Iverson Doesn’t Disappoint Mexico City Crowd

With a crowd hungry for basketball chanting his name, Allen Iverson led the Philadelphia 76ers to an 84-80 exhibition victory over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night in Mexico City.

A crowd of 17,824 at the Palacio do los Deportes chanted “Iverson! Iverson!” as the 76er star had 24 points, six rebounds and four assists in only 24 minutes.

Philadelphia’s top draft pick, Speedy Claxton, played 21 minutes, scoring one point and fouling out of the game.

Felipe Lopez, obtained with three other players in the deal that sent Isaac Austin to Vancouver, scored 17 points in 25 minutes for Washington before fouling out.

The exhibition game is one in a series being played outside the United States. Lopez, who is from the Dominican Republic, said after the game that the NBA needs such trips.

“I think it’s very important that the NBA have these games in Mexico, and hopefully they’ll extend it to all of Latin America,” he said.

The 76ers were without Coach Larry Brown, who did not make the trip to Mexico City so he could spend time with his family. Brown was an assistant coach with the U.S. Olympic team.

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Kenyon Martin, the No. 1 pick in last June’s NBA draft, led all scorers with 23 points, but his New Jersey Nets lost to the Miami Heat, 85-79, at Estero Fla. . . . Grant Hill missed his third consecutive game as his new team, the Orlando Magic, defeated his old team, the Detroit Pistons, 118-92, at Orlando, Fla. Hill remains sidelined as he recovers from surgery on his left ankle. . . . San Antonio guard Avery Johnson sprained his left hamstring and left in the first half of the Spurs’ 90-84 home loss to the Houston Rockets.