RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The Philadelphia 76ers are doing just enough
to win -- for now.
|  | | Allen Iverson splits the defense of Richard Hamilton, left, and Juwan Howard. |
Allen Iverson scored 29 points and Theo Ratliff and Eric Snow added 18 each as the 76ers beat the Washington Wizards 93-87 Wednesday night.
The Sixers, who had lost two of three after a franchise-best
10-0 start, improved to 12-2. But no one is thrilled about the
team's recent performance.
"In order for us to get better and play like a 12-2 team, we have to play every possession like it's playoff basketball," said forward George Lynch, who had one field goal in 33 minutes. "When you play the better teams, you have to execute better."
Mitch Richmond led Washington with 26 points, Juwan Howard had
14 and Jahidi White added 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Ratliff tied a career-high with nine blocks and Tyrone Hill had
11 points and 10 rebounds for the Sixers.
"Theo is playing at such a high level that he's bailing us out
on both ends of the court," Sixers coach Larry Brown said.
Washington took its first lead since the opening minutes, 87-86,
as Rod Strickland hit a pair of free throws to complete a 17-5 run
with 2:42 left. A 3-pointer by Richmond had cut it to 86-85.
But Iverson made it 88-87 on a driving layup with 2:22 left after the Sixers missed 12 straight shots and went 7:58 without a field goal.
Richmond then missed a jumper and, after Snow missed a jumper,
Iverson intercepted an outlet pass and Snow made two free throws to
give the Sixers a 90-87 lead with 29.4 seconds left.
Hamilton missed a 3-pointer that would've tied the game with 24
seconds left, and Ratliff sealed it with two free throws.
"We cannot allow ourselves to accept this as a moral victory,"
Washington coach Leonard Hamilton said. "We are working too hard
and we get too inconsistent."
Iverson entered the game shooting a 37 percent, but hit six of
eight shots for 16 points in the first half. He finished 10-of-24
from the field, 8-of-8 from the foul line, and added six rebounds.
"My game right now is trying to make something positive out of something negative," Iverson said. "I'm learning how to play and I'm struggling. I never had to deal with that in my career. Now I'm learning how to play without scoring points, without having the ball all the time."
Philadelphia took its biggest lead, 44-28, on a driving layup by
Snow midway through the second.
Aaron McKie had seven points in the second quarter, including a
layup off a behind-the-back pass from Iverson and a 3-pointer.
Snow beat the buzzer with a 21-foot jumper to give the Sixers a
52-43 halftime lead.
"We're taking a lot of bad shots, we're putting a lot of
pressure on ourselves and we're turning the ball over a lot,"
Brown said. "We took so many quick shots that they had so many
runouts before we can get our defense set."
Game notes
Sixers forward Matt Geiger did not play because of
tendinitis in his right quadriceps. Brown said Geiger will play
Friday night against Charlotte. ... Wizards guard Tyrone Nesby
hasn't joined the team yet. He was acquired from the Los Angeles
Clippers on Tuesday. ... The Sixers have not allowed an opponent to
score 100 points this season ... Hamilton has scored 10 points or
more in eight straight games. ... Toni Kukoc, criticized by Sixers
coach Larry Brown recently, did not score a point in 10 minutes.
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NBA Scoreboard
Washington Clubhouse
Philadelphia Clubhouse
RECAPS
Philadelphia 93
Washington 87
Charlotte 103
Toronto 79
Detroit 97
New Jersey 76
Utah 88
Orlando 86
Denver 107
Minnesota 100
Miami 84
New York 81
San Antonio 82
Sacramento 79
Vancouver 109
Phoenix 106
LA Clippers 106
Golden State 83
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