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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
NEW YORK (AP) -- Allen Iverson responded to this road crowd with his jumper, not his mouth.
|  | | Theo Ratliff found enough room against the Marcus Camby and the Knicks to score nine points. |
Iverson, getting heat for his run-in with fans in Indiana earlier this week, scored 23 of his 31 points in the second half to help the Philadelphia 76ers return to their winning ways on the road with an 87-80 victory over the New York Knicks on Thursday night.
"It was blown out of proportion because people heard me
responding back," Iverson said. "But if you listen, you'll hear
things way worse than what I said. But I'm Allen Iverson and I have
an 'X' on my chest. I handled it the wrong way. I shouldn't have
yelled back."
Iverson was heard on NBC's broadcast Sunday in Indiana calling a fan a derogatory term for gays. He said he was responding to fans who called him a "monkey" and another racial slur.
The Pacers said there was no evidence of a racial slur from fans, but Iverson maintained it did happen.
"It was terrible in Indiana," he said. "I was shocked that someone would say something like that at a basketball game. How could you say something racist like that at a basketball game?"
Iverson received a mixed reaction from the New York crowd when
he was introduced Thursday, and even joked with a couple of fans as Theo Ratliff shot free throws in the final seconds.
"I love playing here," he said. "This is one of the greatest
places in the world to play."
Iverson shot 11-of-30 against the NBA's stingiest defense, but
hit two long jumpers in the final three minutes to keep
Philadelphia in the lead.
"You can contain him, but you can't stop him," teammate Tyrone
Hill said. "He has never met his match."
Allan Houston scored 27 points and Latrell Sprewell had 21 for the Knicks, who have lost four of five. Sprewell, who played tough defense on Iverson much of the night, missed two key shots in the last minute.
The Sixers, who had a 13-game road winning streak snapped
Tuesday in Toronto, moved 7½ games ahead of the second-place Knicks
in the Atlantic Division.
The Knicks, who trailed most of the game, drew within one three
times in the fourth quarter, the last on a basket by Marcus Camby
with 3:06 left.
Iverson then hit a jumper from the top of the key over two
defenders to put the Sixers up 81-78 with 2:41 left. After Sprewell
missed with the shot clock running down, Iverson hit another jumper
over Sprewell to make it a five-point game.
"I did good against him until the last two or three minutes,"
Sprewell said. "But hey, if he hits one in your face like that,
you just have to take it. I'll live with a guy taking a step-back
jumper."
A finger roll by Sprewell made it 83-80, but the Knicks did not score in the final 1:25.
"We rely on the jump shot," Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy said.
"It can be a great weapon and it also can be an inconsistent way
to score."
Iverson, who had eight assists, missed his first shot of the third quarter, his 13th miss in 17 tries. But then he heated up, hitting 3-pointers on three straight trips early, at one time imploring Larry Brown to "gimme the ball," as the coach tried to call a set play.
Iverson, who had 13 in the quarter, also beat Sprewell on a
crossover move and fed Rodney Buford for his second alley-oop jam
as Philadelphia led 69-61 entering the fourth.
The Sixers used a 9-0 run late in the first quarter and a 10-0
spurt early in the second to break out to a 38-23 lead. The Knicks
answered with an 8-0 run, capped by a hook shot from Othella
Harrington, and trailed 46-37 at halftime.
Aaron McKie added 16 points for the Sixers, Hill had 12 and
Ratliff finished with nine points and 13 rebounds.
Camby had 12 points and nine rebounds in his first game back
from a five-game suspension for throwing a punch at San Antonio's
Danny Ferry.
Game notes
Philadelphia is an NBA-best 21-5 away from home, surpassing
last year's road win total. ... Toni Kukoc missed his third straight game for the Sixers with a strained lower back. ... Knicks
forward Kurt Thomas missed his second straight game with a sprained right ankle. ... Harrington had two points in his first game since being traded from Vancouver this week for Erick Strickland and two
draft picks. ... Willis Reed limping on the court to lead the
Knicks to a win in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Lakers was
voted the greatest moment in team history, in balloting by the History Channel.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Philadelphia Clubhouse
New York Clubhouse
Pacers find no evidence of racial slur against Iverson
RECAPS
Minnesota 90
Cleveland 81
Dallas 95
Miami 91
Philadelphia 87
New York 80
LA Clippers 101
Houston 84
Utah 87
Charlotte 76
Portland 100
Phoenix 92
Seattle 97
Chicago 91
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Larry Brown Official Site
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