconds to go. Miami's Brian Grant
rebounded the second miss and scored to cut the 76ers' lead to
91-90.
Iverson's 18-footer made it 93-90. Then came a furious sequence.
Odom missed a running scoop shot, and Snow missed a breakaway
layup. Grant grabbed the rebound and threw the ball out of bounds
with five seconds left, but a bad pass by Philadelphia's Aaron
McKie gave the ball back to Miami.
Odom then missed from the top of the arc, and the 76ers' John
Salmons rebounded with one second left to clinch the victory.
"You can't let the comeback obscure the things we did wrong the
first 30 minutes," Miami coach Stan Van Gundy said. "The first
half was obviously the worst we've played all year."
Dwyane Wade scored 21 points for Miami. Jones, who missed his
first 10 shots and finished 7-for-22, scored 20. Odom went 5-for-17
and scored 19.
Philadelphia's Derrick Coleman, who has missed nine games with a
strained knee, played the entire fourth quarter and finished with
12 points and seven rebounds.
"I could have surgery," Coleman said. "But that would put me
out for a year, and I'm already 36 years old. I don't want to do
that. The pain is not that bad, although the back-to-back games are
tough."
The 76ers have won 13 of their past 15 games against Miami,
including two victories this season. They've won five straight at
Miami.
The Heat had won four home games in a row.
Game notes
Miami's Caron Butler, who has struggled in limited duty
since undergoing knee surgery Oct. 4, didn't dress. Butler might be
ready to return to the starting lineup next week, Van Gundy said.
... Iverson's 35 points were the most against the Heat this season.
... The 76ers improved to 6-0 when leading at halftime. ... Iverson
had a steal in the fourth quarter to extend his streak to 44
consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NBA. ... Miami
center Loren Woods made his first start since Nov. 16, 2002,
replacing Udonis Haslem. Woods missed his first six free-throw
attempts. ... The Heat fell to 1-11 when their opponent shoots more
free throws.
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