RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Derek Anderson and Allen Iverson greeted each
other with a smile and a hug at midcourt before the game.
It was about the only pleasant moment Anderson and the San
Antonio Spurs allowed Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers all night.
| | San Antonio's Tim Duncan looks to pass around Philadelphia's Nazr Mohammed, center, and Jumaine Jones Saturday night. | Anderson and Antonio Daniels each scored 16 points and the Spurs
kept Iverson in check for most of the game in a 96-76 rout Saturday
night rout in what had been a highly anticipated matchup.
The 76ers had won their first 10 games and a season-high crowd
of 33,046 was at the Alamodome. But Philadelphia's loss Wednesday
at Charlotte, and San Antonio's total domination took the edge off
the game.
The 76ers have lost two of their last three and have been held
under 80 points three straight games.
Iverson led the 76ers with 21 points but struggled offensively
with 7-of-18 shooting. He scored six straight points late in the
fourth quarter when the Spurs led by 26 and the outcome was
decided.
Sean Elliott and David Robinson each scored 12 points for San
Antonio, which also got 10 points each from Tim Duncan, Danny Ferry
and Malik Rose. Theo Ratliff had 19 points, 10 in the first
quarter, for Philadelphia.
San Antonio controlled the game from the opening tipoff, running
to an 8-0 lead and twice building leads of 19 points early in the
first half.
After Ratliff's short jumper pulled Philadelphia to 24-16, Rose
hit two free throws and Sean Elliott's 3-pointer made it 29-16. The
76ers never again got within 12 points.
The Spurs continued to stretch their lead with 50 percent
shooting in the first half. Anderson hit two 3-pointers in the
final 1:49 of the second quarter, including one with no time left
to give the Spurs a 59-37 halftime lead.
Anderson, meanwhile, was just as tough on the other end of the
floor, harassing Iverson into 2-of-9 shooting and six points in the
first half.
A handful defensively, Anderson also gave Iverson an earful
during the game.
"We were talking like 'Good move, but I'm gonna try to stop you
next time,"' Anderson said. "It's not trash talking, just play
hard."
"Derek did a fine job on Allen Iverson," Spurs coach Gregg
Popovich said. "You know, you need two or three people to guard
this guy. He did a wonderful job of chasing him, staying in front
of him."
Even when the Spurs struggled offensively, Philadelphia couldn't
do anything to chip away at the lead. The Spurs were just 6-of-19
from the floor in the third quarter, but after Iverson's driving
layup made it 71-51, Daniels answered with a 3-pointer. San Antonio
twice led by as much as 30 in the fourth quarter.
"They looked great and made us look bad," 76ers coach Larry
Brown said. "If we had played our best game tonight I'm still not
sure we would have come out on top."
Defensively, San Antonio held Philadelphia to 35 percent
shooting, including 1-of-10 from the 3-point line. The 76ers didn't
hit a 3-pointer until Jumaine Jones connected with 27 seconds
left.
Game
notes
Elliott, who underwent a kidney transplant in 1999, is
averaging 10.2 points and 29 minutes per game this season. ...
Ratliff came into the game leading the league in blocks with 3.8
per game. He's been just as dangerous on offense with a league-best
61 percent shooting from the floor. ... The 76ers' Matt Geiger left
the game in the third quarter with a strained right quadricep.
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NBA Scoreboard
Philadelphia Clubhouse
San Antonio Clubhouse
RECAPS
Toronto 79 New York 75
Charlotte 109 Cleveland 98
Houston 91 Miami 80
Orlando 114 Atlanta 92
Dallas 108 Denver 84
Washington 107 Milwaukee 100
San Antonio 96 Philadelphia 76
Portland 86 New Jersey 84
Golden State 114 Minnesota 93
Phoenix 95 LA Clippers 89
Sacramento 125 Seattle 101
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