Allen Iverson scored more than 40 points and the Philadelphia 76ers finally won.
Iverson had 15 of his 45 points in the fourth quarter as the 76ers rallied for a 124-120 overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
The 6-foot Iverson fell one point shy of his season high but the 76ers improved to 2-9 when he reaches the 40-point mark. Last season's NBA scoring champion, Iverson had 46 points in a loss at Orlando on November 10 and 42 in a defeat at New Jersey on December 23.
"We just kept playing hard," he said. "We tried to play solid defense but they were hitting their shots. But down the stretch we got the stops when we needed them. I missed shootaround because I wasn't feeling well and at times out there I felt like I was going to die on the court. But my teammates kept picking me up, telling me to keep shooting when I had the chance."
Iverson made 5-of-8 shots from the field in the fourth quarter, when Philadelphia outscored the Bucks, 32-26. He nearly won it in regulation but his running jumper hit the back of the rim as time expired.
"It was a great team effort out there tonight," he said. "This was a game that I would love to play in even if I didn't play. I'd sit in the stands and watch it."
Iverson began overtime with a driving layup but former Sixer Tim Thomas answered with a 3-pointer to give the Bucks a 118-117 edge with 3:57 remaining. Tyrone Hill made a short hook shot to put Philadelphia ahead for good, 119-118, with 3:06 to go. Iverson hit a free throw for a two-point lead 34 seconds later.
"We defended well in the fourth," said Philadelphia coach Larry Brown. "Early in the game we didn't have any answer for them defensively. In the second half our defense was much better. We picked them up further down the court and got them to turn the ball over, especially in crucial situations. We just found a way to win."
Iverson set a career high with 38 shots, making 16, and was 11-of-18 from the line. Philadelphia made 68 percent (28-of-41) of its foul shots, while Milwaukee hit 84 percent (26-of-31).
"To be honest, I thought the refs helped them," said Bucks coach George Karl. "They had every call go their way in the fourth quarter. It was sickening to watch the way they called the game the way they did. To be disrespected the way we were disrespected was incredible."
Hill scored 22 points and Eric Snow had 13 and a career-high 15 assists for Philadelphia, which returned from a 3-1 road trip and recorded its fourth straight home win.
Thomas, who spent his first two seasons in Philadelphia before being traded to Milwaukee in a four-player deal, sank a 3-pointer from the left sideline to tie it at 115-115 with 3.8 seconds left in the fourth.
"I was just trying to see what the defense was going to give me," Thomas said. "They tried to force me to the baseline. I saw that I could step back and shoot the 3. So that's what I did -- I stopped, stepped back and just shot it."
Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson each scored 25 points to lead Milwaukee, which has lost four of its last five road games. Sam Cassell had 23 points and 11 assists and Thomas chipped in 18 in 31 minutes off the bench.
Vinny Del Negro, who made 4-of-5 shots, gave the Bucks a 93-83 advantage with a 17-footer with 10:04 left in the fourth. Aaron McKie converted two free throws 15 seconds later to trigger a 9-0 burst for Philadelphia. Two foul shots by Iverson capped the run and cut the deficit to 93-92 with 7:32 to play.
After Cassell sank a free throw, Iverson drilled a 3-pointer to give the Sixers a 97-96 edge.
Philadelphia went ahead 105-102 when Iverson drove for a layup with 2:42 to go.
Негізгі бет Спорт Allen Iverson 45pts vs Ray Allen & Glenn Robinson the Bucks 99/00 NBA
Пікірлер: 3