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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Allen Iverson is thrilled to be getting help from his teammates.
|  | | Allen Iverson and the 76ers got revved up in the second half. |
Iverson scored 24 points and the Philadelphia 76ers overcame a
big first quarter by Vince Carter to beat the Toronto Raptors 104-98 Wednesday night.
Iverson also had five rebounds and five assists. Eric Snow
scored 16, Tyrone Hill added 12 and Toni Kukoc and Aaron McKie each
had 11.
"It makes it a lot easier on me," Iverson said. "It's good to see guys on my squad doing things they do in practice. My friends tell me this guy can't do this, that guy can't do that. I tell them they can do it. I see it every day in practice."
Carter scored 15 of his 25 points in the first quarter when the Raptors opened a 10-point lead. Mark Jackson added 16 points and 12 assists, and Antonio Davis had 18 points and 11 rebounds.
"It's a new system with a few new plays, but I was encouraged," Toronto's first-year coach Lenny Wilkens said. "We could have folded, but we got back in the game."
Philadelphia, coming off a 29-point season-opening victory
against the Knicks in New York, played its first game at the First
Union Center since losing to Indiana in Game 6 of the Eastern
Conference semifinals last spring.
After a loud pregame ceremony that included a fireworks display, the Sixers fell behind 13-3 less than five minutes into the game.
"It's hard to keep focus after blowing somebody out," Iverson said. "We didn't want to have a letdown."
Carter, who shot 9-for-24 in a loss to Detroit one night
earlier, hit his first six shots as Toronto took a 31-25 lead after
one quarter.
But he made just three of his final 13 shots.
"We didn't do anything different to him defensively," Snow
said. "He just didn't make the shots in the second half that he
made in the first."
The Sixers took control in the second and third and led by as
many as eight points. But Toronto came back in the fourth and took
an 81-79 lead on a hook shot by Kevin Willis.
Then Iverson and Hill took over.
Iverson tied it at 81 on a driving layup, and Hill's layup made
it 83-81 with 6:44 remaining.
A free throw by Theo Ratliff, a fastbreak layup by Iverson and a
put-back by Hill completed a 9-0 run, giving the Sixers an 88-81
lead with 4:34 left.
Toronto, which missed eight straight shots during the run,
didn't get closer than three the rest of the way.
"These games like this early in the season mature you as a
group," McKie said. "We want to spread the wealth, get the big
guys included. That opens things for guys on the perimeter."
Philadelphia took its first lead, 47-45, on a three-point play
by Nazr Mohammed with 3:14 left in the second quarter. Toni Kukoc
grabbed a rebound, led a fastbreak and threw a no-look pass to
Mohammed, who hit a two-footer before making a foul shot.
Kukoc then nailed a 3-pointer, and Snow scored on a driving
layup to complete a 10-0 run, giving the Sixers a 52-45 lead.
Toronto, which made several personnel changes in the offseason, is 0-2.
"Mark (Jackson) and I have some miscues," Carter said. "That's the biggest thing, just understanding one another especially down the stretch when things are tough."
Game notes
Sixers president Pat Croce went out to center court before
tip-off, welcomed the fans and introduced Iverson and Snow as
captains. Both players said a few words and thanked the fans. ...
Iverson sat out the first 5:06 of the second quarter. He sat down
again after badly missing a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left in the
half, and remained on the bench as the team huddled during a
timeout with 16 seconds left. ... Raptors forward Corliss
Williamson had 10 points in 17 minutes. ... Maxwell, signed last
week, hit his first two shots from opposite corners, including a
3-pointer.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Toronto Clubhouse
Philadelphia Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 103
Detroit 83
Philadelphia 104
Toronto 98
Washington 95
Charlotte 77
Cleveland 102
Sacramento 100
Miami 105
Orlando 79
Seattle 112
Denver 99
Utah 97
LA Lakers 92
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Allen Iverson puts in the pass from Eric Snow.
avi: 431 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Allen Iverson gives his tips on guarding Vince Carter.
wav: 118 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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