Allen Iverson continued his outstanding play with 24 points and
10 assists as the Philadelphia 76ers cruised past the Sacramento
Kings, 98-85, for their first four-game winning streak in almost
six years.
The 76ers have won all of their games since a rare seven-day
mid-season break, amassing their best streak since winning five
in a row from January 18th-25th, 1992. Philadelphia also has won
four consecutive home games for the first time since the 1991-92
season, when it won six in a row at the Spectrum.
The 76ers did not win their 13th game last season until February
20th en route to a 22-60 finish.
"Our chemistry is a lot better," Iverson said. "One thing that
Aaron McKie said is this is the first time in his career that he
has been on a team where nobody is crying about shots and nobody
is worrying about me, me, me."
Iverson scored 12 points in the first quarter as the 76ers raced
to a 29-18 lead. He is averaging 26.5 points in his last six
games for the Sixers, who blocked 14 shots and outscored the
Kings 40-10 in fast-break points.
It was the first meeting between the teams since Kings forward
Corliss Williamson and Sixers forward Derrick Coleman were
ejected at Sacramento on December 28th when their fight spilled
into the scorers' table. Williamson was suspended three games
and Coleman two.
Mitch Ritchmond scored 22 points for Sacramento, which has lost
five of six and 16 of 19 on the road.
"Our defense was pretty good when they had a set," Richmond
said. "But what pushed the lead up was the fact that we were
missing some shots and they were able to get into the open floor
and connect on layups."
Philadelphia plays four of its next six on the road, starting
with Wednesday's clash against the Atlantic Division-leading
Miami Heat. The 76ers have gone 7-4 since a 6-19 start.
"You want to start playing your best basketball after the first
of the year and that's what we've been doing," Sixers guard Jim
Jackson said. "We told ourselves we were going to erase what
happened and try to turn this thing around."
The Sixers took the lead for good at 12-11 on Mark Davis'
fast-break dunk. After the Kings closed to 33-30, Philadelphia
ripped off a 12-5 spurt, opening a 45-35 advantage on Theo
Ratliff's foul shot with 4:25 left in the half.
"Their defense had a lot to do with what happened," Sacramento
coach Eddie Jordan said. "They got almost everything in
transition. They got some loose balls, were able to hustle and
get some second-effort points and we really couldn't afford to
lose a second-effort game today."
After building a 57-41 halftime lead, the 76ers stretched their
advantage to 25 points on three occasions in the third quarter.
Davis' dunk made it 77-52 with 4:51 left in the period before
the Kings pulled within 10 points in the final minute.
"We haven't won four games at home in some years, so it's a
plus," said Iverson, who made 11-of-21 shots. "But when you're
13-23, you have to win more than four games straight to turn the
corner. We have to run off some more and if we lose a game, we
have to come right back and run off four or five more."
Jackson added 17 points for the 76ers, who held the Kings to
39.5 percent (34-of-86) shooting. Williamson and Olden Polynice
each scored 19 for Sacramento, and Polynice grabbed 11 rebounds.
"We dug ourselves a hole because the chemistry wasn't there,"
Jackson said. "Now, it's here. We're still going to lose some
games but if we stay competitive and play like we're playing
now, a lot of positives can still happen for the rest of this
season."
