RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- The Philadelphia 76ers lost their cool
and their perfect record.
Elden Campbell scored 22 points and Allen Iverson was held to
seven as Charlotte beat Philadelphia 88-73 Wednesday night to end
the 76ers' season-opening winning streak at 10 games.
| | Nazr Mohammed (14) and the Sixers were done in by poor shooting from the floor. |
"We knew we weren't going to go 82-0 the whole season, but it
still hurts when it finally happened," Iverson said. "We had a
great run, but it's over now."
The Hornets, who have won three consecutive games following five
straight losses, held both Philadelphia and Iverson to season-low
point totals.
Iverson, who entered the game 11th in the NBA with a 23.1-point
average, was held to 3-for-17 shooting. The 76ers, a franchise-best
10-0 before Wednesday, shot 34 percent from the field and were
outrebounded 60-39.
They also got hit with three technical fouls in the decisive
first half.
Charlotte guard David Wesley, who disrupted Iverson by playing a
foot off of him all night, said the Hornets were able to take
Philadelphia out of its game early.
"They are used to being the aggressor, that's how they win,"
Wesley said. "They beat teams by making the hustle plays and we
were the ones making the hustle plays. That frustrated them
early."
The Sixers were flat from the beginning and never led.
Philadelphia was called for a shot clock violation on its first
possession, Eric Snow had his shot blocked by Baron Davis on the
team's second possession, and when Snow complained about not
getting a foul call, he was hit with a technical.
Theo Ratliff turned the ball over on a bad pass on
Philadelphia's third possession and the Sixers were in a quick 5-0
hole.
"They took us out of everything we wanted to do," Philadelphia
coach Larry Brown said. "We took so many quick, bad shots with no
ball movement and we were murdered on the boards.
"And we didn't match their effort through the first half and
that's a bad combination."
Still, Philadelphia recovered and trailed only 19-18 at the end
of the first quarter. But the 76ers completely unraveled before
halftime.
As the Hornets quietly built a 10-point lead, the Sixers
complained about non-calls through much of the second quarter _
resulting in technicals called on Tyrone Hill and Iverson.
When the half ended, Charlotte had a 42-32 lead and Iverson was
surrounded by Philadelphia's assistant coaches as he screamed at
the officials on his way off the court.
"Coach said we looked like strangers on the floor and we did,"
Iverson said. "Our offense wasn't very good."
Charlotte, meanwhile, could do no wrong.
When Philadelphia pulled within 47-39 on George Lynch's reverse
layup with 9:14 to go in the third, Charlotte answered with a 16-2
run.
Campbell hit a jumper and two free throws, then Wesley hit a
quick 20-foot jumper on a long pass after Campbell blocked a shot.
Jamal Mashburn and Davis hit consecutive 3-pointers, then again
made consecutive baskets to put Charlotte up 63-41 with 3:49 left
in the third.
Philadelphia never got closer than 16 from there.
Mashburn finished with 16 points. Davis had his first career
triple-double, with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Campbell
had 11 rebounds and eight blocked shots.
Snow, Matt Geiger and Vernon Maxwell each had 10 points for the
76ers.
Game notes
Iverson's career low is five points. ... The Sixers'
previous season low in points was 84. ... The Hornets said a brief
prayer before the game for John Reilly, the only official scorer in
franchise history, who died of a heart attack on Monday night. ...
Philadelphia has now lost 12 of its last 17 games against
Charlotte.
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NBA Scoreboard
Philadelphia Clubhouse
Charlotte Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 96 Houston 81
Atlanta 78 New York 74
Charlotte 88 Philadelphia 73
Cleveland 86 Miami 67
Portland 93 Milwaukee 84
Minnesota 101 Vancouver 100
San Antonio 112 Seattle 85
Phoenix 97 New Jersey 85
Utah 116 Denver 78
LA Lakers 111 Golden State 91
Sacramento 100 Chicago 71
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