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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Now the Philadelphia 76ers are ready for the
playoffs.
|  | | Allen Iverson, who had 27 against the Knicks, said he never worried during the Sixers' slide. |
Allen Iverson scored 27 points and Dikembe Mutombo added eight
points and 16 rebounds as the Sixers beat the New York Knicks 89-82
Sunday, snapping a two-game losing skid and defeating a
playoff-bound team for just the fourth time in 13 games.
"It was important because you want to make a statement heading
into the playoffs," said forward Tyrone Hill. "You don't want
teams to think they can come in your house and have an easy time."
Philadelphia had lost two straight, including a 24-point loss to
Orlando, since clinching the top spot in the Eastern Conference
last week. The Sixers are 14-11 since acquiring Mutombo on Feb. 22,
but are 4-9 against playoff teams since the trade.
Latrell Sprewell had 26 points and Othella Harrington added 14
points and eight rebounds.
"It was a statement game for us," Sprewell said. "Even though
we didn't win, I think it showed it will be a battle if we face
them in the playoffs."
The Knicks were without leading rebounder Marcus Camby and
forward Larry Johnson. Camby missed his second straight game with a
bruised hip and Johnson sat out his fourth straight with a sore
back.
The Sixers, who trailed by 10 points early, took their first
lead since the opening minute, 23-22, on a jumper by George Lynch
early in the second quarter and led the rest of the way.
Sprewell scored eight straight points in the fourth, including a
jumper that cut it to 79-77 with 3:14 left.
But Iverson answered with a jumper over Sprewell and Lynch
blocked Sprewell's driving layup, setting up a runner by Aaron
McKie that made it 83-77 with 2:02 left.
After Allan Houston made it 83-80 on a jumper and free throw,
Iverson hit a driving runner to give the Sixers an 85-80 lead with
49 seconds remaining. New York turned it over on its ensuing
possession after Glen Rice missed a 3-pointer and Philadelphia iced
it at the foul line.
"I'm encouraged when we win with defense and rebounding,"
Sixers coach Larry Brown said. "The little kid (Iverson) made two
big shots. Lynch made a big tip-in. When they got within two
points, we made defensive stops. That is the only way this team is
going to survive."
Iverson, who left the game briefly in the second with a lower
abdominal bruise, was 10-of-24. He made a driving layup and nailed
a jumper at the end of the first quarter after the Sixers had
started 1-of-12.
"We had three games to get ready for the playoffs," Iverson
said. "I never really got worried at all. I felt like we could use
those games to get it done."
Houston, the Knicks' leading scorer at 18.7 points per game, had
15 points. He made one of his first seven shots and finished
5-of-16.
After New York closed to 63-58 on a 3-pointer by Houston midway
through the third, the Sixers scored seven straight. A layup by
Matt Geiger gave Philadelphia its biggest lead of the game, 70-58,
with 31 seconds left in the quarter.
The Sixers had the NBA's best record, 41-14, before trading
All-Star center Theo Ratliff and Toni Kukoc to Atlanta for Mutombo
in a six-player deal hours before the NBA trade deadline.
Injuries and lack of cohesion have hurt Philadelphia since the
trade.
"I thought it was a great trade for them," Knicks coach Jeff
Van Gundy said. "He's a shot blocker, and I think he's the
premiere offensive rebounder in the game."
Game notes
Iverson made a mental blunder in the third when he started
running down the court while complaining about a non-foul call
after missing a jumper. Geiger grabbed the rebound and looked to
pass it back to Iverson, who was nowhere to be found. ... Iverson
scored his 9,000th career point on a free throw in the first
quarter. ... The Sixers won three of four against the Knicks this
season, including a sweep at Madison Square Garden. ... Mutombo
reached 1,000 rebounds for the fourth time in his career. ... The
Sixers outrebounded New York 49-33.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
New York Clubhouse
Philadelphia Clubhouse
RECAPS
Philadelphia 89
New York 82
Boston 95
New Jersey 88
Cleveland 106
Washington 98
Orlando 90
Miami 73
Indiana 93
Chicago 86
Minnesota 107
Utah 100
Phoenix 88
Sacramento 86
LA Lakers 105
Portland 100
Charlotte 99
Detroit 90
Dallas 107
Seattle 99
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Allen Iverson says the Sixers can get production from whomever is on the floor.
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Jeff Van Gundy explains how the Sixers beat the Knicks.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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