76er Playoff Streak Is Over

The Philadelphia 76ers were knocked out of playoff contention Sunday with Allen Iverson conspicuously absent once again.

The New Jersey Nets took control in the third quarter and defeated the 76ers, 89-75, at East Rutherford, N.J., ending Philadelphia’s streak of five consecutive postseason appearances.

“It should be frustrating for everyone associated with the Sixers,” guard Eric Snow said. “So many things went on, injuries, a change of coaches and everything else that makes for a long season.

“Hopefully this team can make a change, and this will be a one-year situation where we don’t play in the postseason.”

The idle Boston Celtics clinched the Eastern Conference’s last remaining playoff spot, setting up a first-round series against the Indiana Pacers.

Philadelphia team policy does not require injured players to travel, and Iverson has not been on the road with the team since March 20 in Miami.

Iverson, who has been sidelined for 32 games this season, also has declined to join his teammates on the bench during home games.

It was only a matter of time before the 76ers’ elimination became official, and the sequence that sealed their fate came early in the second half.

Jason Kidd fed Richard Jefferson slicing down the middle for an alley-oop dunk that put the Nets ahead for good, 45-44, and two free throws by Kidd completed a 30-9 run that gave them a 64-50 lead.

Kidd, who sat out the Nets’ previous game to avoid added stress on his painful left knee, had five points, eight assists, five steals and four rebounds in 27 minutes.

Chicago 114, Toronto 108 -- Jamal Crawford scored a career-high 50 points to lead the Bulls past the Raptors in overtime at Toronto.

He is the fourth player to score at least 50 points this season, joining Tracy McGrady, Iverson and Rashard Lewis.

McGrady did it twice with 51 points against Denver in November and 62 points on March 10 against Washington -- the highest total this season. Lewis had 50 against the Clippers in October, and Iverson had 50 against Atlanta in November.

Crawford had 24 points in the fourth quarter, including 16 in a row as Chicago rallied to take the lead. His previous best was 42 points on Dec. 27 against Washington.

Golden State 108, Dallas 107 -- The Warriors rallied in the final five minutes at Oakland to end a 20-game losing streak to the Mavericks.

Cliff Robinson scored five straight points to give Golden State its first lead, 103-101, with 3:46 to play, then Speedy Claxton made a lay-in.

The Mavericks inbounded the ball at midcourt with 20.8 seconds left, but missed several chances to win, including Antoine Walker’s three-point try that bounced off the rim.

Phoenix 89, Memphis 83 -- Amare Stoudemire scored 29 points at Phoenix to help the Suns hand the Grizzlies their fourth loss in five games.

The victory marked the first time this season that the Suns have beaten two over-.500 teams in a row. They defeated Sacramento on Friday night.