76ers’ Iverson Sidelined Again Because of Injury

The Philadelphia 76ers will be without star guard Allen Iverson for another two games, the team said Monday.

Iverson, the NBA’s leading scorer, had an MRI scan Monday that revealed a ligament sprain in his right index finger. Iverson has already missed 12 games this season because of injury .

The struggling 76ers have slipped behind New York into ninth place in the Eastern Conference.

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Indiana Pacer forward Ron Artest missed practice Monday to fly to New York for an examination of his injured left thumb.

Artest hurt the thumb on his non-shooting hand in a game at New Jersey on Jan. 17. He has played the last four games with the thumb heavily wrapped, which has clearly affected his shooting. Artest is 20 for 62 (32%) since the injury.

Pacer Coach Rick Carlisle said that Artest was “optimistic” that the injury wasn’t serious.

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Sacramento King center Vlade Divac, 36,will not play for Serbia-Montenegro at the Athens Olympics, saying he is no longer the best big man on his country’s national team. Divac said Detroit Piston centers Darko Milicic and Zeljko Rebraca, and Predrag Drobnjak of the Clippers can help the national team more than he can.

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Veteran guard Hubert Davis signed a 10-day contract with the New Jersey Nets, who waived backup point guard Robert Pack. ... Additional tickets for the NBA All-Star Practice from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Feb. 14 at the Los Angeles Convention Center’s South Hall are on sale. Tickets are $35. For information, call (800)-462-2849.

-- From Wire Reports