Ejection Works Like Magic as 76ers Win

Tracy McGrady lost his composure, and the Philadelphia 76ers made the rest of the Orlando Magic pay.

Allen Iverson scored 29 points, seven of them after McGrady was ejected midway through the fourth quarter, and the 76ers (3-0) remained unbeaten Friday night with an 87-80 victory over the Magic at Orlando, Fla.

Theo Ratliff had 14 points and 17 rebounds for Philadelphia, which overcame poor shooting in the fourth quarter to win a regular-season game in Orlando for the first time since April 1, 1997.

“Last year, a game like that here at this place, we would have lost,” Philadelphia’s George Lynch said. “But this year, we stayed together. We believed in one another and everybody made plays when we needed to.”

Grant Hill had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Magic, but was unable to carry his team after McGrady was ejected with 6:26 to go for slapping Eric Snow in the face with an open hand.

Snow, who fouled McGrady in the act of shooting, put his hand to McGrady’s chest after the guards exchanged words and was ejected, too. But his loss was not nearly as costly to the 76ers, who outscored the Magic 19-8 the rest of the way to overcome a 72-68 deficit.

“I let my team down,” McGrady said. “It was my fault. I’ll take the blame.”

Hill was limited in crunch time by a sore left ankle that has the Magic considering putting him on the injured list. He broke the ankle during last season’s playoffs and saw limited action during training camp after surgery in May.

Iverson shot one for eight down the stretch to finish 10 for 27. Aaron McKie added 14 points and Lynch had 10 for the 76ers, who missed their first nine shots while committing four of their 27 turnovers in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter.

Boston 93, Toronto 91--Paul Pierce scored 30 points and Antoine Walker added 20 as the Celtics defeated the Raptors at Boston.

The loss was the third in a row for the Raptors, despite 33 points from Vince Carter.

Toronto, which was celebrating the fifth anniversary of the franchise’s first game, blew a 21-point lead.

Charlotte 83, Miami 79--Jamal Mashburn scored 30 points against his former team to lead the Hornets over the Heat at Charlotte, N.C.

Mashburn, one of the nine players involved in an off-season trade between the teams, scored only five of his points in the second half.

Baron Davis scored 21 points and Elden Campbell added 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Brian Grant led Miami with 33 points and 16 rebounds.

Sacramento 100, Detroit 93--Chris Webber scored 31 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Kings spoiled Detroit’s home opener at Auburn Hills, Mich.

Sacramento’s Bobby Jackson had 16 points. The Kings’ Scot Pollard, the Pistons’ first-round pick in 1997, scored 11 points in the opening quarter and finished with 15 and a career-high 14 rebounds.

New Jersey 92, Chicago 82--Stephon Marbury scored 33 points at Chicago as the Nets ended a 10-game losing streak against the Bulls.

The victory was the first for first-year New Jersey Coach Byron Scott. Kendall Gill added 18 for the Nets, and Evan Eschmeyer grabbed 13 rebounds.

New York 80, Washington 76--Marcus Camby scored 20 points and Latrell Sprewell recovered from an 0-for-5 first half to score nine consecutive points in the fourth quarter to lead the Knicks at Washington.

Allan Houston finished with 18 points, and Sprewell added 15.