Iverson's 38 Rallies 76ers

It wasn't until the fourth quarter that Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers' defense finally made the difference.

The Sixers outscored the New Jersey Nets 27-15 and held New Jersey's top scorer Stephon Marbury to just two points in the fourth to gain a 102-94 win Wednesday night.

"(The Nets) came out with a lot of energy but I thought we played much better defense in the second half," said 76ers coach Larry Brown. "In the second half, they (Sixers) were all incredible. They feed off of each other."

Iverson had 38 points, including 14 in the fourth, and was 13-for-14 from the foul line, making all six attempts in the last quarter.

Philadelphia outrebounded the Nets, 41-28, including 13-5 in the final period, when the Sixers took their first lead since making the game's first basket.

"The rebounding department is an issue because they did a number on us, especially in the fourth quarter," said Nets coach Byron Scott.

Keith Van Horn scored 21 points, Marbury had 20 points and tied a season-high with 14 assists and KenyoMartin added 14 points for New Jersey, which had a two-game winning streak snapped.

With the Sixers holding a 91-90 lead, Iverson scored five straight points to give them their biggest advantage, 96-90. After Aaron Williams hit two free throws, Philadelphia scored seven of the next nine to open up a 102-94 advantage with 35 seconds left. The run consisted of a three-point play by Mutombo and jumpers by Iverson and Eric Snow.

A 3-pointer by Iverson with 8:23 left in the fourth quarter gave Philadelphia an 85-83 lead, its first advantage since making the first basket of the game.

"When the game got tougher, they (Sixers) raised their level of intensity," Scott said. "We couldn't match it."

The Nets held onto a lead for most of the third quarter, going ahead by as many as seven. The Sixers tied the game at 62 but New Jersey retained a 79-73 advantage after three.

New Jersey led by as many as 12 in the first quarter and eight in the second, but the Sixers scored five of the last seven points of the half to pull to within four, 56-52. Each team shot the ball well in the half, with Philadelphia making 21 of 38 (55 percent) and the Nets hitting on 21 of 39 (54 percent).

"They were making shots in the first half but we tightened up," said Hill. "It was hard for them to make the shots they were making in the first half."

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