ESPN Network: ESPN.com | NFL.com | NBA.com | NHL.com | WNBA.com | ABCSports | EXPN | FANTASY | INSIDER

  Scores/Schedules
  Standings
  Statistics
  Transactions
  Injuries
  Players
  Message Board
  NBA StatSearch
  NBA en espaņol
Clubhouses






Tuesday, Feb. 13 8:00pm ET
Sixers rally from nine down in fourth

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Thanks to Allen Iverson, the Philadelphia 76ers keep overcoming a litany of injuries to stay atop the NBA.

Allen Iverson
Ray Allen can't believe it as Allen Iverson and George Lynch celebrate the 76ers' road win.

The 76ers erased a five-point deficit in the final minute to beat Milwaukee 107-104 Tuesday night in a spirited matchup of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference.

Iverson scored six of his 49 points in the final minute, then helped play perfect keepaway as the 76ers killed the clock in the closing seconds.

"It means something because we're playing without one of our leading defenders," Iverson said of Theo Ratliff, his shot-swatting teammate who has an injured wrist and missed his first game of the season.

The Bucks got 28 points from Glenn Robinson, 27 from Ray Allen and 20 from Sam Cassell and led 104-99 with 1:11 left. But they also had eight fourth-quarter turnovers, failed to hold a nine-point fourth-quarter lead and couldn't even commit up a foul late in the game.

Iverson scored a second-chance basket with 56 seconds left and was fouled. Although he missed the bonus, an offensive rebound by George Lynch allowed Iverson to sink another basket at 49 seconds, pulling Philadelphia to 104-103.

After a Milwaukee turnover, Cassell fouled out and Iverson sank both free throws for a 105-104 lead.

"The little guy had a huge game," 76ers coach Larry Brown said.

Tim Thomas misfired for the Bucks, and Tyrone Hill got the rebound with 18 seconds left. Milwaukee knocked the ball out of bounds a couple times, but when Eric Snow inbounded the ball with 13.4 seconds left, the 76ers spread the floor and played keepaway until Robinson caught up with Aaron McKie with just three-tenths of a second left.

McKie, who scored 17, sank both free throws for the final margin.

"They did an excellent job holding the ball and running the clock out," Robinson said. "We had the game won. We had a lead and we couldn't hold on. We couldn't close it out. We gave it away."

Thomas' 3-pointer gave the Bucks their biggest lead at 90-81, but Iverson responded with a 3 and keyed a 11-2 run that gave Philadelphia a 94-92 lead with 5:35 left.

The highly energetic showdown was seen by the Bucks as a chance to further legitimize themselves as championship contenders.

This season, the Bucks have ended a seven-game losing streak to the New York Knicks, stopped an eight-game skid against the Lakers in Los Angeles, beat Detroit for the first time in four years at the Palace and finally beat Denver for the first time in coach George Karl's three-year tenure.

But they lost to the 76ers for the sixth straight time and for the fifth straight time at the Bradley Center. They'll face each other three more times over the next six weeks.

Hill said the comeback showed the 76ers' legitimacy as title hopefuls.

"It was a good emotional win for us," he said. "That just shows what kind of heart this team has. Every minute, every play, don't give up. As long as we have that kind of attitude, we're going to win every ballgame, we got a chance to win every ballgame."

Before the game, the 76ers activated Snow and center Matt Geiger and put Ratliff and Juan "Pepe" Sanchez (back strain) on the injured list.

Ratliff, who was replaced in the starting lineup by Todd MacCulloch, had started all 50 of the Sixers' games. He is out 4-6 weeks, and how well the 76ers play without their shot-blocking specialist will play a major role in their quest for an NBA title.

Iverson had 38 points by the end of the third quarter, but the Bucks, who trailed by eight at halftime, took an 87-81 lead into the fourth quarter.

Robinson entered the game 20 points shy of 10,000 for his career and scored 18 in the first half, which ended with Milwaukee trailing 59-51.

Robinson reached the milestone on a 3-pointer to open the second half. He is the fifth Bucks player to score 10,000 and the first player of his draft class (1994) or the preceding one to reach five figures.

But the fourth-quarter collapse left Robinson thinking about the next time the teams meet, in Philadelphia on Feb. 26.

"Next time, we want to show them that was a fluke at the end of the game," Robinson said.

Game notes
Robinson (10,008) joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (14,221), Sidney Moncrief (11,594), Bob Dandridge (11,478) and Marques Johnson (10,980) as the only Milwaukee players with 10,000 points. ... Snow missed the last 32 games with a right ankle fracture and subsequent surgery. He made his first appearance since Dec. 5 against the Lakers. ... Geiger had missed the last 25 games because of soreness in his right knee and arthroscopic surgery performed on Jan. 4. He played 12 minutes and had eight points and three rebounds.

Send this story to a friend
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard

Philadelphia Clubhouse

Milwaukee Clubhouse


RECAPS
Charlotte 77
Indiana 66

Toronto 120
Cleveland 105

Miami 101
LA Clippers 99

LA Lakers 113
New Jersey 110

Philadelphia 107
Milwaukee 104

Sacramento 97
Utah 94

Chicago 96
Atlanta 92

Houston 99
Washington 89

San Antonio 104
Dallas 92

Denver 96
New York 77

Portland 109
Minnesota 88

Vancouver 99
Boston 98

Phoenix 93
Golden State 83

AUDIO/VIDEO
audio
 Coach George Karl tries to explain what happened to the Bucks in the final minutes of the game.
wav: 123 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6

 Ray Allen isn't convinced that the Sixers are a better team than his Bucks.
wav: 161 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6

FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT

George Karl Official Site

Larry Brown Official Site


ESPN.com:  HELP |  ADVERTISER INFO |  CONTACT US |  TOOLS |  SITE MAP
Copyright ©2000 ESPN Internet Group. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Safety Information are applicable to this site. Employment opportunities at ESPN.com.