Philly Downs Milwaukee 87-80

March 5, 1998 / 12:00 AM EST / CBS/AP

A little practice time worked wonders for Philadelphia newcomer Joe Smith.

In his best game with the 76ers, Smith had 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting as Philadelphia defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 87-80 Wednesday night.

"We had a couple of days of practice and I got to know the guys," said Smith, who came to Philadelphia from Golden State two weeks ago."It made me more comfortable."

Derrick Coleman added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Theo Ratliff had 13 points for Philadelphia, which returned home after a four-game road trip.

Smith, who played 26 minutes, hadn't scored more than 14 points since being traded. He had a 2-for-10 shooting night against Indiana, and was 1-for-12 against Denver.

"He played really well, much more relaxed," 76ers coach Larry Brown said of Smith."I was most impressed defensively."

Glenn Robinson had 21 points and eight rebounds, Tyrone Hill grabbed 18 rebounds, Ray Allen scored 17 points, and Armon Gilliam added 14 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, as the Bucks lost their third in a row.

The Sixers won despite shooting 19-for-33 at the foul line. Coleman was 9-for-9, helping offset Allen Iverson's 2-for-7 shooting and Smith's 3-for-7 effort.

Gilliam was the offensive story for the Bucks in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 of their first 12 points to pull Milwaukee within three, 72-69.

But Iverson, who scored just four points in the first three quarters, made a jump shot to extend Philadelphia's lead to five with 5:18 left in the fourth quarter.

A jumper by Elliot Perry and a foul shot by Hill cut the lead to two, but Iverson scored the next four points to give Philadelphia a 78-72 advantage with 3:36 left.

Two free throws by Robinson pulled the Bucks back within four, but Smith came back with a jumper to give the 76ers another six-point margin.

A layup by Iverson with 45 seconds remaining allowed Philadelphia to open up an 83-76 lead.

The Bucks struggled offensively in the third quarter, tying a season low by scoring eight points in the period and making just two field goals on nine attempts. The 76ers were able to overcome a four-point halftime deficit to pull ahead by six, 62-56, after three quarters.

The eight points were the fewest surrendered in a quarter by Philadelphia this season.

"It's hard to overcome an eight-point third quarter like we had tonight," Bucks coach Chris Ford said."We cannot continue to come up empty on the offensive end of the court."

"I think any team in the NBA can average at least 20 points a quarter in each game but we were passive tonight in the third quarter," Allen said.

Notes: Milwaukee was playing for the first time since Feb. 26 after a five-day layoff. ... The 76ers have struggled against Central Division teams, winning jus six of 48 dating back to 1996-97. With its victory over Milwaukee, Philadelphia is 3-16 against the Central this season. ... Philadelphia did not attempt a 3-pointer for the first time this season. Milwaukee was 1-for-10.