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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
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SHOT CHART
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GAME FLOW
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Ray Allen was masterful. Allen Iverson was miserable.
|  | | Allen Iverson had to contend with Ray Allen's defense and a bruised tailbone. |
Allen gave Milwaukee a big lead right at the start and silenced
the Philadelphia 76ers with clutch jumpers every time they made a
run Thursday night, scoring a career playoff-high 38 points as the
Bucks evened the Eastern Conference finals at one game apiece with
a 92-78 victory.
"I was making shot after shot, Sam (Cassell) was finding me and
I said, 'Let's continue to keep doing this,"' Allen said.
That's exactly what they did, with Allen repeatedly snuffing out
every Philadelphia threat with an assortment of jumpers from inside
the 3-point line and beyond it.
Playing in the same arena where he scored 42 points earlier this
season to set what was then a career-high, Allen was in a groove
all night as he shot 15-for-24 overall and 7-for-11 on 3-pointers.
"I love this gym," Allen said. "Playing against Allen brings
out the best in me."
Allen also did an excellent job of defending Iverson, who shot
just 5-for-26 from the field -- missing 11 straight shots at one
point -- for 16 points. Allen's job was made easier by the fact that
Iverson was slowed considerably by a bruised hip and buttocks.
"I would like for him to stay at home and miss the next game so
he has three or four days' rest, but I'm going to get overruled by
him on that one," Philadelphia coach Larry Brown said.
Iverson, however, did not rule out that possibility.
"If I play like this, if it's hurting my team, I need to start thinking about myself, too. It's getting worse, not getting any better," he said. "When it's getting worse, it's something you have to think about."
Game 3 in the best-of-seven series is Saturday at Milwaukee.
Milwaukee's "Big Three" of Allen, Glenn Robinson and Cassell
scored the Bucks' first 30 points, and Milwaukee held a
double-digit lead for 39 of the final 43 minutes.
Robinson finished with 16 points and Cassell had 14 points and
11 assists for the Bucks, who went to the free throw line only six
times all game and were outrebounded by 11. Milwaukee made only two
free throws, the fewest ever in an NBA playoff game.
The main reason for the Bucks' lack of free throws -- Philadelphia, by comparison, was 24-of-30 -- was the shooting
prowess of Allen, who also had six assists and six rebounds.
Allen had extra energy on the offensive end because he didn't
have to expend much chasing Iverson around.
"He poses such a matchup problem because he's quick, but we
know that he's hobbled a little bit and now's the time we have to
take advantage of him being disabled," Allen said. "He stands
funny. He stands like an old man now, holding his back and holding
his tail bone when he walks."
Aaron McKie had 21 points and Dikembe Mutombo added 18 points
and 20 rebounds for the Sixers, whose hopes for a comeback were
dashed by Allen time after time.
Allen gave Milwaukee its first 10-point lead on a 3-pointer with
4:48 left in the first, and Allen's third 3-pointer of the quarter
gave Milwaukee a 30-15 lead. To that point, Allen, Robinson and
Cassell combined to shoot 13-for-17 from the field.
The Bucks cooled off in a major way in the second quarter,
missing 12 consecutive shots. But the 76ers trimmed just seven
points off their deficit over that 5½-minute span, and the Bucks
held a 49-37 halftime lead as Allen had 20 points.
"The key was when we got them to miss in the second quarter and
didn't make much of a dent," Brown said.
Robinson started the third quarter with a 3-pointer and a
jumper, and Cassell followed with a jumper to put the Bucks ahead
56-37. The Sixers got back within 10 as Iverson got his eighth
assist on a jumper by McKie that made it 59-49, but Allen answered
quickly with a 3-pointer and a jumper.
Philadelphia again got within 10 on a jumper by Iverson with
2:11 left in the third, but Allen -- who else? -- knocked down a
3-pointer to end yet another threat.
Allen's final demoralizer was a 3-pointer with 9½ minutes left
in the fourth quarter after the Sixers had pulled to 71-60 on a
basket by Rodney Buford.
Allen scored five straight points to make it 82-67 with 6:47
left, and the fans began streaming toward the exits with 3:30 left.
"I think the series just began," Bucks coach George Karl said.
"I always said a series doesn't begin until a road team wins."
Game notes
After playing 12 minutes in Game 1, 76ers forward Matt
Geiger was not in uniform because of pain in his right knee and
quadriceps. ... Philadelphia forward George Lynch had a cast removed from his broken left foot. He hopes to be available for the NBA Finals if the 76ers get that far. ... Milwaukee's Lindsey
Hunter, who entered then game shooting just 20 percent from the
field during the playoffs, made his first two shots and finished
3-for-7 from the field for six points. ... Iverson's career-low in
the playoffs is 13.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Milwaukee Clubhouse
Philadelphia Clubhouse
Ailing Iverson travels but might miss Game 3 Saturday
RECAPS
Milwaukee 92
Philadelphia 78
AUDIO/VIDEO
 ESPN's Mark Shwarz catches up with Milwaukee guard Ray Allen following his 38-point performance.
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Allen Iverson is left frustrated after being slowed down by injuries.
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Allen Iverson's pain is evident and coach Larry Brown wants to give him time to rest.
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George Karl says the Bucks capitalized by playing a fast-paced game and knocking down shots.
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