Two games into his return from knee surgery,
Chris Webber is playing like he's in midseason form.
Webber had 24 points and 10 assists and Peja Stojakovic had a
team-high 27 points, leading the Kings to a 114-105 victory over
the Philadelphia 76ers.
Webber was playing his second game of the season for Sacramento,
which has won three straight and nine of its last 10 on the road.
He had 26 points and 12 rebounds Tuesday in his debut after missing
nine months to rehabilitate his knee and serve an eight-game
suspension.
"I try to make my expectations high," Webber said. "I've been
working hard. I've been waiting to get back to this point. It's
hard for me to take it like everybody wants me to take it and ease
back into it."
Allen Iverson rebounded from Wednesday's 2-for-21 shooting
performance to score a team-high 32 for the Sixers, who have lost
six of seven. Kenny Thomas recorded his sixth straight
double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
With Webber on the bench for the last half of the third quarter,
the Sixers ran off a 13-0 run that cut the lead to one.
Philadelphia had a short-lived 79-77 advantage with 1:09 left in
the quarter, but Sacramento regained the lead on a jumper by
Stojakovic and a layup from Mike Bibby. After a free throw from
Iverson, Brad Miller hit a 3 at the buzzer to stretch the lead to
four.
Webber had seven points and three assists during a 14-3 run that
opened the fourth quarter and put the Kings ahead by 15 with 8:24
to play. The Sixers pulled within six in the final minute, but
Bibby made five free throws to seal the game.
Bibby had 21 points and Miller added 19 for Sacramento. Webber
and Stojakovic combined to go 16-for-17 from the line.
"Time will tell if (the Kings) are the best (team)," Sixers
interim coach Chris Ford said. "Certainly the way they play the
game, it's fun to watch them. I know that even if I'm over there
taking a drubbing, you have to be impressed."
Webber said after the game that, although his knee is not 100
percent, there was very little pain or stiffness. He noted his
lateral movement on the defensive end is not yet where it should
be.
But on the opposite end of the floor, it was typical Webber. The
offense ran through him and, when he was not in the game, the Kings
struggled. With Webber on the bench, the Sixers outscored
Sacramento 49-40.
"I'm just amazed at him," Sacramento coach Rick Adelman said.
"The two games he's played, he's played at a very high level. He's
shot the ball well. Tonight, he had 10 assists. And I thought he
had a couple of huge plays around the basket when he got the
offensive boards."
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Carmelo Anthony found his rhythm just in time for the Denver Nuggets.
Anthony scored 15 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, including a three-point play with 38.4 seconds left, to lift the Nuggets to a 105-99 win over the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday night.
Allen Iverson had 22 points and 11 assists and Marcus Camby had 14 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks for the Nuggets, who won their third straight and fifth in the last six.
Anthony, who has struggled with his shot over the last week, was 3-for-17 early but was 7-for-11 down the stretch.
"I've been trying to get my rhythm back on my shot," Anthony said. "I thought my shots tonight were good, they just weren't going in."
That was the case in his previous three games, when he was 24-for-69 from the field.
"I know it was frustrating for him in the beginning because he couldn't catch a rhythm," Iverson said. "He was getting beat up on some plays and they weren't calling it. It says a lot about him to stay with it and keep playing."
Anthony scored 12 of Denver's last 14 points to help the Nuggets pull away. His two free throws gave Denver the lead at 93-92, and he hit three straight shots to make it 99-96.
Chris Paul, who had 30 points and 12 assists, made a 3-pointer to tie it at 99, but Camby's tip-in with 1:41 left made it 101-99. Anthony then made a layup and a free throw to seal the game.
"The last rebound that Marcus tipped in, we did a good job on the defensive end, and we had two guys there, but somehow he got it and put it in," Hornets coach Byron Scott said. "That was a great play on his part, bad play on our part."
Anthony said he attacked the basket the whole game but the shots weren't falling. In the fourth, he was 5-for-8 and seven of his points came when he went to the basket.
"In the fourth quarter, I made it my priority and forced the refs to give me some calls," said Anthony, who was 11-for-13 from the line.
The Nuggets where happy with their defense in the fourth, when they held the Hornets to 33.3 percent shooting in the fourth quarter and outscored them 28-18.
"I think it's one of our best games of the year, to not play offensively and still score 105 and win a game with a defensive dimension down the stretch," Nuggets coach George Karl said.
The Nuggets trailed 86-80 when Iverson converted a three-point play and Anthony and Eduardo Najera made consecutive 3-pointers to give Denver an 89-86 lead.
"In the fourth quarter, they had more intensity," said Paul, who has 10 double-doubles this season. "We matched it for the most part, but for the last five minutes or so, we couldn't' contain them. I think it was more their defense."
The Nuggets' defense came alive late in the first half. Denver trailed 59-45 with 41.9 seconds left in the second quarter before surging. Najera made a jumper and Anthony's put-back dunk with 35.9 left in the second ignited a Nuggets run that reached 15-0 with 9:17 left in the third. Butler ended the drought with a layup, and David West scored six of his 25 points to make it 71-62 with 6:34 left in the third.
"At the end of the first half we started to show some life, and the energy level was high. We carried it on to the second half," Iverson said.
Paul and Butler did most of the damage in the first half. Paul had 19 points and seven assists and Butler had 14. Butler, who was 4-for-21 from 3-point range since Nov. 16, was 4-for-4 from long range in the first half.
Game notes
Hornets F Melvin Ely was elbowed by Martin with 9:49 left in the first half and had a bruised left eye. He did not return. Martin was hit with a technical for the elbow, one of three technicals by the Nuggets in the game. ... Camby and Tyson Chandler rank second and fifth in rebounds in the NBA, while Paul and Iverson rank first and third in steals. ... Hornets G-F Morris Peterson (strained back) and G-F Peja Stojakovic (groin pull) sat out their second straight games. ... Najera has more 3-pointers this season (18) than he had in he had in his seven-year career combined (14).
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Protecting double-digit leads has been especially maddening for the Philadelphia 76ers this season.
This time, they just got mad.
Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand scored 18 points each, Allen Iverson added 16 and the 76ers snapped a four-game home losing streak with a 96-92 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Monday night.
"We were a little angry and I thought it helped us," said Brand, who fouled out. "We played with a purpose in the fourth quarter. I think this win will give us a nice boost of confidence."
Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams added 12 points each and Samuel Dalembert had six points, 14 rebounds and five blocks for the Sixers, who had lost nine of 10 at home.
Dalembert had 12 rebounds in the first quarter, the most in one quarter by a Philadelphia player since the Wachovia Center opened for the 1996-97 season.
"Sam's been playing pretty well pretty much all season," Philadelphia coach Eddie Jordan said. "We're happy about the things he's giving us. It just seems like he's getting more and more aggressive each game."
Dalembert entered the game tied for fourth in the league in blocked shots (2.17) with Atlanta's Josh Smith.
"I'm confident in my teammates, so I just go out there and give everything," Dalembert said.
Emeka Okafor had 20 points and 11 rebounds, David West added 13 points and 13 rebounds and Chris Paul had 13 points and 14 assists for the Hornets, whose season-best six-game winning streak was snapped.
New Orleans lost on the road for the first time in four games since Jan. 1.
"We battled back three times," Hornets coach Jeff Bower said. "It was very difficult to fight back and come up short."
With the score tied at 92, Iguodala started to drive and then passed to Dalembert, who hit a short hook from the baseline with 25.5 seconds left.
"The man stepped up and my initial reaction was to throw it to the open man," said Iguodala, who added eight assists and five rebounds.
Peja Stojakovic misfired on a 3-point attempt and Iguodala converted two free throws for a 96-92 lead with 13.2 seconds left.
"It's my shot," Stojakovic said. "I thought I had a good look, but Iguodala came flying at me."
Brand hit a 15-foot jumper to give the Sixers a 91-88 lead with 2:12 remaining before Paul responded with a clutch 3-pointer to tie it at 91 with 1:14 left.
Iverson connected on one of two free throws for a 92-91 lead with 57 seconds to go.
Okafor made one of two free throws with 42.6 seconds left to tie the game again.
An 11-0 run in the fourth by Philadelphia pushed its lead to 86-76 with 7:43 remaining.
But the Sixers have had trouble holding double-digit leads all season and watched the Hornets come right back with a 9-0 run to close within 86-85 with 3:54 left.
"We kept our poise," Brand said.
The Sixers led by as many as 16 points in the first half, but the Hornets responded with a late 13-1 run to get within 46-43.
Philadelphia led 48-43 at halftime.
Before the game, the Hornets traded center Hilton Armstrong and cash considerations to Sacramento for a conditional second-round draft pick in 2016. Armstrong was the 12th overall selection in the 2006 draft.
Additionally, New Orleans guard Darren Collison was a late scratch with a bruised right knee.
Game notes
Jordan said "It doesn't bother me" that 76ers president Ed Stefanski refused to say the embattled first-year coach would last the remainder of the season. Asked on Friday to review Jordan, Stefanski said, "I'm not happy with anything." Jordan said they spoke over the weekend, but wanted to keep the conversation private. ... Jordan said he's hoping regular treatment will improve Iverson's arthritic left knee. "If we manage it correctly, and he's diligent with his rehab and his workouts, it will get better," he said. ... Paul was charged with a technical foul with 9:35 left in regulation.