76ers Stomp Injured Hornets

February 6, 1999 / 3:55 AM EST / AP

Winning in Charlotte is rare for the Philadelphia 76ers. Winning anywhere without a big game from Allen Iverson is even more unusual.

"We needed that. We needed to see that we can win games when somebody has a bad night," coach Larry Brown said after the 76ers got solid performances from almost everyone but Iverson in a 78-66 victory over the Hornets on Friday night.

Theo Ratliff had 13 points, nine rebounds and three blocks to help the 76ers win in Charlotte for the first time in nearly seven years.

"Last year we struggled when Allen didn't do well," Ratliff said. "It was nice to see guys step up and show we can get the job done."

Philadelphia capitalized on an extended shooting slump by the injury-riddled Hornets to end a 12-game losing skid at the Charlotte Coliseum dating to April 1992.

Charlotte made just three of its final 17 field-goal attempts over the last 13 minutes, including a stretch of nearly 12 minutes in which the Hornets made just one basket.

"We weren't able to consistently knock down shots," coach Dave Cowens said. "We came out flat in the fourth quarter, going 0-for-10 on our first 10 possessions."

The drought enabled the 76ers to outscore Charlotte 18-9 in the fourth quarter, capping a night when they got a less-than-impressive outing from Iverson, who last week signed a six-year, $70.9 million contract extension,

Iverson was held scoreless in the second and third quarters and wound up with 15 points. He missed 13 of his 17 field-goal attempts, including an uncontested layup in the fourth quarter. He had nine rebounds and four assists, but he also turned it over seven times.

"I always felt like I had to have a solid night for us to win," Iverson said. "But this makes me anxious about the season, knowing that I can have a terrible game and guys will still step and play like they did."

Iverson said his problems could be attributed to him pressing too hard to have a good opener.

"It was frustrating," he said. "Even when you're playing sandlot street ball or whatever, I hadn't missed that many. It was tough and I was kind of getting frustrated, but my teammates kept pulling me up when I was falling down and telling me to keep playing."

Any questions the Hornets may have had about fan backlash from the lockout appeared to have been answered in the form of a crowd of 21,191 at the 23,799-seat facility.

But the Hornets gave their fans little to cheer about by making just 34 percent of their field-goal attempts and 50 percent of their foul shots.

Bobby Phills had 15 points to lead Charlotte, which is without its two best players, Glen Rice and Anthony Mason. Both are recovering from elbow surgery.

"One thing positive is that the game is over," Phills said. "You have to put the game behind you and not dwell on this loss. With our injuries to Rice an Mason, we have to look elsewhere for our points."

Derrick Coleman, the free-agent center Charlotte signed before the season, had four shots blocked and put up two airballs in his debut for the Hornets. He had 11 points on 4-for-13 shooting and added 15 rebounds.

^Notes: Both teams got solid debuts from their first-round draft picks. Philadelphia's Larry Hughes had 11 points and nine rebounds in 15 minutes. Charlotte's Ricky Davis had six points and four rebounds in 16 minutes. ... Sitting in the stands, munching popcorn, was Milwaukee coach George Karl, whose team opens the season Saturday night in Charlotte. ... The victory was just the fifth for the 76ers in their last 24 games against the Hornets. ... The last time Philadelphia recorded an opening-night victory on the road was 1990 at Chicago. ... The Hornets are 2-9 in season openers.