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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
HOUSTON (AP) -- Even when he's not shooting his best, it's hard
to beat Allen Iverson.
|  | | Hakeem Olajuwon had two points and seven rebounds in his return for the Rockets. |
Iverson overcame a cold-shooting first half and scored 32 points
as the Philadelphia 76ers rallied for a 85-84 overtime victory over
the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night for their franchise-record
12th straight road win.
Iverson shot only 3-for-13 from the field in the first half and
had only a 32 percent shooting percentage for the game, but he had
nine big points in the third quarter to keep the Rockets from
getting too far ahead. He also hit 12 of his 15 free throws.
"Yeah, it was an ugly win, but it was a win," Iverson said.
"I'll take a win any way we can get it."
George Lynch's basket gave the 76ers a 72-70 lead to start the
overtime and they never trailed, improving their league-best road
record to 19-4.
Steve Francis led the Rockets with 24 points and Cuttino Mobley
had 22, including a 3-point basket at the final buzzer.
"You're going to have games like that," Aaron McKie said.
"When you shoot the ball like that, you've still got to find a way
to win. I thought we got some key stops in the second half that
allowed us to win the game."
Houston led 59-51 at the start of the fourth quarter and the
Rockets still held a 65-57 advantage with 6:42 to go before the
Sixers made an 11-1 charge for a 68-66 lead with 1:50 to play.
From there, Mobley put back a miss by Francis for a 68-68 tie
and Theo Ratliff's short jumper made it 70-68. Francis then hit a
10-foot jumper with 23 seconds left, forcing the overtime.
"We're giving it all we have," Maurice Taylor said. "We
scraped like hell on defense and did a good job, but offensively
we just didn't have it. We didn't have it all night. Regardless of
what the record is, we got the loss. It's an 'L.' "
Neither team could shoot in the first half. Philadelphia shot 27
percent and the Rockets 24 percent from the field.
"We defended like crazy, especially in the fourth quarter,"
76ers coach Larry Brown said. "We missed some key free throws but
we found ways to make stops at their end. I thought we defended
about as well as we could, especially down the stretch.
"A lot of guys stepped up."
The 76ers managed a 30-18 lead with 7:56 left in the first half
before the Rockets rallied to tie the score 32-32 at the half with
a 14-2 run.
Houston's rally included a 51-foot shot by Francis that pulled
the Rockets to 32-30.
"Losses are always tough to swallow but we have played well
against the best teams," Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "If
we keep a good attitude and stay out of denial these games will
start to go our way."
Game notes
The Rockets have won nine of the last 11 games with the
76ers in Houston. ... The Rockets had scored 100 or more points in
their previous five games. ... The 76ers completed their ninth
back-to-back sweep. Five of the 76ers' 10 losses have occurred in
back-to-back games. ... The Rockets activated Hakeem Olajuwon prior
to the game. He had been on the injured list since Jan. 9
recovering from a cyst on his right knee. Olajuwon played 18
minutes with two points and seven rebounds.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Philadelphia Clubhouse
Houston Clubhouse
Olajuwon, owner Alexander have 'very productive' meeting
RECAPS
Cleveland 94
Chicago 86
Phoenix 106
Detroit 73
Miami 103
Toronto 83
Charlotte 81
New York 67
Philadelphia 85
Houston 84
Golden State 109
New Jersey 87
Seattle 114
LA Clippers 110
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Rudy Tomjanovich Official Site
Larry Brown Official Site
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