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Monday, Mar. 20 7:30pm ET
Iverson scores 25; Coleman ejected | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- After two straight losses to Eastern Conference powers New York and Indiana, Charlotte was an angry team Monday night. But the intensity may have cost the Hornets in a 102-96 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
It certainly cost them the services of power forward Derrick Coleman, who was ejected with 6:41 left in the second quarter for a flagrant foul against Toni Kukoc. "One of the very important things for us coming down the stretch into the playoffs is that we respond to the physical play," Kukoc said. "I don't think he (Coleman) did it on purpose. He just got a little frustrated, and I guess my eye was in the wrong place at the wrong time." Kukoc sustained a small cut under his right eye as a result of the foul. After the cut was stitched in the locker room, Kukoc returned late in the second period and later drew a technical foul himself. "I don't think it was as bad as it was portrayed," said Hornets coach Paul Silas. "I think the refs saw the reaction after the fact. It looked much worse than it was. Toni came back and continued to play. "I don't think he (Coleman) meant to hurt him. I think he was trying to give a hard foul to let the guys know, 'I'm getting killed out here, and they're not calling it.' We really needed our big guy in there to have a realistic chance of winning the game." Charlotte led 36-35 at the time, but soon fell behind 59-48, thanks to a 24-12 run sparked by two 3-pointers from Allen Iverson, who led the Sixers with 25 points. Tyrone Hill had 16 points and Eric Snow and Theo Ratliff 14 each for the 76ers. Eddie Jones led Charlotte with a game-high 28, followed by David Wesley with 17 and Eddie Robinson and Anthony Mason with 14 each. The Sixers, trying to catch Toronto for fourth place in the conference and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, moved three games ahead of sixth-place Charlotte. Coleman's ejection was the first incident in a game notable for its feistiness. Both teams felt the loss of Coleman was the key moment. "Derrick Coleman has been playing at an incredibly high level," Sixers coach Larry Brown said. "It's unfortunate that he wasn't in there. He's making everybody in the league understand how good a player he is." Charlotte, which lost its third straight, rallied from a nine-point deficit with a 10-0 run for an 86-85 lead on Jones' 3-pointer with 6:03 left. A jumper by Wesley countered two free throws from Hill to put Charlotte ahead 88-87 with 5:31 left, but the Sixers mounted an 8-0 run that ended with Iverson's runner over Jones with 3:05 left. The Hornets could get no closer than three points the rest of the way. After Coleman's departure, the Sixers mounted a 14-4 run that resulted in a 49-40 lead on Iverson's 3-pointer with 3:50 left in the period. Philadelphia's advantage grew to 61-50 at the half, thanks to George Lynch's follow shot as time expired. Iverson led all scorers at the half with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-3 from 3-point range. Jones provided the Hornets' only two field goals in the final 6:41 of the second quarter after Coleman was ejected. The Sixers held a 69-61 lead midway through the third quarter before Robinson hit four baskets during a 9-0 run. The spurt was punctuated by a technical foul against Kukoc for arguing an offensive foul called against him. Philadelphia, however, closed the period with a 10-2 run to lead 79-72 entering the final quarter. A minor skirmish between Aaron McKie and Mason resulted in technicals against both players with 1:06 left.
Game notes | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Philadelphia Clubhouse Charlotte Clubhouse RECAPS Philadelphia 102 Charlotte 96
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