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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Allen Iverson is expected to be sidelined 1-to-3 weeks after partially dislocating his right shoulder in the Philadelphia 76ers' 91-71 loss to the New York Knicks on Friday night.
|  | | Latrell Sprewell works against Tyrone Hill, backing in toward two of his 20 points. |
Allan Houston scored 27 points and Latrell Sprewell added 20 as
the Knicks snapped a two-game losing streak.
The victory avenged a humiliating, 29-point loss to the Sixers
on opening night. But the worst news for the Sixers came when
Iverson was injured in a collision with Chris Childs late in the
fourth quarter.
Iverson, who was playing with a left hip pointer, underwent an MRI test Friday night at Thomas Jefferson University
Hospital that revealed no damage to the glenoid labrum or rotator
cuff. He was expected to begin rehabilitating the shoulder on Saturday, according
to team physician Jack McPhilemy.
The 76ers didn't place Iverson on the injured list Saturday, but they did sign Rodney Buford, a swingman who had been
playing in Italy. To make room on the roster, point guard Pepe Sanchez was placed on
the injured list with bursitis in his left hip.
Buford, a second-round pick by Miami in the 1999 draft, was
traded to Charlotte on Aug. 1 in a deal that sent Jamal Mashburn to
the Hornets. He was waived by Charlotte on Oct. 2. He averaged 4.3 points, 1.4 rebounds and 11.4 minutes in 34
games with the Heat last season.
Iverson, who had 19 points and eight assists, found himself at
odds with coach Larry Brown again earlier in the day before Friday's game. Iverson was
visibly upset before the game because Brown cut his best friend on
the team, Vernon Maxwell.
"I'd be surprised if he didn't react," Brown said of Iverson.
"(Maxwell) was his best friend."
Iverson didn't speak to reporters after the game.
The Knicks won one night after an embarrassing 92-86 loss to the
Boston Celtics in which they were booed off the court by the fans
at Madison Square Garden.
Houston scored four points against Boston -- his worst
performance of the season.
"I got a shot on the break, a 3-pointer, and that got me
going," Houston said. "Sometimes when you get a shot on the
break, you don't hesitate. Sometimes hesitation kills shooters. I
wasn't hesitating tonight. I was just letting go."
Houston shot 2-of-6 in the first half, then took control early
in the third quarter. He nailed three 3-pointers during an 11-0 run
as the Knicks took a 57-43 lead.
After Theo Ratliff made two free throws, Houston hit a jumper,
got fouled and made the free throw to give the Knicks their biggest
lead to that point, 60-44.
New York led by as many as 23, and the Sixers didn't get closer
than 17 in the fourth quarter.
"I think we've turned the corner," Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy
said. "Sometimes it's just a difference of making shots."
Philadelphia, which entered the game with the best record in the
NBA, fell to 18-8. The Sixers have lost four straight at the First
Union Center.
Larry Johnson had 12 points and Kurt Thomas added 12 points and
10 rebounds for the Knicks.
Aaron McKie had 10 points for the Sixers, but no other player
scored in double figures. Iverson was 5-of-18 from the field,
8-of-10 from the foul line.
"No one could've guarded (Houston) in the third quarter,"
Brown said. "It seemed like everything went from bad to worse."
Philadelphia beat the Knicks 101-72 at the Garden on Halloween
night en route to a franchise-best 10-0 start. But the Sixers had
their lowest point total of the year Friday.
"It's a little disappointing when you see how well we played
tonight," Sprewell said. "Why can't we do that all the time?"
Maxwell, signed Oct. 27 as a free agent, was released Friday
after the Sixers signed point guard Kevin Ollie. Philadelphia had
been looking for a point guard since Eric Snow went down with a
fractured right ankle earlier this month.
Iverson and Brown have had a rocky relationship since the coach
came to Philadelphia four years ago. The two appeared to have
resolved their differences after a tumultuous summer that included
several trade rumors.
But Iverson grew close to Maxwell since his arrival, and he was
animated and angry in a conversation with a team official prior to
the game.
Iverson didn't have any problem playing with Ollie, however. He
drove the lane early in the second quarter and passed to Ollie, who
nailed a jumper. He found Ollie open again for a jumper later in
the quarter.
The Sixers took their first lead, 30-28, on a pair of free
throws by George Lynch with 5:49 left in the second quarter.
Game notes
Sixers center Matt Geiger did not play because of soreness
in his right knee. He has missed 17 games. ... Knicks forward Marcus Camby was not in uniform because of a strained left groin. ... Ratliff left the game in the fourth quarter with an upset
stomach and did not return. ... New York outrebounded the Sixers
44-29.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
New York Clubhouse
Philadelphia Clubhouse
Already angry, Iverson injures his shoulder
RECAPS
Utah 109
Indiana 101
New York 91
Philadelphia 71
Atlanta 78
Toronto 72
Miami 103
Cleveland 95
LA Lakers 108
Dallas 103
Charlotte 83
Minnesota 74
San Antonio 105
Golden State 87
Denver 116
Portland 96
Seattle 107
Washington 87
Sacramento 95
Vancouver 93
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Larry Brown Official Site
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