NBA

Iverson's jumper snaps tie

By wire services
Published December 28, 2005

DENVER - Allen Iverson scored 36, including the game-winner, and the Philadelphia 76ers overcame Carmelo Anthony's career-high 45 to beat the Nuggets 108-106 on Tuesday night.

Chris Webber added 32 points and 15 rebounds, none bigger than the one in the final minute that set up Iverson's winning shot.

After Webber grabbed Earl Watson's miss from long range, the Sixers called a timeout with 21 seconds left. Iverson took the inbounds pass and stalled at midcourt until driving on Andre Miller, then pulling up and sinking the basket from the top of the key with 4.2 seconds remaining.

After two timeouts, Anthony took the inbounds but couldn't get a good look with Andre Iguodala closely guarding him. So he dished to Watson, whose 3-pointer was short, bouncing off the front of the rim at the buzzer.

Anthony, whose previous career high was 42 on Dec. 13 at Charlotte, scored 19 in the third quarter.

BOBCATS 93, HAWKS 90: Primoz Brezec made the go-ahead basket in the final seconds and Brevin Knight scored 22 for Charlotte, which improved to 4-11 on the road. Reserves Bernard Robinson and Keith Bogans each scored 13 for Charlotte, which snapped Atlanta's four-game winning streak at home. Gerald Wallace drove the right baseline and passed to Brezec, who dribbled into the lane for a 5-footer with 14 seconds to go that gave the Bobcats a 91-90 lead. Knight hit a pair of free throws to end scoring with 7 seconds left.

HEAT 109, BUCKS 98: Dwyane Wade scored 35 and Shaquille O'Neal added 23 points, leading host Miami to its sixth victory in eight games since Pat Riley returned as coach on Dec. 12. Jason Williams had 18 points, including nine during a 19-9 run in the opening six minutes of the second half. The Bucks cut the Heat's lead to 85-81 on Bobby Simmons' 3-pointer with 9:14 remaining in the fourth, but Wade keyed a 13-3 spurt with eight points in the next 3:23. Wade had five assists before even attempting a shot in the opening session and then took the game over in the second half.

JAZZ 82, ROCKETS 74: Mehmet Okur had 20 points, 17 rebounds and a decisive 3-pointer for visiting Utah, which took advantage of Tracy McGrady's sudden departure after the first half when he learned his fiancee was going into labor at a local hospital. Houston's offense crumbled without McGrady - the Rockets went 12-of-42 (29 percent) and mustered an anemic 33 points in the second half. The Jazz outscored Houston 24-18 in the third and took a 60-59 lead to the fourth. Utah then opened the fourth with an 11-4 burst and the Rockets had no answer.

KINGS 110, CLIPPERS 93: Mike Bibby scored 38 and Brad Miller added 23 points to lead visiting Sacramento. Elton Brand led Los Angeles with 25 points.

NETS 96, CAVALIERS 91: Richard Jefferson scored 28 as host New Jersey extended its winning streak to seven. The Nets seemed on their way to an easy win until the Cavs, led by seven points from Zydrunas Ilgauskas, went on a 12-0 run to cut the Nets' lead to 89-83. New Jersey finally scored on a pair of free throws by Vince Carter with 2:22 remaining, and he followed with a basket to give the Nets a 10-point lead. LeBron James and Larry Hughes made 3-pointers in the final minutes to trim the New Jersey lead to 93-89. Carter made one free throw with 21 seconds left and Eric Snow made a layup before Jason Kidd closed out the scoring with a pair of free throws.

PISTONS 113, RAPTORS 106: Richard Hamilton scored 24, Chauncey Billups had 21 points and 13 assists for host Detroit, which won its eighth straight to improve to a league-best 23-3, their best 26-game record in franchise history. Chris Bosh scored a career-high 37 for the Raptors, who fell to a league-worst 6-22. Detroit, which never trailed, pulled away with a 21-6 run midway through the second and didn't have much trouble maintaining a big lead.

SPURS 99, PACERS 86: Tony Parker scored 27 and Manu Ginobili sparked the decisive run in his return from a foot injury for host San Antonio. The Pacers led 60-57 midway through the third after a layup by Jamaal Tinsley, before the Spurs took control with a 16-3 spurt. Ginobili made a free throw and a layup to start the run. The Spurs held Indiana without a basket for more than 41/2 minutes late in the third. The Pacers trimmed San Antonio's lead to 76-71 on a short jumper by Jermaine O'Neal, but Tim Duncan then banked in a 14-footer and swished a 16-footer, both over Jeff Foster, and Nazr Mohammed made a basket to restore the lead to double digits with 5 minutes remaining.

PACERS: Team president Larry Bird spoke out Monday on forward Ron Artest's most recent request to be traded, saying "I don't know if this is the right wording, but I felt betrayed. "We're disappointed. Things happen, maybe it's a good thing.... I always liked working with him and how he went about things on the basketball court. He's a top-12 player in the league, but we're in a situation where we have to move on. I think enough is enough.... I think Ronnie will do fine but not here."

Bird told the Indianapolis Star that he and CEO Donnie Walsh would prefer to send Artest to the Western Conference. Among the teams mentioned as potential destinations for Artest: the Clippers, Timberwolves and Warriors. The Kings, Hawks and Lakers also have popped up in trade talks. The Denver Post reported Tuesday that the Nuggets are "major players' in acquiring Artest.

[Last modified December 28, 2005, 01:02:02]