Miami 103, Philadelphia 91

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China
November 29, 2006 6:13pm CST
The Miami Heat used half a dozen different defenders on Allen Iverson, from 6-foot-1 Jason Williams to 6-10 Alonzo Mourning. They trapped and blitzed him and even used a zone against him. And they were happy to hold him to 45 points. Iverson started out hot but failed to keep up with the Miami Heat, who shot a season-high 59 percent and beat the Philadelphia 76ers 103-91 Monday night. "You see what he does, and it's unbelievable," said Dwyane Wade, who had 33 points and 13 assists for Miami. "You just try to keep your team afloat when he's cooking. I'm not trying to match basket for basket with that guy at all." Still, Wade led the Heat in scoring for the 11th consecutive game. He became the first player to have at least 30 points and 12 assists for three games in a row since Kevin Johnson of Phoenix in February 1989. "When all the attention is on Wade, he throws it out to somebody else, and they were knocking down shots," Iverson said. Udonis Haslem had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Mourning blocked seven shots and added 14 points for the defending NBA champion Heat. "We had contributions from everybody," Mourning said. "We've got to get back to playing well again at home. It's something we hung our hats on last year." The Heat, who had lost their past four home games, improved to 3-5 in Miami. The 76ers lost for the ninth time in 11 games since starting 3-0. "I'm disappointed, because we're a good team," Iverson said. "We just have to maintain how we play in the beginning of the game throughout the whole game." Wade, Williams, Gary Payton, Jason Kapono and Dorell Wright took turns defending Iverson, and Mourning jumped out on the perimeter several times to help against the 6-foot guard. But Iverson was never quiet for long, earning almost all of his points going 1-on-1. "When I saw he had 16 points in the first quarter, I said, `Lord, it's going to be a long night,"' Wright said. AP - Nov 27, 10:44 pm EST More Photos Iverson scored inside against Mourning, and hit a 20-footer over two defenders before he fell across the baseline and landed on a spectator. Wade sank several acrobatic baskets, too, including a reverse layup that sent him skidding on his rear into the corner. He thrived again at point guard, where he moved last week, and had three assists down the stretch helped Miami close out the win. "My job right now is to give my teammates the ball," Wade said. "I get just as much excitement out of my teammates scoring as me scoring. I would love to average 10 assists a game." Iverson had 24 points only 20 minutes into the game, but his team trailed 45-44. He had 27 at the half, when the score was 51-all. Miami pulled away in the second half, when he went 7-for-19. Wade had seven turnovers but shot 10-for-18, including the score that put Miami ahead to stay, 62-61. Three quick baskets by the Heat to start the fourth quarter, including a breakaway by Wright, made it 80-68. Iverson finished 17-for-37 for the 76ers, who shot 37 percent. Their only other double-figure scorer was Andre Iguodala, who had 15 points. "We get out to a nice start, and once again, we didn't sustain it," 76ers coach Maurice Cheeks said.
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