Brown’s Return Ends in 76er Win

Allen Iverson spoiled Larry Brown’s return to Philadelphia, scoring 30 points in the 76ers’ 90-86 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.

The boos began for Brown when the former Philadelphia coach walked out during pregame warmups and reached a peak when he was introduced. Brown, who left the 76ers after last season to coach the Pistons, was serenaded with chants of “traitor” and “fraud,” and fans yelled a derisive chant throughout the game.

Although the sellout crowd of 20,512 fans turned on him, his former players offered only hugs and handshakes.

Kenny Thomas had 15 points and 13 rebounds, and Eric Snow had 13 points for the Sixers. Richard Hamilton led the Pistons with 19 points and Mehmet Okur had 17.

New York 97, Minnesota 92 -- Latrell Sprewell was a bust in his first game against his old team, and the Knicks received a season-high 18 points and 17 rebounds from Dikembe Mutombo to hold off the Timberwolves at Minneapolis.

Sprewell had only five points on two-for-11 shooting in his first game against the Knicks since being dealt to Minnesota in a four-team trade last summer.

San Antonio 109, Chicago 98 -- Tim Duncan scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half and had 10 rebounds for the Spurs at San Antonio.

Eddy Curry and Lonny Baxter had 19 points each for Chicago, which lost its second consecutive game under interim coach Pete Myers.

A league source said the Bulls, who have lost seven in a row overall, have decided to hire former Phoenix coach Scott Skiles to replace Bill Cartwright, fired Monday.

Toronto 99, Atlanta 97 -- Vince Carter made a jumper with 1.2 seconds left in overtime, part of a season-high 43 points, to lift the Raptors over the Hawks at Atlanta. Shareef Abdur-Rahim scored a season-high 30 for the Hawks.

Boston 94, Orlando 92 -- Paul Pierce scored 15 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter to help the Celtics hold off the Magic at Orlando, extending the Magic’s losing streak to 14 games.

Tracy McGrady led the Magic with 24 points, but had only two in the fourth quarter and fouled out with 3:11 left.

New Orleans 82, Cleveland 72 -- Baron Davis scored 26 points and had eight assists to lead the Hornets past former coach Paul Silas’ Cavaliers at New Orleans.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas led Cleveland with 20 points on nine-of-14 shooting, and LeBron James had 15 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.

Phoenix 121, Dallas 90 -- Penny Hardaway scored a season-high 20 points at Phoenix, including four three-point baskets, leading the Suns to their highest point total of the season.

Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavericks’ leading scorer with a 20.6 average, left the game in the first quarter when he sprained his right ankle.

Utah 83, Houston 76 -- Andrei Kirilenko scored 19 of his 23 points in the second half for the Jazz at Salt Lake City. Yao Ming led the Rockets with 20 points and 10 rebounds, going 14-for-16 from the free-throw line but only three for 15 from the field.

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ESPN will show a reality program starring retired NBA player Dennis Rodman, even though league officials objected to it. ESPN said “The Season: Dennis Rodman on the Rebound” will document the two-time All-Star’s comeback attempt with two one-hour shows that will air next Tuesday and Wednesday nights.