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Wednesday, Nov. 24 7:00pm ET
Murray leads Wizards' rally with 19 points | |||||
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 GAME FLOW
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Despite a recent slump, Tracy Murray still had the green light to shoot from his coach. Murray scored a season-high 19 points as the Washington Wizards beat the injury-riddled Philadelphia 76ers 101-93 Wednesday night to snap a 14-game road losing streak. Murray, who had scored a total of only 15 points in his previous four games, went 8-of-13 from the field. "Tracy knows he can always shoot the basketball," coach Gar Heard said. "We always encourage him to shoot when he's open and we're glad he's broken out of it." Isaac Austin added 15 points and Rod Strickland had 10 assists for the Wizards, who overcame a 12-point deficit in the third quarter to win for the second straight night. Philadelphia played without Allen Iverson (broken hand), Billy Owens (stiff knees) and Matt Geiger, who has yet to play this season following knee surgery. That forced the 76ers to rely on some of their role players. Aaron McKie had 17 points, while Theo Ratliff and Larry Hughes each added 15. Tyrone Hill grabbed 10 rebounds for Philadelphia, which has lost four straight at home and four of its last five. The 76ers hurt themselves with a season-high 24 turnovers. "We just self-destructed," said coach Larry Brown. "We played pretty well in the first half but we turned it over too much even then." A jumper by Murray from just inside the 3-point line put the Wizards ahead 93-92 with 1:15 to go. After Philadelphia missed, Austin sank two free throws with 1:01 left, and Murray's layup following a steal by Richmond sealed the victory. With the game tied at 89 in the fourth quarter, McKie hit a jumper from the right wing while being fouled by Richard Hamilton. McKie then sank a free throw to put the 76ers ahead by three, their biggest lead of the period. Washington closed the third quarter with a 13-2 run, cutting a 12-point deficit to one going into the final period. Mitch Richmond had two driving layups, including a nifty move on a break, during the spurt. "That gave us a little smell of victory," Richmond said. "We had to bear down on defense and made them take tough shots. That got us back into it." The Wizards took their first lead since early in the first quarter when Richmond drove the lane for another layup that made it 74-73. The Wizards went ahead 80-75 on a jumper by Rod Strickland, but a layup by Tyrone Hill and a 3-pointer by McKie tied it at 80. "When they (Wizards) made their run they turned it up a bit," McKie said. "Defense is what makes our team and we didn't do a good job at it tonight." Game notesThe 76ers are 2-9 without Iverson during his four seasons. ... Philadelphia center Stanley Roberts was kicked out of the NBA Wednesday after failing a drug test under the league's new, stricter drug policy. Roberts, who was on the injured list, can apply for reinstatement in two years. ... Washington rookie Richard Hamilton continues to be perfect from the foul line, hitting both shots he attempted Wednesday to improve his season total to 19-for-19. ... Guard Kevin Ollie, signed by the 76ers earlier in the day, played one minute in the second quarter. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Washington Clubhouse Philadelphia Clubhouse Sixers' Roberts expelled from NBA after drug test
RECAPS San Antonio 121 Boston 98
Washington 101
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