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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Another slow start, another woeful performance
by the Washington Wizards.
|  | | Allen Iverson, who drew a foul on Isaac Austin on this play, torched the Wizards for 39 points. |
The Wizards missed their first 14 shots and fell behind by 18
points in the first quarter of Tuesday night's 95-73 loss to the
Philadelphia 76ers. It was Philadelphia's third straight victory,
and Washington's seventh consecutive loss.
"Washington's coming out of the gate struggling," Philadelphia
coach Larry Brown said. "And we talked about trying to jump on
them and being aggressive. They missed some shots, and we got to
run and got some easy baskets in the first quarter."
The Wizards (1-7), off to their worst start in 33 years, have
been outscored 226-156 in the first quarter. Their backups have
outscored their starters for the three consecutive games, and coach
Gar Heard promised immediate changes.
"We have to look at replacing two of three starters," Heard
said. "It's not that they're not trying, I'm trying to find the
right combination."
The first candidates for the bench are center Isaac Austin, who
had no points and two rebounds, and six-time All-Star Mitch
Richmond, who has struggled all season and was 3-for-13 with eight
points against the 76ers. His backup, rookie Richard Hamilton,
provided a spark with a team-high 17 points, and Heard all but said
Hamilton will start Thursday against Toronto.
"I know I'm not on my A or B or C game," said Richmond, who
missed most of training camp with a hamstring injury. "I'm trying
to fight back and come back to the way I once was. ... If it's time
for a change, it's time for a change. He's the coach and we have to
back whatever decision he makes."
Allen Iverson led the 76ers with 39 points and did more or less whatever he wanted, hitting 13 of 27 shots, including 5 of 6
3-pointers, and showboating with his between-the-legs moves in the
fourth quarter. When the Wizards, led by Hamilton, closed to 49-42
in the third, Iverson hit three straight jumpshots in an 11-2 run
that ended Washington's best comeback bid.
"We were just trying to get them down in a hole in the
beginning," Iverson said. "And then hopefully their crowd would
get on them."
And they did. The boos cascaded from the blue seats at the MCI
Center after the Wizards fell behind 21-3. They were 0-for-14 and
had five turnovers before Rod Strickland made the team's first field goal, an 11-foot jumper with 1:58 left in the first quarter.
All of which led to the now routine question for the visiting
players: What's wrong with the Wizards?
"In this league, you can't play basketball on paper," Iverson
said. "I look at what they got on paper, and they got three
All-Stars, but when you don't have that chemistry and you don't
have that identity as a team, it's hard to put all that together."
Juwan Howard, who had 13 points, was the only starter in double
figures for the Wizards, who shot 10 percent in the first quarter
and 34 percent for the game.
Game notes
Talk about a poorly-timed trivia question: With the Wizards
trailing 19-2 during a timeout in the first quarter, the public
address announcer asked the crowd to guess the record for most
points scored in a game by a Washington player. The crowd reacted
with laughter and boos. The answer is 56 by Earl Monroe vs. the
Lakers in 1968. ... The Wizards' all-time record losing streak is
13, in 1966-67 and 1994-95. ... The 1-7 start is the worst since
the 1966-67 team started 1-10. ... Philadelphia center Theo Ratliff
had three blocks in the first quarter, five in the game. ... After
losing their first four road games, the 76ers have won two
straight. ... Washington's reserves outscored the team's starters
39-34. ... Iverson is shooting 19-for-29 from 3-point range on the
season.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Philadelphia Clubhouse
Washington Clubhouse
RECAPS
Toronto 89
Detroit 85
Philadelphia 95
Washington 73
Atlanta 103
Charlotte 98
Portland 101
Miami 96
Milwaukee 101
LA Clippers 93
San Antonio 90
Indiana 87
Dallas 114
Houston 95
New York 102
Denver 95
Golden State 99
Chicago 79
Sacramento 81
Vancouver 77
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