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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – On a night when Dikembe Mutombo looked great
but Allen Iverson struggled, nothing they did made much of a
difference in the end – because of Ray Allen.
|  | | Dikembe Mutombo pulls down a rebound -- one of 16 for the night -- in front of Scott Williams. |
Allen ruined an impressive home debut by Mutombo, scoring a
career-high 42 points to lead the Bucks over the Philadelphia 76ers
98-91 Monday night in a matchup of division leaders.
"I've shot the ball well over the past couple weeks, but I
don't think I've shot it this well in a long time – if ever,"
Allen said.
Making 12 of his final 13 shots, Allen put on a jumpshooting
display and scored 21 points in the fourth quarter despite a nose
that was broken in a first-quarter collision with Mutombo's elbow.
Mutombo had 21 points and 16 rebounds in his third game with the
Sixers, who trailed by as many as 17 but tied the game twice in the
fourth quarter before Allen finished them off.
The Bucks ended a slide of six straight losses against the
Sixers.
"It was an incredible fourth quarter by Ray. It looked like he
wasn't even hitting the rim," coach George Karl said. "We've
blown some big leads against Philly, so this was a big win for us.
We have a tendency to freeze up sometimes when we have big leads,
but we played through it."
Glenn Robinson added 19 points and Sam Cassell had 17 for the
Bucks, who won their fifth in a row and sent the Sixers to their
second straight defeat.
Until Allen started hitting from all angles, what made
this game interesting was the way Mutombo helped the Sixers to hang
close despite a dreadful shooting night for Iverson.
Iverson finished with 26 points but missed 14 of his first 16
shots. He was able to match Allen shot for shot for part of the
fourth quarter, but Allen kept it up longer, and a 3-pointer by
Allen with 4:47 left gave the Bucks the lead for good.
Allen scored 17 of the Bucks' final 23 points and finished
17-for-23 from the field with six 3-pointers, nine rebounds and
seven assists.
"This was a big step in the right direction for us," Allen
said.
Iverson finished 8-for-27 from the field while Mutombo, who
received a warm ovation from the crowd of 20,324, finished one
point shy of his season high. Seven of his 16 rebounds came on the
offensive end.
"As the game went by I felt very comfortable," Mutombo said.
"The only thing that bothered me was it was the first game of a
five-game homestand and we didn't do it for them."
The Bucks opened an early 17-point lead as Iverson couldn't find
his range. Iverson shot 1-for-10 in the first quarter and 2-for-13
in the half, but Mutombo grabbed five offensive rebounds and Tyrone
Hill had 14 points to help keep the Sixers within seven points at
halftime.
Iverson's slump reached 2-for-16 before he hit a 3-pointer
midway through the third to start a 13-2 run that gave the Sixers a
59-56 lead. Iverson had a pair of 3-pointers and a fast-break dunk
in the run, but Allen scored seven straight points for Milwaukee
late in the quarter as part of an 11-1 run to give the Bucks a
67-60 lead entering the fourth.
The Sixers tied it at 71 only to have Allen answer with a
jumper, then tied it again at 80-80 on a 3-pointer by Iverson with
5:08 left before Allen answered once more, time with consecutive 3s
– the second of which started a 7-0 run that gave Milwaukee a 90-82
lead with 3:09 left.
"I'm not discouraged," Sixers coach Larry Brown said. "When
you can overcome a poor shooting night like Allen (Iverson) had and
still have a chance to win against a team that shot the ball great
– and with a player that had a phenomenal game – I don't think it's
time to be discouraged."
Game notes
Sixers forward Matt Geiger dove out of bounds for a loose
ball near the Sixers' bench during the second quarter and landed on
Mutombo. ... Forward Roshown McLeod, acquired from Atlanta along
with Mutombo, will remain sidelined indefinitely with a calf
injury. ... Bucks forward Darvin Ham, out since November after foot
surgery, could return by the weekend. ... The Sixers had their
four-game home winning streak snapped. ... The Bucks improved to
10-0 when shooting 50 percent or better.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Milwaukee Clubhouse
Philadelphia Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 85
Seattle 82
Charlotte 82
Indiana 72
Milwaukee 98
Philadelphia 91
Golden State 84
Chicago 78
Portland 95
Houston 89
Orlando 93
Denver 86
Utah 99
Atlanta 82
Dallas 103
LA Clippers 92
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Allen Iverson goes in all alone for the jam off the Milwaukee turnover.
avi: 490 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Ray Allen and the Bucks looked for redemption from the hungry Sixers.
wav: 146 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Allen Iverson says the Sixers made too many mistakes to beat a great outside-shooting team.
wav: 185 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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