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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) – Dikembe Mutombo looked as if he'd
been playing with the Philadelphia 76ers for years instead of
hours.
|  | | Allen Iverson and Dikembe Mutombo give the Sixers a potent 1-2 punch. |
Mutombo had 17 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots in his
debut with Philadelphia as the 76ers beat the Detroit Pistons 99-78
Friday night.
"He changed the whole game with his defense and rebounding,"
said Philadelphia's Allen Iverson, who had 43 points and 10
rebounds.
Mutombo was traded along with Roshown McLeod from Atlanta to
Philadelphia on Thursday for Theo Ratliff, Nazr Mohammed and Pepe
Sanchez in the most-significant deal of the NBA season.
After the game, Mutombo looked relieved to be sitting in a
folding chair with ice packs surrounding both knees.
He flew from Atlanta to Philadelphia late Thursday night, had a
physical at 7 a.m., then arrived in Detroit at about 5 p.m. Friday.
"I need some sleep," Mutombo said. "But really, I'm so
excited to be with this group of guys. They're all about winning
and we have a great coach."
Philadelphia coach Larry Brown was glad that Mutombo was able to
provide a lot of the same things as Ratliff.
"He rebounded and defended like he has his whole career,"
Brown said. "I thought he was terrific ... I think it's pretty
remarkable what he was able to do under those circumstances."
Philadelphia has the best record in the NBA at 42-14. The Sixers
extended their winning streak to six games.
Detroit's Jerry Stackhouse scored 22 points. Chucky Atkins had
12 points and Dana Barros added 10. The Pistons made just 37.1
percent of their shots.
Mutombo's status for the game was much more in doubt than the
outcome.
The Sixers jumped out to a 16-4 lead and cruised to the win.
Philadelphia led by nine points after one quarter, 12 at halftime
and 17 after three quarters.
Philadelphia did not know whether Mutombo would be cleared to
play until an hour before the game.
Minutes after Philadelphia Brown was informed that Mutombo was
able to play, Mutombo walked into Philadelphia's locker room.
When Brown told Mutombo that he could play, the nine-year
veteran asked "What do you want me to do?"
Brown left the decision whether or not to play up to Mutombo. He
nodded his head to indicate that he wanted to play, and then turned
to look for a uniform and basketball shoes to replace his brown
suit and dress shoes.
On defense, Mutombo, the three-time defensive player of the
year, hung around the lane to block and alter shots.
He ignited Philadelphia's fastbreak with 10 defensive rebounds
and crisp outlet passes. There were times that Iverson was so far
down the court that Mutombo didn't make it to halfcourt.
On offense, he set space-creating screens with his 7-foot-2,
265-pound frame. When Mutombo got the ball, his sky hooks and
deliberate low-post moves gave the Sixers an option on the
interior.
Mutombo started and played 36 minutes. He made 7-of-12 shots and
3-of-4 free throws.
"There is not much difference between the Sixers with Theo
Ratliff and with Mutombo," said Detroit's Ben Wallace, who had 17
rebounds. "They both clog the middle and block a lot of shots.
Theo is a little more athletic and Mutombo is a little bigger."
The game also marked the debut of Detroit's Corliss Williamson,
who scored six points and grabbed four rebounds.
Williamson was traded by Toronto along with Kornell David,
Tyrone Corbin and a conditional first-round pick to Detroit for
Jerome Williams and Eric Montross. Detroit released Corbin and put
David on the injured list.
"It was unfair to play him, but once Ben (Wallace) got those
two quick fouls, I didn't have much choice," Detroit's George
Irvine said. "It's been a whirlwind for him, but he'll be fine. He
did a nice job out there."
Game notes
Michigan State's last two standout point guards, Mateen
Cleaves and Eric Snow, guarded one another at times. ... The
Pistons activated Billy Owens and Brian Cardinal from the injured
list. ... It was "George Blaha Night" at The Palace to honor
Blaha, who has broadcasted Detroit games for 25 years.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Philadelphia Clubhouse
Detroit Clubhouse
Mutombo impressive in Sixers debut
RECAPS
Sacramento 119
Toronto 118
Indiana 92
Cleveland 90
Phoenix 88
New York 84
Philadelphia 99
Detroit 78
Minnesota 122
Golden State 83
Houston 105
Orlando 95
Milwaukee 93
Vancouver 81
San Antonio 100
Boston 82
Utah 96
Seattle 84
LA Lakers 113
Atlanta 106
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Dikembe Mutombo is getting his message out.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Larry Brown is amazed at Dikembe Mutombo's first performance as a Sixer.
wav: 121 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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