Allen Iverson stole the spotlight from Jarvis Hayes.
Iverson stole Hayes' inbounds pass and drove for a layup with just two-tenths of a second left in overtime, giving the Philadelphia 76ers to a 116-114 victory over the Washington Wizards.
Before his second game-winning shot this month, Iverson cut in front of Gilbert Arenas, stole the ball and beat him downcourt for the go-ahead hoop.
"I kind of figured that they were trying to give Gilbert the ball, so they could get some kind of penetration from him," Iverson said. "It seemed like Hayes couldn't get the ball in and he (got) kind of panicky. I just stayed as close (to Arenas) as I could. Once Hayes threw it, my eyes lit up. I knew I had it."
Despite his share of shooting difficulties after a 16-point first half, Iverson produced 28 points on 9-of-26 shooting and 13 assists without a turnover.
"I'm happy that I didn't get any turnovers," Iverson said. "I know with the game that I play, I'm going to get turnovers. I play so aggressive. If I turn it over, so be it. I just don't want it over five turnovers a game."
A three-time steals champion, Iverson also extended his streak to 31 straight games with a steal on the crucial final play, helping Philadelphia improve to 3-0 in overtime this season.
"Iverson is an all-NBA player and he made an all-NBA play," said Wizards assistant Mike O'Koren, who assumed the coaching duties after coach Eddie Jordan was hospitalized for a blood clot in his left leg Thursday. "It would have been tough to get a foul unless it's really a hack. It just bad execution on our part, but he (Iverson) makes those type of plays."
Iverson's steal and layup upstaged the clutch efforts of Hayes, who drilled a 3-pointer in traffic at the regulation horn to tie the score at 103-103.
Marc Jackson afforded Hayes and the Wizards the chance to tie the score, missing two free throws that could have given Philadelphia a five-point margin with 9.6 seconds left in regulation.
"It was two seconds on the clock when I got the ball," Hayes said. "I got the ball, and I knew I had time for one more dribble. I tried to jump and get squared. When I got in the air, I put it up."
Trailing 114-111 with time winding down in overtime, the Wizards found Hayes near the top of the key and he buried another 3-pointer to pull Washington even with 26 seconds left.
Moments later, however, Iverson stole the ball -- and the show -- from Hayes as the 76ers won their second straight game on the heels of a three-game slide.
Kyle Korver scored a career-high 26 points and drained six 3-pointers for the 76ers, who improved to 16-4 in their last 20 meetings with the Wizards.
Korver, who averaged 4.5 points in 74 games as a rookie last season, has scored in double figures in seven of his last eight games.
"I am a lot more confident," Korver said. "I feel like I have improved quite a bit. Last year, I was just labeled as a shooter. That is still my strong point, but scouts can't say that I am just a shooter anymore. They have to say, 'He can drive a little bit, defend' and other things."
Despite his two critical missed free throws, Jackson scored 21 points, including four in the extra session.
"They picked me up," Jackson said. "I missed those two foul shots, but it is part of the game. They came with that big-time shot to force overtime. It hurts, but we had to move on."
John Salmons, who led Philadelphia's bench with a season-high 16 points, hit a jumper from the foul line with 8:33 left in the second quarter to give the club its largest lead at 61-49.
The Sixers remained in front until Arenas, who scored 23 points, hit a 3-pointer with 4:04 left in the fourth quarter to tie it at 93-93. Hayes scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds off the bench for Washington, which was in search of a four-game winning streak for the first time since the 2002-03 season.
Antawn Jamison, who scored 27 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, was one of three Wizards with a double-double. Former 76er Larry Hughes scored 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and added 12 rebounds nine assists.
Jordan, who is expected to remain hospitalized for the next few days, is also slated to miss Sunday's game at Toronto before returning to the Wizards' bench Monday against New Jersey.
"I spoke to Eddie this morning and he's doing a lot better," O'Koren said. "He's coming along. It's going to take some time for him to get rid of this thing."
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