76ers Have to Grin and Bear Spurs’ Rout

Derek Anderson and Allen Iverson greeted each other with a smile and a hug at midcourt before the game.

It was about the only pleasant moment Anderson and the San Antonio Spurs allowed Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers all night.

Anderson and Antonio Daniels each scored 16 points and the Spurs kept Iverson in check for most of the game in a 96-76 rout Saturday night in what had been a highly anticipated matchup at San Antonio.

The 76ers had won their first 10 games and a season-high crowd of 33,046 was at the Alamodome. But Philadelphia’s loss Wednesday at Charlotte, and San Antonio’s total domination Saturday took the edge off the game.

The 76ers have lost two of their last three and have been held under 80 points in three consecutive games.

Iverson led the 76ers with 21 points but struggled offensively, making only seven of 18 shots. He scored six points in a row late in the fourth quarter when the Spurs led by 26 and the outcome was decided.

“Derek did a fine job on Allen Iverson,” San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich said. “You know, you need two or three people to guard this guy. He did a wonderful job of chasing him, staying in front of him.”

Toronto 79, New York 75--Charles Oakley rediscovered his shooting touch at his old home, making a pair of three-pointers in the third quarter and finished off the Knicks by sinking two clinching free throws with 4.8 seconds left at New York.

Vince Carter scored 25 points, including Toronto’s final two field goals on tough shots in the final 2 1/2 minutes. Antonio Davis added 18 rebounds and Mark Jackson had 14 points and eight assists.

Latrell Sprewell scored 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter but missed his final three shots for the Knicks, who were without injured point guard Charlie Ward and lost Allan Houston to fouls late in the third quarter.

Despite being short-handed, the Knicks played a spirited fourth quarter and took a 75-73 lead on Sprewell’s jumper with 2:53 left.

Carter drove baseline for a bank shot 23 seconds later, then gave the Raptors the lead for good by spinning free of Sprewell and sinking a difficult jumper for a 77-75 lead with 1:17 left.

Houston 91, Miami 80--Cuttino Mobley scored 21 points at Miami to lead the Rockets over the Heat, ensuring that Pat Riley will have a sub-.500 record in November for the first time in his 19-year coaching career.

The Heat (5-8), which will finish its November schedule against Milwaukee on Tuesday and New York on Wednesday, fell three games below .500 for the first time since March 1996.

The Rockets scored nine consecutive points to take an 81-69 lead with 4:47 to go. Kenny Thomas’ three-pointer keyed the run, and Miami never got closer than seven points the rest of the way.

Sacramento 125, Seattle 101--Peja Stojakovic scored 29 points and Chris Webber had 24 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks as the Kings pulled away in the second half for a resounding victory over the SuperSonics at Sacramento.

Sacramento’s point total was a season high. The Kings won for the seventh time in eight games.

Webber and Seattle’s Vin Baker were ejected with 5:09 left after an altercation under the basket.

Dallas 108, Denver 84--Dirk Nowitzki had 24 points and 13 rebounds for his third double-double in four games as the Mavericks extended their winning streak against the Nuggets to five with a victory at Dallas.

Steve Nash added 19 points and Hubert Davis had 15 as the Mavericks improved to 9-5 and matched the second-best start in their history.

Dallas’ best start was in 1983-84 when it won 10 of its first 14 games.

Michael Finley had 14 points and Dallas went 11 for 19 from three-point range to win for the fourth time in five games.

Portland 86, New Jersey 84--Rasheed Wallace scored 25 points at Portland and drove the baseline for a key layup with 1:41 left, giving the Trail Blazers their fourth consecutive victory.

“You put him in the same position as a Tim Duncan or KG [Kevin Garnett], and ask him to do those things night in and night out,” Portland point guard Damon Stoudamire said of Wallace. “He’s just as good or better.”

Kendall Gill cut the lead to 86-84 on a layup with 1:17 left and the Nets had a chance to tie in the final minute, but Stephon Marbury missed a 22-foot jumper. After Portland’s Damon Stoudamire threw the ball away at the other end, Gill missed a 19-foot jumper with 1.7 seconds left.

Aaron Williams scored 17 points to lead the Nets, who lost their third in a row. Marbury, tied for second in the NBA in scoring at 27.8 points per game, had 15 points, as did Gill.

Portland center Arvydas Sabonis got his first start of the season and had 11 points and three rebounds. Sabonis sat out the first eight games of the season after surgery Oct. 13 for torn cartilage in his left knee.

Orlando 114, Atlanta 92--Rookie Mike Miller scored a career-high 23 points and Troy Hudson added 21 for the Magic, which stopped a five-game losing streak with a victory at Orlando, Fla.

Miller, starting in place of the injured Tracy McGrady, made nine of 19 shots. Hudson, the former Clipper, surpassed his point total for the entire season and finished one shy of a career high on nine-of-15 shooting in 19 minutes.

McGrady sat out the game because of an infected left hand.

Charlotte 109, Cleveland 98--Baron Davis had his second triple-double in three games as the Hornets overcame a sluggish start to beat the Cavaliers at Charlotte, N.C., for their fifth consecutive victory.

Davis finished with 14 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. He had 12 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds Wednesday in an 88-73 victory over Philadelphia.

Golden State 114, Minnesota 93--Antawn Jamison and Larry Hughes each scored 18 points as the Warriors ended a two-game losing streak and recorded a season-high point total at Oakland.

Garnett recorded his 10th double-double of the season with 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who lost their second in a row after a five-game winning streak.

Washington 107, Milwaukee 100--Reserve point guard Chris Whitney scored eight of the Wizards’ final 13 points to lift them to a victory at Washington.

Juwan Howard scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Wizards ended a two-game losing streak and dropped the Bucks’ road record to 0-5.

Around the League

The Knicks activated center Luc Longley and put center Felton Spencer on the injured list with a strained right knee. The 7-foot-2 Longley injured his right knee playing for Australia in the Olympics on Sept. 29 and has been sidelined since. Also, point guard Charlie Ward will undergo arthroscopic surgery Monday to clean out his chronically sore right knee. . . . Jim Jackson, Atlanta’s leading scorer, went on the injured list because of a sprained ligament in his right knee.