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Friday, Apr. 7 7:00pm ET
Celtics' skid stretches to 10 games | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
BOSTON (AP) -- The Boston Celtics scored 34 points in the first quarter but only 37 points in the second half Friday night as their longest losing streak in four years was extended to 10 games. Matt Geiger came off the bench to score 20 points while Aaron McKie made seven steals as the Philadelphia 76ers beat Boston 102-97. "We had them on the ropes, but we quit running," said Kenny Anderson who paced Boston with 28 points. "I thought our defense was great," said Philadelphia coach Larry Brown. "I thought Aaron defended as well in the fourth quarter as he has since I have been here." Boston's losing streak is the team's longest in three seasons under coach Rick Pitino and three shy of the team record. "It's very frustrating, but there are a lot of things that I see that I like," said Pitino. "We had a great first half but we were unable to sustain the pace. I'll love it when we can sustain that pace." The 76ers, getting 16 points from Allen Iverson, broke a three-game road losing streak and stayed in fourth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race. "I think we did a good job containing Iverson," said Celtics captain Antoine Walker. "But they're a good defensive team and we couldn't get the easy baskets we got in the first half." Walker scored 16 points with nine rebounds and six assists while Paul Pierce scored 18. Philadelphia went on an 8-0 run in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter to take its first lead since midway through the first quarter. Boston turned the ball over six times and made only six of 20 shots from the field in the final quarter. "We just played a real solid second half, and we were able to get a win, which is critical at this stage, especially on the road," Brown said. Iverson made the first of two free throws with 2:38 remaining to give the 76ers a 100-91 lead -- their largest of the game. The 76ers held the Celtics to four points in the last four minutes of the third quarter as they went on a 9-4 run to cut their deficit to 80-78. Geiger scored the final four points on a dunk and a jump shot. The Celtics opened a 34-23 lead after one quarter behind 10 points from Anderson, but Geiger came off the bench to score 10 points for the 76ers to cut the Celtics' lead to 60-55 at halftime. Game notesThe Celtics are two wins shy of their best record ever in the FleetCenter which opened in 1995. ...The 76ers activated George Lynch and Ira Bowman off the injured list. ...The 76ers, in the midst of a battle for the fourth playoff spot in the East, travel to Orlando on Sunday and host the Miami Heat on Monday. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Philadelphia Clubhouse Boston Clubhouse RECAPS Philadelphia 102 Boston 97
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