Allen Iverson is out for the rest of the regular season.
The Philadelphia 76ers announced Tuesday their All-Star guard will miss the final eight games because of persistent pain in his right knee, the same injury that kept him out of 13 of the last 19 games.
PHOTO: AFP
"It was better now to sit him down so it doesn't linger a lot longer," said team president Billy King. "It's probably best to get it where his knee is 100 percent. It's not a situation where Allen doesn't want to play. His knee just keeps swelling up."
The injury comes with the Sixers in danger of being eliminated from the playoff race. Philadelphia is 10th in the Eastern Conference, but beat Golden State 95-71 Tuesday night.
King said Iverson's health would be re-evaluated if the Sixers make the playoffs.
"Worst case scenario, surgery would be an option if it does not calm down," King said. "Rest and rehabilitation hopefully will do it."
The injury was diagnosed Monday by New York Giants team doctor Russell Warren, who Iverson consulted for a second opinion.
King said the swelling affected Iverson's movement and quickness.
Messages left for Iverson and his agent, Leon Rose, were not immediately returned. Iverson was at the arena before the game, though he was not on the bench against the Warriors.
Iverson has now missed 27 games this season, the most in his eight-year career, and the Sixers are 13-14 without him. The underachieving Sixers have been ravaged by injuries this season, enough to cost rookie coach Randy Ayers his job after only 52 games. Interim coach Chris Ford has battled with Iverson since he taking over.
Earlier this month, Iverson refused to come off the bench in Toronto after he was told he was not going to start.
King said those clashes had nothing to do with Tuesday's decision.
"He wants to play. What he doesn't want is people saying he doesn't want to play because of Chris Ford," King said. "He loves to play basketball."
Iverson, a five-time All-Star, continues to be the subject of trade speculation in Philadelphia. He signed an extension before the season that lasts through 2008-2009.
The Sixers have been playing well recently without Iverson, the NBA's second-leading scorer averaging 26.4 points. The Sixers have a seven-game home winning streak and have won four of five overall.
"We've been playing without Allen for a while now in hopes he would be back," Ford said. "You just keep playing. The schedule keeps coming."
Iverson was the NBA's MVP in 2000-2001, when he led the 76ers to the Eastern Conference championship for the first time since 1983. He is scheduled to play for the US at the Athens Olympics in August.
76ers 95, Warriors 71
Samuel Dalembert had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Kenny Thomas had 13 points and 14 rebounds Tuesday to lead the 76ers to a 95-71 win over Golden State, snapping the Warriors' seven-game winning streak.
The Sixers again played without Allen Iverson, who will miss the rest of the season because of persistent pain in his right knee. An MRI showed a small lesion under Iverson's knee cap, but there was no meniscal or ligament damage.
"We're just getting it done," said Sixers guard Aaron McKie, who added 18 points. "You can't look over at the sideline and worry who's in, who's out. That's something we've been dealing with for a long time here."
Iverson was not on the bench as the Sixers (32-43) kept their fading playoff hopes alive and improved to 13-14 without the NBA's second-leading scorer.
Dalembert and McKie led the way during a decisive 30-6 run in the third quarter.
"It was just amazing to me. I enjoyed myself," said Dalembert. "The coaches said keep going and I just did what they asked me to do. I took advantage of that and got an extra boost out there."
Bucks 95, Pacers 86
In Milwaukee, Joe Smith matched his season high with 25 points and added 14 rebounds as Milwaukee defeated Indiana for the third time this season.
The 95-86 victory snapped a four-game home losing streak for the Bucks (37-37), who play at Indiana on Wednesday night in the teams' fourth and final meeting of the season.
Jermaine O'Neal led the Pacers with 20 points. Indiana had its four-game winning streak snapped.
For Smith, it was his fourth 20-point night in the last five games.Leading scorer Michael Redd had just 12 points for Milwaukee and played only eight minutes in the second half after sustaining a cut near his right eye early in the third quarter.
Mavericks 126, Cavaliers 109
In Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash did their best to upstage LeBron James as Dallas beat Cleveland to clinch a playoff spot.
Nowitzki had 35 points, a season-high 18 rebounds and four assists, while Nash added a season-high 31 points and 10 assists. Those were the kind of numbers coach Don Nelson wanted when he returned to a smallball approach over the weekend, a plan he says he'll stick with in the playoffs.
James had 28 points, six assists and five rebounds, with many breathtaking plays. But it wasn't enough to keep Cleveland from losing its second straight and sixth in seven games.
The 42nd loss of the season also clinched a losing record for the Cavs and dropped them two games behind Boston in the race for the final playoff spot in the East.
Nuggets 124, SuperSonics 119
In Denver, Carmelo Anthony had a career-high 41 points, and Andre Miller added 14 points and 16 assists, as Denver beat Seattle to move into a tie for the final Western Conference playoff spot.
Anthony was 19-for-29 as Denver shot 50 percent to tie idle Utah for eighth place in the West. Nene added 19 points and Marcus Camby 15 for the Nuggets, who have seven games left to secure their first playoff appearance since 1995.
Rashard Lewis had 26 points and Ray Allen 24 for Seattle, which dropped four games behind Utah and Denver despite shooting 50 percent.
Lakers 107, Hornets 88
In Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant scored 23 points and Gary Payton added 20 as the Los Angeles Lakers routed the short-handed New Orleans despite falling behind by 12 points in the opening four minutes.
The win was the ninth straight for the Lakers (51-23), who moved within 1 1/2 games of the Western Conference-leading Sacramento Kings.
The Lakers, who have an NBA-best 20-4 record since the All-Star break, have eight games remaining including five at home. The Kings have nine left including six on the road. The teams meet in Sacramento on April 11.
New Orleans (37-37) lost for the fifth time in six games, dropping to .500 for the first time this season and into a tie with Milwaukee for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The Hornets played without injured stars Baron Davis and Jamal Mashburn.
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