76ers Use Clippers as a Steppingstone

A victory over the Clippers may be routine for most teams, but former Clipper coach Larry Brown took it as another step in the right direction for his most recent team, the Philadelphia 76ers.

“Even though I’m not excited about our record, I’m proud of the improvement we’ve made,” Brown said. “This was a real good win for us.”

And an easy one: Allen Iverson had 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the 76ers defeated the Clippers, 93-78, Friday for their 28th victory of the season--the most victories for the franchise since the 1991-92 season.

The Clippers, who lost their third consecutive game, were led by Lamond Murray’s 13 points and 11 rebounds.

“I think we shot ourselves in the foot tonight and that is what bothered me the most,” Clipper Coach Bill Fitch said. “We did not help ourselves with our shooting.”

The Clippers shot 34% (28 of 83) for the game.

Philadelphia led by 17 at halftime and widened that to a 72-51 advantage at the end of the third quarter.

Derrick Coleman scored 11 consecutive points at one point in the third as the 76ers did not allow the Clippers to get within 15.

In the fourth quarter, the Clippers pulled within 80-65 with 5:19 left, but an 8-3 run by Philadelphia opened another 20-point lead.

It was the second consecutive game in which the Clippers were without Rodney Rogers and Maurice Taylor, who are listed as day to day because of knee injuries.

The 76ers led only 21-17 after the first quarter. But they opened the second quarter with a 14-4 run and the lead reached 23 late in the second quarter.

“If it wasn’t for the last 2:40 of the second quarter, I was thinking they might not get 20 points in the half,” said Brown.