Iverson Suffers As Sixers Win

Allen Iverson had his worst game as a pro, and he didn't use his rotator cuff injury as an excuse.

Even so, the Philadelphia 76ers won, with Toni Kukoc playing his best basketball since Chicago traded him seven games ago.

Iverson scored just five points on 2-for-18 shooting, ending his 64-game streak of double-figure scoring, while Kukoc had 19 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists off the bench as the 76ers beat the Washington Wizards 87-84 Thursday night.

Despite his offensive struggles, Iverson made his presence felt on the defensive end at a key moment, blocking Chris Whitney's potential game-winning 3-point attempt with less than five seconds to play.

"We won," Iverson said. "I'll go out there and play another bad one as long as we win. I'm in a great mood. My teammates knew that I was struggling and they stepped up big on the offense and defense. I knew I was having a bad game once I started missing layups. I usually don't miss layups."

Mitch Richmond had 16 points for the Wizards, who beat Atlanta on Wednesday and were seeking only their third winning streak of the season. Washington made just one field goal in the last 6:42.

"We held Iverson to five points," Richmond said. "That's what we wanted to do, make the other guys step up. They stepped up tonight."

Theo Ratliff had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Aaron McKie scored 16 points as the 76ers won for the fourth time in five games. Eric Snow finished with 14 points before fouling out with 2:29 to play.

It was the 32nd win for the 76ers, their most since the 1991-92 season.

Iverson scored 35 points in Tuesday's 106-87 victory over Dallas, a game he wasn't expected to play because of the injury to his right shoulder. Against the Wizards, with the shoulder still taped, he missed his first six shots and was 2-for-11 at halftime and both baskets were layups.

In the second half, Iverson passed up shots and the NBA's leading scorer became a decoy. He was 0-for-7 after halftime, including two bad misses on a layup and a 3-pointer when the 76ers were rallying midway through the fourth.

But Iverson and coach Larry Brown said the shoulder had nothing to do with Iverson's off-night. Brown considered taking Iverson out, but said he couldn't because "he has helped us win so many games."

The five points were just one above Iverson's career low. He had four against Detroit on March 23, 1998.

With Philadelphia trailing by one, Ratliff blocked Gerard King's shot under the basket. Kukoc was fouled driving on Juwan Howard at the other end and made both free throws with 30.6 seconds remaining to put the 76ers up 85-84, their first lead since 10-9 midway through the first quarter.

The Wizards had two chances to win, but Richmond's off-balance fadeaway jumper on the baseline didn't come close. Kukoc got the rebound and made one of two free throws with 13.5 seconds to go to make it 86-84.

"I won't say that I'm comfortable because I'm really not," Kukoc said. "I don't think I know the plays and everything yet, but each game I'm getting more and more comfortable."

Iverson then got a piece of Whitney's long-range attempt, and Ratliff added a free throw with 2.9 seconds left. Richmond's 3-pointer hit the rim and bounced away as the buzzer sounded.

Washington led by 13 early in the second half, but turnovers and key baskets by Kukoc and Snow closed the gap to 63-59 at the end of the third.

"Down the stretch, we had our shots. We didn't convert," said Washington coach Darrell Walker, who is 3-11 since taking over from Gar Heard. "I can't run out there and convert shots."

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