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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Dikembe Mutombo wouldn't let his former
teammates get their way.
|  | | Sixers guard Alan Iverson (front) gets fouled by the Hawks' Hanno Mottola. |
Mutombo had 13 points, 13 rebounds and nine blocked shots and
Allen Iverson scored 47 points as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the
Atlanta Hawks 108-103 Friday night.
The Hawks have lost 10 straight, including nine since trading
Mutombo to Philadelphia in a five-player deal on Feb. 22.
"I kept running into them and they kept telling me they were
going to dunk on me," said Mutombo, who is living at the same
hotel that Atlanta stayed at in downtown Philadelphia. "I kept
telling them during the course of the game, 'Why are you even
trying?' "
Jason Terry had 25 points and Nazr Mohammed, who was sent to
Atlanta along with Theo Ratliff, Toni Kukoc and Pepe Sanchez for
Mutombo, scored a career-high 18. Kukoc and DerMarr Johnson each
had 12.
Eric Snow had 12 points and 13 assists, Tyrone Hill had 12
points and nine rebounds and George Lynch had eight points and 12
rebounds for Philadelphia, which improved the NBA's best record to
46-16.
"It felt funny playing against guys you played with all year,"
Iverson said. "You look left, you look right and there are guys
that were always right there in the foxhole with you, who felt bad
when you felt bad. It was tough."
Iverson, who scored 40 or more points for the 16th time this
season, had 17 in the first quarter and 16 in the third. He made
eight straight shots in one stretch and finished 16-for-30.
The Sixers led by as many as 17 late in the third, but Atlanta
closed within 93-89 with an 11-0 run in the fourth. Terry had seven
of the 11 points, including the last five.
Mutombo ended a scoreless drought of 3:17 with a slam, but the
Hawks scored six straight after a jumper by Snow to cut it to
101-99 with 1:11 left.
After Mohammed's layup made it 103-101, Snow put it away with a
15-footer that gave the Sixers a 105-101 lead with 31 seconds
left.
"We fought like crazy to get back into it," Atlanta coach Lon
Kruger said. "We are disappointed by not quite finishing. It was a
great effort down the stretch, but not quite enough."
Mutombo recorded his fifth straight double-double and sixth in
seven games with the Sixers. He had five blocks in the third
quarter and got a key rebound late in the game when the Hawks had a
chance to tie.
"If (Mutombo) does every night what he did tonight, we'll be
very satisfied," Sixers coach Larry Brown said.
Atlanta took its first lead since the opening minutes, 48-46, on
a jumper by Mohammed with 3:28 left in the second quarter.
Iverson's jumper and driving layup capped a 9-4 run, giving the
Sixers a 55-52 lead at halftime.
After the Hawks cut it to 65-59 midway through the third,
Iverson drilled a 3-pointer, assisted on a layup by Snow and hit
another 3-pointer to give Philadelphia a 73-64 lead.
"That's a dream, best team in the league, a team that you
played for in their house," Mohammed said about his performance.
"You couldn't write it up any better."
Game notes
The Sixers are 19-14 overall, including 12-4 this season,
when Iverson scores 40 points or more. ... Philadelphia center Matt
Geiger missed his second straight game with swelling in the right
knee. Geiger has played just 17 games due to injuries. ... Kukoc, a
starter since going to Atlanta, was booed throughout the night. ...
Hawks center Lorenzen Wright left the game with a sprained right
thumb in the second quarter and did not return. ... Philadelphia is
24-2 when it scores 100 points or more.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Atlanta Clubhouse
Philadelphia Clubhouse
RECAPS
Indiana 99
Cleveland 84
Philadelphia 108
Atlanta 103
Boston 104
Washington 72
Miami 86
Minnesota 79
New Jersey 96
New York 83
Detroit 108
Chicago 75
Dallas 102
Golden State 73
Utah 107
Phoenix 95
Toronto 110
Seattle 99
Vancouver 95
Portland 85
San Antonio 93
LA Lakers 89
Sacramento 110
Denver 104
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