Iverson Keeps 76ers Going With 49 Points

Thanks to Allen Iverson, the Philadelphia 76ers keep overcoming a litany of injuries to stay atop the NBA.

The 76ers erased a five-point deficit in the final minute Tuesday night to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks, 107-104, at Milwaukee in a spirited matchup of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference.

Iverson scored six of his 49 points in the final minute, then helped play perfect keep-away as the 76ers, who play the Lakers tonight at Philadelphia, killed the clock in the closing seconds.

“It means something because we’re playing without one of our leading defenders,” Iverson said of Theo Ratliff, his shot-swatting teammate, who is out because of a wrist injury.

The Bucks got 28 points from Glenn Robinson, 27 from Ray Allen and 20 from Sam Cassell and led, 104-99, with 1:11 to play. But the Bucks also had eight fourth-quarter turnovers and failed to hold a nine-point fourth-quarter lead.

“It was a good emotional win for us,” 76er forward Tyrone Hill said. “That just shows what kind of heart this team has. Every minute, every play, don’t give up. As long as we have that kind of attitude, we’re going to win every ballgame, we got a chance to win every ballgame.”

Sacramento 97, Utah 94--Bobby Jackson scored 17 points and made a late steal as the Kings overcame an injury to Chris Webber to win in overtime at Salt Lake City.

Webber, who scored 34 points, was carried off with nine-tenths of a second to play in regulation after suffering a sprained left ankle while driving the baseline. He was expected to be reevaluated this morning.

“I was hoping for the call and then when I came down, there were other people down there with me and I stepped on someone’s ankle,” Webber said. “I guess that’s just the way of the world.”

Portland 109, Minnesota 88--Rasheed Wallace scored 18 points at Portland, Ore., as the Trail Blazers ended the Timberwolves’ franchise-record 11-game winning streak.

Kevin Garnett had 20 points and 14 rebounds but committed five of the Timberwolves’ season-high 25 turnovers.

Chicago 96, Atlanta 92--Marcus Fizer and Ron Mercer each scored 19 points at Chicago as the Bulls won for the first time since Jan. 4, ending their franchise-record 16-game losing streak.

Denver 96, New York 77--Nick Van Exel had 24 points and 12 assists for the Nuggets at Denver.

San Antonio 104, Dallas 92--Tim Duncan scored 28 points and reserve Antonio Daniels had 18 to lead the Spurs at San Antonio.

Charlotte 77, Indiana 66--Jamal Mashburn had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Hornets at Indianapolis.

Phoenix 93, Golden State 83--Shawn Marion had a career-high 28 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Suns at Oakland.

Toronto 120, Cleveland 105--Vince Carter scored 33 points at Cleveland to help the Raptors send the Cavaliers to their eighth consecutive loss.

Houston 99, Washington 89--Steve Francis scored 29 points and Hakeem Olajuwon had 15 points and 20 rebounds for the Rockets at Houston.

Vancouver 99, Boston 98--Mike Bibby scored 11 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Grizzlies at Vancouver, Canada.