Iverson Lifts 76ers With 48-Point Effort

The Philadelphia 76ers would rather not rely so heavily on Allen Iverson.

They certainly can’t complain about the results, though.

Iverson scored 48 points and the 76ers improved their position in the race for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 106-103 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night at Philadelphia.

Iverson had 30 points in the first half to help the 76ers (37-37) take a 25-point lead, which was reduced to one late in the fourth quarter. It was the second straight game the 76ers let a huge lead slip away, blowing a 26-point lead against Boston before holding on for a four-point win.

Certainly, the eighth spot is Philadelphia’s to lose over the final eight games. The 76ers have won six of their last 10 and are 11-8 since March 1 to build a 1 1/2 -game lead over New Jersey. Philadelphia also is one game behind seventh-place Cleveland and 3 1/2 games behind first-place Boston in the Atlantic Division.

“The next game, that’s the one we have to have,” Iverson said. “If we approach everything that way, then everything will take care of itself.

Primoz Brezec led the Bobcats with 23 points.

Chicago 102, Orlando 101 -- Kirk Hinrich scored 25 points and Antonio Davis made a go-ahead free throw with 1.4 seconds left in overtime at Orlando, Fla., to drop the Magic 2 1/2 games out of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Davis was fouled trying to score after rebounding teammate Ben Gordon’s missed shot. Tyson Chandler added 15 points and 22 rebounds for the Bulls. Steve Francis had 28 points and 11 assists for Orlando.

Denver 94, New Orleans 83 -- Carmelo Anthony scored 18 points to lead six Nuggets in double figures at New Orleans and the Nuggets won their fifth straight to stay one game ahead of Memphis in seventh in the Western Conference playoff race. Denver also moved within half a game of sixth-place Houston.

Minnesota 111, Utah 86 -- Wally Szczerbiak scored 20 points and the Timberwolves led by as many as 39 in winning for the seventh time in eight games to stay 2 1/2 games behind Memphis for the final Western Conference playoff spot. Kevin Garnett added 18 points, 16 rebounds and six assists.

Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan didn’t stick around long, getting ejected midway through the first quarter for arguing calls.

Memphis 104, Toronto 74 -- Pau Gasol scored 26 points and the Grizzlies led by as many as 37 in their biggest margin of victory on the road in franchise history.

Boston 103, Milwaukee 97 -- Ricky Davis scored 27 points and the Celtics overcame an 11-point third-quarter deficit to beat the Bucks, playing without leading scorer Michael Redd (Achilles’ tendon). The Bucks lost their 10th straight road game.

Detroit 105, Washington 93 -- Ben Wallace had 21 points and 18 rebounds and the Pistons won their fourth in a row to cut their magic number to clinch the Central Division title to four at Auburn Hills, Mich.

Larry Hughes had 28 points for Washington, which played without Antawn Jamison (knee) one day after he scored 30 in his first game off the injured list.

Indiana 98, Cleveland 77 -- Stephen Jackson scored 23 points at Indianapolis and the Pacers won their fifth in a row in a game that was never close after the Cavaliers were held to 10 second-quarter points. Cleveland, which has lost nine of 13, made three of 22 shots in the quarter.

Golden State 104, Portland 102 -- Baron Davis had 22 points and 11 assists and Troy Murphy added 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead the visiting Warriors to their seventh straight victory and 11th in 13 games.