Iverson's 39 Points Not Enough

May 5, 1999 / 1:40 AM EDT / CBS/AP

After being eliminated from postseason contention one day earlier, the Charlotte Hornets found another way to motivate themselves against the Philadelphia 76ers.

By defeating playoff-bound Philadelphia 117-110 in overtime Tuesday night, the Hornets guaranteed themselves at least a .500 record for the seventh consecutive season.

"That was real important," coach Paul Silas said. "We talked about it before the game, and we really wanted to go out on a winning note and come back next year with a good taste in our mouths."

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Eddie Jones had 28 points, five of Charlotte's 17 steals and four blocks as the Hornets won for the 13th time in 17 games. The late-season surge carried Charlotte to the verge of a playoff berth, but the Knicks locked up the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference on Monday night.

Even though they didn't qualify for the postseason, the Hornets made a significant turnaround from the second week of March, when coach Dave Cowens resigned after Charlotte's 4-11 start.

"We feel that we're able to compete with any team in the league at this point," Silas said. "Had things been a little different, we would have been there. But you can't cry over spilt milk. It just wasn't meant to be."

Charlotte, winning at home against the 76ers for the 12th time in 13 games, made six of seven field-goal attempts in overtime. The Hornets also got 19 points and 10 assists from David Wesley and 18 points and 11 rebounds from Elden Campbell. Wesley and Campbell each had six steals.

Allen Iverson led the 76ers with 39 points but missed seven of 16 foul shots and had four turnovers, including two in the final three minutes of regulation.

"We just didn't execute like we'd like to. This is something we've got to learn," said Iverson, who took a slight lead over Shaquille O'Neal in the coring race, 26.61 to 26.48.

Former Charlotte forward Matt Geiger added 22 points and 13 rebounds for Philadelphia, which fell one game behind Milwaukee in the race for sixth place in the Eastern Conference playoff standings.

"This loss hurts. It's especially tough this time of year," 76ers coach Larry Brown said. "We can't expect to play this way and win during the playoffs."

Wesley's 3-pointer gave the Hornets a 104-100 lead one minute into the extra period, and Philadelphia was unable to get closer than two the rest of the way. The Hornets pushed their lead to 114-106 with 58 seconds left when Campbell forced a steal and Jones converted it into a fast-break layup.

Philadelphia, losing for the third time in four games, had 24 turnovers that the Hornets converted into 30 points.

There were three lead changes and four ties in the final six minutes of regulation. The last deadlock came when Charlotte's Chucky Brown was short on an 18-footer on the other end, but Jones grabbed the ball out of midair and dunked it one motion, making it 100-100 with 2.9 seconds left. The Hornets stole the inbounds pass, forcing the extra period.

The 76ers shot 27 percent in the first quarter, setting the stage for Charlotte to build its lead as high as 21 in the second quarter. Philadelphia rallied by forcing eight turnovers in the third quarter and outscoring the Hornets 32-19.

Notes: For the first time in the 11-year history of the franchise, the Hornets went through an entire season without selling out a single game at the 23,799-seat Charlotte Coliseum. The finale against Philadelphia drew 20,125. ... Ricky Davis, Charlotte's 19-year-old rookie, had the most spectacular play of the game. Derrick Coleman missed a short baseline jumper but Davis came flying in from the foul line and jumped so high that he got almost his entire head above the rim as he dunked the ball. Two minutes later, his teammates were still on their feet, and an instant replay shown on the scoreboard prompted a second standing ovation from the fans. ... Charlotte has won nine of 12 overall against the 76ers.