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Friday, Mar. 17 7:00pm ET
Iverson's return from suspension successful | |||||
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PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Allen Iverson returned to a mix of boos and cheers Friday night. Iverson, playing his first game since serving a one-game suspension, scored 24 points and added nine assists as the Sixers ended the Utah Jazz's nine-game winning streak with a 99-97 victory.
Iverson, who sat out Thursday night's loss to the Miami Heat after missing the morning shootaround, shot 8-of-20, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Iverson, who was booed upon his introduction, drew cheers when he scored his first basket on a slam dunk off an alley-oop pass from Eric Snow midway through the first quarter. He earned louder applause after hitting two key baskets in the fourth quarter. "It was his best all-around game," Sixers coach Larry Brown said. "He made other people better. He made key shots. It's a tribute to him that he can play under these circumstances." Iverson, the NBA's leading scorer, said he was happy the Sixers finally beat a playoff team. But he wasn't entirely thrilled over Thursday's suspension. "Maybe I'll do it again, maybe I won't," Iverson said. "If I'm sick, I'll call in to say I can't make it. I'm gonna do what's best for Allen Iverson's health and I'll definitely think of my teammates when I make the decision." Karl Malone led Utah with 31 points and 13 rebounds. John Stockton had 14 points and seven assists. Malone missed six free throws, however, including five in the second half. He was 9-for-15 from the foul line and 11-for-17 from the floor. Toni Kukoc had 14 points for the Sixers on 6-for-11 shooting. Utah cut its deficit to 97-94 on a 3-pointer by Jeff Hornacek with 12.7 seconds left, but Aaron McKie sank two foul shots to seal the victory. Hornacek nailed a 3-pointer with three-tenths of a second left to provide the final margin. The loss also ended Utah's six-game road winning streak. "They made all their 3-point shots because we didn't guard them," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "You can't afford to play defense like that on the road. We played like we didn't think the win was important enough." Iverson drilled a 3-pointer to help the Sixers match their biggest lead, 93-85, with two minutes left, then hit a jumper as the shot clock expired to make it 97-89 with 59 seconds left. Iverson also electrified the crowd by dribbling around a couple defenders, running into his own teammate, Kukoc, then delivering a behind-the-back pass to Theo Ratliff, who slam dunked for an 88-81 lead with 3:40 left. "This is only one game, but we haven't beaten too many playoff teams," said Snow, who had eight points and nine assists. "Our team is close. Situations come up but our job is to be professional and come out to try to win. We're capable of beating any team in the league." The Sixers have struggled against playoff-bound teams this season, losing close games to the Los Angeles Lakers and twice to the New York Knicks in the last month. Philadelphia shot 50 percent (41-for-82) while Utah was 34-of-75 (45 percent). "I don't know if you can say you've got to give them a lot of credit. They beat us by two points," Malone said.
Game notes | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Utah Clubhouse Philadelphia Clubhouse Iverson in 76ers' starting lineup against Jazz
RECAPS Indiana 111 Houston 102
Philadelphia 99 AUDIO/VIDEO   Allen Iverson answers questions regarding his suspension.wav: 131 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6   | |||||
