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Sunday, Mar. 19 7:30pm ET
Iverson falls one steal short | |||||
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 GAME FLOW
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Philadelphia's Allen Iverson was one steal shy of a triple-double. Surely he was thinking about getting that 10th steal that would give him that feat for the first time in his career. "Oh, I don't care about that," said Iverson, who had 18 points, 10 assists and nine steals in the Sixers' 89-85 win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday night. "I haven't won a championship. That's what I want."
Aaron McKie sank two free throws with five seconds left to seal the win for Philadelphia. Tyrone Hill had 15 points, Theo Ratliff scored 13, George Lynch had 10 points and 11 rebounds and Matt Geiger added 10 points for the 76ers. "We were real fortunate to win this one," 76ers coach Larry Brown said. "We got got down and won the game late. That's something I'm really happy about." Ron Mercer scored 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field, Darrell Armstrong scored 16 and Ben Wallace grabbed a career-high 21 rebounds for the Magic, who have lost three in a row and four of their past five to jeopardize their playoff chances. Despite the loss, Orlando coach Doc Rivers was happy with the team's effort. "This is a team you have to love," Rivers said. "Armstrong is playing with a concussion and he's diving all over the place. Wallace is playing with a cast on his foot and he absolutely hates to come out. I'd love to go to war with this team." Ratliff had two blocks in the final two minutes to seal the win for Philadelphia. First, he blocked Wallace, who was trying to put back an offensive rebound. In the final minute, he swatted away a driving layup by Chucky Atkins. Neither team scored from the 3:40 mark until McKie's foul shots. "We made some terrific defensive plays down the stretch," Brown said. The Sixers took their first lead of the fourth quarter with 5:07 left when Hill grabbed a loose ball and hit a layup and a free throw to put Philadelphia ahead 83-80. After Mercer made two foul shots, Eric Snow hit a baseline jumper and Ratliff tapped in a rebound to give the 76ers an 87-82 lead with 3:52 remaining. Pat Garrity sank a 3-pointer with 3:40 left to pull the Magic within two. Armstrong paced a big third-quarter run for the Magic, getting 10 points and five assists in the period. Orlando came back from 13 points down to take a 72-69 lead after three quarters. Armstrong scored six straight points during a 20-7 run that ended the period. "We fought all the way, but especially in the second half," Mercer said. Iverson scored 14 of his points in the first half, most from drives to the basket. He had eight points in the second quarter as the Sixers overcame a one-point deficit and grabbed a 52-41 halftime advantage. The Magic had just one field goal in the final 6:36 of the half and turned the ball over 18 times. Game notesThe Magic had a scary moment in the first quarter when Armstrong knocked his head on Geiger's knee while diving for a loose ball. Armstrong remained motionless for about four minutes while medical staff attended to him. Although he looked woozy while leaving the court and heading to the locker room, he did return before halftime. ...Orlando's 18 first-half turnovers was the most in the four-year history of the First Union Center. The Magic finished with 28. ...Iverson's nine steals was the best for a Sixer this season. He credited his teammates. "A lot of those steals came because of my teammates knocking the ball away," he said. "Some of them just fell into my lap." | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Orlando Clubhouse Philadelphia Clubhouse RECAPS LA Lakers 92 New York 85
Philadelphia 89
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