With Allen Iverson barred from the building and on his way out of Philadelphia, the short-handed 76ers couldn't overcome Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler in the Washington Wizards' 113-98 victory on Friday night.
The Sixers caught a glimpse of life without Iverson, their former most-valued player who led them to the NBA finals in 2001. Iverson may have played his last game in Philadelphia after he asked to be traded this week. Sixers chairman Ed Snider said the team is prepared to trade Iverson, ending his 11-year stint with the team that made the No. 1 pick in the 1996 draft.
In a surprising turn of events, Iverson was banished by the club and didn't play on Friday. Team president Billy King said the move was not a suspension and Iverson's future would be re-evaluated after last night's game at Orlando.
PHOTO: AFP
Arenas finished with 32 points, and Butler had 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Wizards to their second straight win on the road after dropping their first eight.
Chris Webber flourished without Iverson, scoring a season-high 21 points with 10 rebounds. Kyle Korver scored 20 points and Andre Iguodala had 13.
Timberwolves 110, Jazz 103
At Minneapolis, Kevin Garnett had a season-high 31 points and 14 rebounds to lead Minnesota over Utah, spoiling Jerry Sloan's bid for 1,000 wins.
Garnett scored 16 points in the decisive third quarter for Minnesota, which has won three straight. Mike James scored a season-high 28 points and Ricky Davis added 21.
Deron Williams had 21 points and 11 assists for the Jazz, who still have the best record in the NBA at 15-5. Mehmet Okur had 18 points, but Carlos Boozer only scored eight on 4-for-17 shooting. Boozer had 13 rebounds.
Bucks 100, Grizzlies 94
At Milwaukee, Ruben Patterson scored a season-high 30 points and Michael Redd added 25 to lead Milwaukee.
Patterson, who had 26 points against Portland on Wednesday, also had seven rebounds and five assists for Milwaukee (8-11), which won consecutive games for the first time this season. It's the longest Milwaukee had gone without back-to-back victories to start a season since 1993-94.
Hakim Warrick scored a career-high 31 points for the Grizzlies. He added a career-best 13 rebounds, but was ejected after picking up his second technical foul with 3:05 minutes left to play.
Bulls 93, Raptors 90
At Chicago, Luol Deng scored 25 points and Chicago hung on to beat Toronto for its seventh straight victory.
The Raptors' Morris Peterson and T.J. Ford missed potential tying 3-pointers in the final 13 seconds, and the Bulls extended their win streak over Toronto to 14.
Deng was 11-of-18, after scoring 21 and grabbing 10 rebounds in Wednesday's 121-94 victory over Philadelphia.
Andres Nocioni scored 13 of his 17 points in the third quarter, and grabbed 14 rebounds.
Spurs 111, Clippers 82
At San Antonio, Tony Parker had a career-high 15 assists and Manu Ginobili scored 22 points for the Spurs.
Parker bested his previous high of 14 assists and added nine points.
Tim Duncan and Brent Barry each added 16 points and Michael Finley had 13 for the Spurs. Francisco Elson finished with 11.
Pistons 87, Magic 83
At Orlando, Florida, Chauncey Billups scored a season-high 31 points on 11-of-16 shooting, leading Detroit past Orlando in a matchup of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
Richard Hamilton hit baseline jumpers on consecutive possessions in the last minute to give Detroit an 86-82 lead.
The Magic made four costly fourth-quarter turnovers for six Detroit points to let the game slip away late.
It was the Pistons' second impressive road win in two nights following a 92-82 victory at Dallas on Thursday night. Orlando has lost two in a row.
Suns 116, Celtics 111
At Boston, Shawn Marion scored 29 points and Steve Nash added 16 points and 14 assists to help Phoenix extend its winning streak to nine games.
Raja Bell and Boris Diaw each contributed 14 points for Phoenix, which was coming off a 161-157 double-overtime victory in New Jersey on Thursday night. The Suns have won 11 of 12 after starting the season 1-5.
Paul Pierce scored 36 points for Boston, and Ryan Gomes and Tony Allen added 18 apiece. The Celtics have lost five straight and seven of eight.
Rockets 92, Bobcats 62
At Charlotte, North Carolina, Tracy McGrady scored 23 points, Yao Ming added 21 and Houston allowed the fewest points in franchise history.
The Rockets allowed one fewer point than they did a week ago in a win over Cleveland and held the Bobcats to a franchise-worst 28 percent shooting.
Raymond Felton scored 16 points and was the only player in double figures for the Bobcats, who committed 21 turnovers. Charlotte shattered its the previous low point total of 71 set against Indiana in Dec. 2004, during its inaugural season.
Pacers 108, Trail Blazers 95
At Indianapolis, Jamaal Tinsley had 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to lead Indiana.
Tinsley scored all but two of his points in the second half. Stephen Jackson added 25 points and Al Harrington had 16 for the Pacers.
Portland's Zach Randolph had 29 points and four rebounds before fouling out with 15 seconds left.
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