On any other night, Allen Iverson would have begged to go back in the game. On Monday, he was begging for extra rest.
Playing with flu-like symptoms, Iverson scored all 24 of his points in the first half and then happily sat out the fourth quarter as the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the New Orleans Hornets 103-91.
"I didn't feel good at shootaround," said Iverson, who told coach Maurice Cheeks he was ailing as he prepared to go back in for the fourth period. "He just told me to come back, and fortunately everything worked out fine."
Iverson, the NBA's second-leading scorer at 32.5 points per game, shot 8-of-22 from the field and 7-of-10 from the free-throw line. He also had nine assists as the Sixers (7-5) snapped a two-game skid. It was the first time this season that Iverson failed to score at least 25 points.
"I didn't feel good at all," he said. "I was dizzy out there for virtually the whole game. Once I stopped playing at halftime and came back in, I just never felt right. I think I'm coming down with something. I want to get home and take some medication and see how I feel in the morning."
Iverson was one of six Sixers to score in double figures. John Salmons scored 19 points, Andre Iguodala added 15 points and Chris Webber and Steven Hunter each had a double-double. Webber had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Hunter had 10 points and 12 rebounds. Kyle Korver scored 10.
"I knew Allen wasn't feeling well and that I had to pick it up some," Salmons said. "He was encouraging us the whole fourth quarter to keep it up. It's a good feeling to play so well with Allen getting some rest."
The Sixers have been sporadic on defense this season, giving up an average of 106 points, 28th in the league entering the game. But their defense was much better from the start as they held the Hornets to 42 percent shooting in the first half en route to a 65-47 lead.
"We were more aggressive in our defense and the fact that we played more zone than we normally have," Cheeks said. "We were active in our zone, we were talking in our zone and we played a little more full-court defense."
David West scored 20 points, J.R. Smith added 17 and Speedy Claxton had 15 for the Hornets (4-6), who won their previous two games. The Hornets didn't win their fourth game until Jan. 11 last season.
"We were happy with two straight wins and that was satisfying enough for us instead of trying to come in here and get one against a very good basketball team," coach Byron Scott said.
The Sixers extended their lead to 83-63 after the third quarter and were never seriously threatened by the Hornets, who shot 5-of-21 from the field in that quarter and 31-of-78 (40 percent) for the game.
The Sixers also outrebounded the Hornets 50-38.
"They just got going," West said. "You can't let guys like that get comfortable."
Game notes
Sixers center Samuel Dalembert, who has missed every game this season with a right quad strain, said he expects to join the team soon after Thanksgiving. ... Attendance has started to dwindle a bit for the Sixers. They drew 12,452 against the Hornets, slightly more than the 12,211 that showed up for their Nov. 12 game against Toronto, which was their smallest crowd since the 1998-99 season. "We've got to earn them back," Cheeks said.
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Convisis
Convisis5 years ago
Old school Birdman looks like Kelly Olynyk
4
Leon Gustama
Leon Gustama5 years ago
"Hey, Watch A.I" Lol he passed the ball an they still worried about him scoring
2
Rei
Rei5 years ago
There`s no reason to play much in the 2nd half when you drop 24 points, 7 assists, and 3 rebounds in the 1st half and your team is up by double figures. Iverson still impressive even with flu-like symptoms
1
PhillyChris3
PhillyChris35 years ago
Sweet finger roll over the young birdman
1
mj3
mj35 years ago
nice upload, especially after you just showed that chris paul interview on AI
REY
REY4 years ago
How many pts AI scored this game? He had 22 before the half ?
youngguru2000
youngguru20004 years ago
I wish you had most of these Highlights in true HD tho!
badlikeme79
badlikeme795 years ago
Testing.
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Allen Iverson broke into song, Linas Kleiza joked with Anthony Carter, and two other players were discussing underwear styles.
Yes, the Denver locker room was a happy place on Friday night. And it might stay that way for a while if the Nuggets keep playing like this.
Iverson scored 33 points, Carmelo Anthony added 26 and the Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 118-107.
The Nuggets showed little hangover affect from Thursday night's victory over the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. Denver led 12-0 before the game was three minutes old and took a 61-52 lead into halftime.
"The season has games you're supposed to win and should win and all that stuff," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "But what it comes down to is they're all difficult. I think this was a very good win for us."
Minnesota has lost a season-worst seven straight and is off to the worst start in franchise history at 4-28. Reserve Rashad McCants led the Timberwolves with a career-high 34 points, and Al Jefferson had 24 points and 15 rebounds.
"We played hard but we just gave up too many easy points," Wolves guard Marko Jaric said. "Fast breaks, alley-oops, lobs, they definitely cost us. We did play hard but it's hard to win when you allow that many easy points."
Carter, a former Minnesota guard and one of the stars of Thursday's victory, hit his first four shots and finished with a season-high 11 assists and 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting. The veteran point guard ignited Denver's fast start by pushing the ball up the court and was a big reason the Nuggets outscored Minnesota 24-4 on the fast break.
"We all know that Minnesota is struggling right now," Carter said. "We wanted to come out with the same intensity and energy that we did against San Antonio. The win last night wouldn't have meant anything if we didn't come in here and win."
Denver went inside often, finishing with 64 points in the paint. Still, the Wolves managed to cut the deficit to six with three minutes left in the fourth.
But consecutive baskets from Iverson, who had 11 points in the final quarter, squashed any hopes for a Wolves comeback.
"When you're not winning games, things tend to go wrong at the end of games," Iverson said. "We were just fortunate that they couldn't make the plays at the end of the game."
Looking for some offense to complement Jefferson, Minnesota coach Randy Wittman started Jaric and Sebastian Telfair in the backcourt. The duo struggled, shooting a combined 5-for-20, but McCants provided a spark off the bench.
The third-year guard totaled just 15 points on 6-for-19 shooting in his three previous games before looking sharp on Friday.
"He came out and he was playing aggressive tonight," Wittman said. "He had his motor going, playing at a higher energy level. That has to be a constant. I'm not talking about just the points, I'm talking about the effort and the energy."
Kenyon Martin, who recently returned from an injury and is being worked back into the rotation, finished with 11 points for Denver and looked sharp during a stretch in the third quarter where he scored seven points. Kleiza added 17 off the bench.
"The thing with everyone healthy on our team is that we have a lot of versatility, a lot of different ways we can play," Karl said. "I think right now we are just starting to feel who we can become and what we can become. Hopefully we will keep a mental focus of getting better every night and winning the games and if we lose, making sure that teams beat us."
Ryan Gomes had his third straight solid game for Minnesota, finishing with 15 points.
Game notes
Anthony notched his 1,000th career assist and became the sixth-leading scorer in Nuggets history. ... Carter had 10 of his assists by halftime. ... Wolves injured guard Randy Foye will have his knee re-evaluated on Monday. ... Jefferson celebrated his 23rd birthday on Friday.
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Allen Iverson finally shook his shadow and shook up the NBA Finals.
Hounded by unheralded Tyronn Lue, Iverson scored seven of his 48 points in a one-minute span of overtime as the Philadelphia 76ers stunned the Los Angeles Lakers with a 107-101 victory in the opener of the NBA Finals.
Iverson scored 30 points in a scintillating first half, letting everyone know that the 76ers were going to be more than another pushover for the powerful Lakers. His late flurry silenced the Staples Center and unceremoniously ended Los Angeles' run at a perfect postseason.
"Anybody that bet on it, some broke people out there," Iverson said. "I'm glad nobody didn't bet their life on it 'cause they definitely would be dead right now."
Instead, the Sixers -- double-digit underdogs -- are very much alive as they again displayed their heroic heart.
"Our guys just try hard," Sixers coach Larry Brown said. "This is kind of unexpected but it's neat."
In between Iverson outbursts, Lue stymied the NBA Most Valuable Player for nearly 20 minutes, using his quickness to prevent Iverson from even getting the ball, let alone shoot it. He had spent the last two practices impersonating Iverson and apparently got pretty good at it.
"I just try to deny him the ball as much as possible, because when he does get the ball, the best penetrator in the game is going to be hard to stop," Lue said. "We were trying to keep the ball out of his hands as much as possible."
"He was holding me the whole time," Iverson said.
But the third-year reserve let his guard down for just a second and it cost the Lakers. Iverson's two free throws pulled the Sixers within 99-98 with 1:46 remaining and the Lakers called a timeout.
Lue drove and threw up a wild shot as he fell out of bounds. The Sixers rebounded and Iverson ran out in transition. With Lue nowhere in sight, he drilled a 3-pointer that gave Philadelphia the lead for good at 101-99 with 1:19 left.
"That was really the knife that wounded us," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.
Rick Fox spoiled a solid game by throwing away a pass and Iverson made a step-back baseline jumper for a 103-99 lead with 47 seconds to go.
Kobe Bryant, who shot poorly and could not defend Iverson, hit a baseline jumper with 33 seconds to play. But Eric Snow, whose runner late in the fourth quarter saved the Sixers, made a similar shot to seal it with 10 seconds left.
On the eve of his 26th birthday, Iverson made 18-of-41 shots and 9-of-9 free throws, adding six assists and five steals. Playing his first NBA Finals game, his explosion offset 44 points and 20 rebounds by Shaquille O'Neal as he won the duel between the league's last two MVPs.
The Lakers rallied from a 15-point third-quarter deficit only to blow a five-point overtime lead as they lost for the first time since April 1, a span of 20 games. They had come into this series as huge favorites, having romped through the postseason with 11 straight wins by an average of more than 15 points.
"I'm kind of relieved it's over in some ways but but it does put some pressure on us to get a win on our home court," Jackson said. "We've got to go out on Friday night and find a way to get this series tied up."
The Sixers came in with no one expecting them to win a game, let alone the series. But they used their trademark toughness to do in just one game what the weak knees of the Western Conference could not do in 11 -- beat the Lakers.
"They thought we were gonna get swept and that was like a slap in the face to us," Iverson said.
Game Two is Friday at Los Angeles. Philadelphia is trying to knock off the defending champions and win its first title in 18 years.
"Now it's a series," O'Neal said.
However, Philadelphia may have to try a little harder. Guard Aaron McKie, who did a superb job of defending Bryant, suffered a chip fracture of his right ankle but is probable for Friday.
Both Iverson and O'Neal abused a series of defenders. Iverson sent starter Derek Fisher to a permanent seat on the bench and also had his way with Bryant before Lue came on.
"You can't take anything away from Tyronn Lue," Iverson admitted. "A lot of guys go out against a player that's named MVP of the regular season and won't give it his all, act like he's scared. But he gave his team a great lift."
O'Neal met some resistance from Mutombo but manhandled Matt Geiger and Todd MacCulloch at the end of the third quarter. He made 17-of-28 shots but just 10-of-22 from the line.
Most of O'Neal's offense came against single coverage from Dikembe Mutombo, who sat down with foul trouble for most of the third quarter but still contributed 13 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks.
His presence allowed Philadelphia to swarm to Bryant, who had an awful game with just 15 points, on 7-of-22 shooting, and six turnovers.
"They got into Kobe's body, and bodied him on the dribble, stripped the ball when he picked it up," Jackson said. "He really didn't clear himself for shots very easily tonight."
Snow scored 13 points and injury-hampered Matt Geiger provided an unexpected 10 for the Sixers, who shot 48 percent (40-of-83) and missed just two of 25 free throws, which came at the worst possible time.
O'Neal's dunk off a feed from Bryant with 1:57 left in the fourth quarter gave the Lakers a 94-92 lead, their first since midway through the second period.
Snow answered with his first running jumper and the Sixers had a chance to take the lead when Mutombo rebounded a miss by Snow and was fouled with 34 seconds to go. But he missed both after Philadelphia had hit its first 19 from the line.
Bryant and Snow missed, sending it to overtime, where it looked like the Lakers were ready to win. O'Neal threw in a hook, Bryant spun for a layup and O'Neal split a pair from the line for a 99-94 lead.
The Sixers looked dead when Raja Bell found himself trapped in the lane with the shot clock running down. But he pivoted and threw in a scoop shot with his left hand with 2:19 remaining, sparking the comeback.
Fox scored 19 points for the Lakers, who were playing for the first time in 10 days and shot 44 percent (40-of-90).
At the start, it looked like another Lakers landslide. A 16-0 burst capped by Bryant's first basket gave Los Angeles an 18-5 lead with 5 1/2 minutes to go -- and perhaps allowed complacency to set in.
"We watched games that they played when they jumped out on guys and guys just packed it in and stopped playing," Iverson said. "But we've been like that before. We've been in games where we started off slow and ended up winning."
Iverson scored 10 points in the rest of the period, then opened the second quarter with a jumper over Bryant for a 24-23 lead.
The Lakers still held a 38-36 lead midway through the second quarter when Jackson was hit with a technical foul for arguing a non-call against Mutombo.
Iverson made the foul shot, Geiger hit two jumpers to give the Sixers the lead at 41-40 and Iverson took over from there as he scored Philadelphia's last 15 points of the half, mostly off his trademark crossover dribble.
His 3-pointer gave the Sixers a 56-48 advantage before O'Neal hammered home a miss by Bryant in the final second.
At intermission, Iverson had 30 points on 11-of-24 shooting, lighting up Bryant, who was 2-of-10 for four points with five turnovers.
"Allen really stepped it up," Brown said. "His first half was about as good as it gets."
It continued in the third quarter, as Iverson fed Jumaine Jones for an alley-oop slam, sank a jumper and dropped a layup over O'Neal for a 64-54 lead. He took a steal in for a layup and hit a fading corner shot before Eric Snow's three-point play gave the Sixers their largest lead at 73-58 with 5:23 left.
But with Mutombo on the bench, Philadelphia could not fight off O'Neal, who overpowered Geiger and MacCulloch and muscled Los Angeles back into it. He scored 14 points in the final 5:10 of the period, and with Lue shadowing Iverson, the Lakers pulled within 79-77 entering the final period.
Philadelphia led by as many as seven points early in the fourth quarter, when Mutombo picked up his fifth foul and again sat down before returning less than a minute later as Geiger fouled out.
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