76ers Are the 57ers in Loss to Heat

The Philadelphia 76ers stumbled into the NBA record books Wednesday night with the worst offensive performance in 41 years.

The 76ers managed only 57 points in a 66-57 loss to Miami at Philadelphia, tying the record for fewest points set by the Milwaukee Hawks against the Boston Celtics on Feb. 27, 1955 at Providence, R.I.

“There’s no excuses for something like this,” said Philadelphia Coach John Lucas, whose squad lost its fifth in a row. “During a season, you’ll have four or five games when you’re flat, but not that flat.”

The Heat didn’t fare much better, shooting 37.7% and missing 11 of 13 three-point tries.

The combined total of 123 points was the second-lowest in NBA history since the inception of the shot clock. The Hawks and Celtics managed a combined 119 points in their 1955 game.

Orlando 99, Indiana 97--Dennis Scott scored 32 points, including eight three-point baskets and a game-winning jumper at the buzzer, as the Magic won at Indianapolis.

It was Orlando’s first victory at Market Square Arena since Nov. 27, 1992, a span that covered 10 games including four playoff meetings.

Shaquille O’Neal had 25 points and 11 rebounds and Anfernee Hardaway 21 points.

The game featured 19 lead changes and 10 ties, but three-point baskets were the difference. Scott was eight for 13 from behind the arc and Orlando was 12 for 28. Indiana was two for 11.

Minnesota 120, Houston 101--Kevin Garnett dominated the fourth quarter and turned a tight game into a rare blowout for the Timberwolves at Minneapolis.

Garnett, a 19-year-old rookie who entered the NBA out of high school, had nine consecutive points, two rebounds and two blocked shots in a two-minute stretch during the final quarter. He finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots as the Timberwolves snapped a four-game losing streak.

Charlotte 96, Washington 92--Larry Johnson scored 32 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked a last-second shot by Juwan Howard to help the Hornets win at Charlotte.

The victory pushed the Hornets over the .500 mark for the first time since Nov. 7.

Howard was one of the players who beat out Johnson for a spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star team. But Johnson easily outplayed him this time, holding him to 14 points on six-for-21 shooting.

New York 113, Detroit 110--Willie Anderson, playing his second game for the Knicks, made the go-ahead jumper in overtime at Auburn Hills, Mich., as New York concluded a season sweep of the Pistons.

The victory might have come at a high cost for the Knicks, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Patrick Ewing hobbled off the court, apparently favoring his left knee, with 4.9 seconds remaining in the extra period after swatting away Grant Hill’s driving layup.

Golden State 95, San Antonio 92--Joe Smith scored 27 points, including a pair of free throws with four seconds left, and the Warriors put aside trade talk about Tim Hardaway and Rony Seikaly to win at Oakland.

Dallas 93, Sacramento 91--Jason Kidd scored 20 points, including a tie-breaking layup with 1.3 seconds left at Dallas, and the Mavericks snapped a four-game losing streak.

Phoenix 120, Boston 107--Wesley Person scored 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Suns hold off the Celtics at Phoenix. Person was 10 for 12 from the floor overall.

New Jersey 94, Milwaukee 92--Armon Gilliam scored 23 points, including the 10,000th of his career and two critical baskets in overtime at Milwaukee and the Nets won their fifth consecutive game.

Sherman Douglas missed a 15-footer just before the buzzer that would have sent the game into double overtime.

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Shooting Blanks

Fewest points, one game:

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Pts Team (Opponent) Date 57 Philadelphia (Miami) Feb. 21, 1996 57 Milwaukee (Boston) Feb. 27, 1955 59 Sacramento (Charlotte) Jan. 10, 1991 61 New York (Detroit) April 12, 1992 61 Indiana (Cleveland) March 22, 1994 62 Boston (Milwaukee) Feb. 27, 1955 63 Buffalo (Milwaukee) Oct. 21, 1972 63 Chicago (Cleveland) Dec. 19, 1994

*--*

Teams combined for 123 points, second-fewest behind Milwaukee (57) vs. Boston (62) on Feb. 27, 1995.

Teams also set a record for most blocked shots by both teams, 38, 19 by each team. The previous record was 34, set by Detroit (19) and Washington (15) on Nov. 19, 1981.