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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Allen Iverson was tired from playing
52 minutes and hurting from at least three injuries.
|  | | Philadelphia's Aaron McKie hit the game-winning 3-pointer and had a triple-double to help beat the Kings. |
He was also the driving force behind the Philadelphia 76ers, who
moved to the top of the NBA with an impressive victory in
Sacramento.
Iverson scored 46 points with a whirling array of beautiful
shots, and Aaron McKie punctuated his triple-double by hitting a
3-pointer to break a tie with 39 seconds left in overtime as the
76ers earned the NBA's best record with a 107-104 victory over the
Kings on Saturday.
"That plane ride home won't be that bad now," Iverson said
with a grin. "My ears will be ringing for a while from the crowd
(at Arco Arena), but a win like this in a place like this is as
good as it gets if you're a basketball player."
The game matched the teams with the NBA's best records entering
January, but the 76ers (21-8) jumped ahead early with a blistering
first quarter and never trailed the Kings (20-8) despite several
nip-and-tuck minutes in regulation and a tense overtime.
"It was just an unbelievable win, because (the Kings) are a
great team," Sixers coach Larry Brown said. "This is a
phenomenally tough place to play, but we managed to gut it out. ...
Allen was spectacular, and Aaron was great."
Iverson, who also had nine rebounds and nine assists, drove the
lane and passed to McKie in the corner for the go-ahead shot.
Sacramento couldn't score on its last two possessions, and Jon
Barry's 3-pointer with a second left was short.
With Iverson's artistry and a dominant rebounding performance,
the Sixers won their NBA-best 14th road game -- their seventh in a
row -- and snapped Sacramento's nine-game home winning streak. McKie
had 19 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds in Philadelphia's first
win at Arco Arena in 11 years.
"Aaron was the unsung guy tonight," Brown said. "Allen got us
there, but Aaron put us over the top."
Iverson missed a game last week with a dislocated right shoulder
and also is nursing a left hip pointer and a sore right elbow. But
the 1999 NBA scoring champion used the nationally televised meeting
of the NBA's conference leaders to show he's healthy and ready to
make the Sixers better than they've ever been in his career.
Peja Stojakovic scored a career-high 33 points for the Kings,
and he hit four straight free throws in overtime which tied it at
104 with 54 seconds left.
"We didn't play the whole game good at all," Stojakovic said.
"We chased them the whole 48 minutes. I think only in the last
seven or eight minutes we played like we're capable of playing."
Sacramento is 13-2 at home, with both losses coming in overtime.
The Kings were outrebounded 57-39.
"They beat us to a lot of loose balls and long rebounds,"
Sacramento coach Rick Adelman said. "When Iverson's on the floor,
it's really difficult because he draws so much attention. When you
come at him, you open yourself up to the boards."
Chris Webber, fighting a case of stomach flu, had 29 points and
10 rebounds but missed a potential game-winning jumper with five
seconds left in regulation.
The Kings outscored the Sixers 32-15 in the fourth quarter
thanks to 11 points by Stojakovic -- including three straight
3-pointers -- and Bobby Jackson's solid defense on Iverson after the
Philadelphia star embarrassed Jason Williams for much of the game.
Sacramento pulled within one with five minutes remaining and
tied it at 96 on Webber's driving layup with 2:01 left. It was tied
at 98 when Webber missed a jumper with five seconds left, and
Jackson's tip attempt missed by an inch.
Philadelphia got the last shot of regulation, but Iverson's
17-footer was off.
The Sixers opened the game in an offensive groove, hitting 14 of
their first 20 shots and steadily opening an 18-point lead in the
first quarter. Sacramento chipped back in the next two quarters,
but they never pulled within striking distance of the lead until
the final minutes.
"The only thing that could top this would be if the Eagles get
a win on Sunday," Brown said of the NFL wild-card game against
Tampa Bay at Veterans Stadium.
Game notes
McKie and Brown received technical fouls late in the first
half for protesting a foul call on McKie. Brown nearly came to
half-court to scream at referee Jason Phillips. ... The Sixers also
were irked that a backcourt violation wasn't called on Jackson with
24 seconds left in regulation. The referees said Jackson didn't
have possession of the inbounds pass before he fumbled it into the
backcourt. ... The 76ers hadn't won at Arco Arena since March 1,
1989, when Charles Barkley had a triple-double.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Philadelphia Clubhouse
Sacramento Clubhouse
RECAPS
Orlando 95
Boston 90
Houston 114
Dallas 99
Seattle 104
Charlotte 102
Miami 110
Detroit 102
San Antonio 89
Indiana 77
New York 88
Minnesota 79
Philadelphia 107
Sacramento 104
Phoenix 109
Toronto 103
Denver 120
Milwaukee 113
Golden State 102
Vancouver 101
LA Lakers 116
LA Clippers 114
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Larry Brown Official Site
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