Portland’s Cheeks Enjoys Beating 76ers

Portland Coach Maurice Cheeks enjoyed his return to Philadelphia. Rasheed Wallace treated it like any other game.

Wallace, a native of Philadelphia, had 29 points and 10 rebounds and the Trail Blazers won their season-high sixth in a row with an 88-83 victory over the 76ers on Monday night.

It was the first game in Philadelphia for Cheeks, a former 76er player and assistant.

“As homecomings go, that was real good,” Cheeks said. “It was a game of runs, and fortunately we had ours at the right time.”

Wallace, whose mother sat courtside, wasn’t quite as excited.

“It was nothing special, just a normal basketball game,” he said. “We were just out there playing.”

Scottie Pippen led a fourth-quarter rally for the Trail Blazers, scoring 11 points in an 18-2 run that helped Portland overcome a nine-point deficit. Pippen finished with 17 points.

Allen Iverson, who scored 18 points for the 76ers, said a lack of effort led to the team’s struggles in the fourth quarter.

“We haven’t been playing hard and the effort is not there, especially at crucial parts of the game,” said Iverson, who claimed that some “players don’t know the plays. There’s no excuse for that.”

Indiana 102, Golden State 97--Reggie Miller scored 12 of his 23 points in overtime and the Pacers overcame a 13-point deficit at Oakland.

Ron Artest had 17 points for the Pacers, who moved into the seventh playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Brad Miller had 16 points and 15 rebounds for his 14th double-double this season and first with Indiana.

Minnesota 97, Charlotte 92--Wally Szczerbiak scored 24 points for the Timberwolves and Kevin Garnett had 21 at Charlotte, N.C, to hand the Hornets their third loss in a row.

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New York Knick center Marcus Camby is expected to sit out the rest of the regular season because the muscle tear in his hip has improved little. Camby was injured in a fall during a game against Indiana nearly four weeks ago. An MRI exam Monday revealed that his bone bruise improved greatly, but the muscle tear didn’t.... Cleveland backup point guard Bimbo Coles had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and will sit out about six weeks.