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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Aaron McKie had better be careful or he
might lose his job as sixth man.
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| McKie |
McKie had his second straight triple-double and Allen Iverson
scored 21 points as the Philadelphia 76ers snapped a four-game home
losing streak Wednesday night with a 98-80 victory over the Atlanta
Hawks.
"It feels great," said McKie, starting in place of injured
point guard Eric Snow. "I've come so close on several occasions.
But winning games is more important than anything."
The Sixers, coming off an impressive three-game road sweep that
included victories at Utah and Sacramento, won their fourth
straight and improved to 22-8 -- the NBA's best record.
Theo Ratliff had 17 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks, Tyrone
Hill added eight points and 11 rebounds and George Lynch had 12
points and eight rebounds for Philadelphia, which hadn't won at the
First Union Center since beating Charlotte 95-74 on Dec. 1.
"To get two triple-doubles in a row, that shows you what kind
of team this is," said Ratliff, who was three blocked shots short
of one. "I see him do this all the time."
McKie had 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He realizes
he'll be coming off the bench once Snow returns from a fractured
right ankle in about six weeks.
"I love my role," McKie said.
Jason Terry scored 17 points and Roshown McLeod, Matt Maloney
and Dion Glover each had 10 for Atlanta, which had won five of its
previous seven.
Brevin Knight, acquired in a three-for-one deal from Cleveland
on Tuesday, missed his first five shots and had six points and
seven assists.
"We stood around in the beginning and watched them," Hawks
coach Lon Kruger said. "They took the fight to us."
McKie, who had his first career triple-double in a 107-104
overtime victory against the Kings last Saturday, is the first
member of the Sixers known to have done it in back-to-back games.
The stat was not kept prior to 1979.
Phoenix Suns guard Jason Kidd was the last player to record the
feat in consecutive games, doing so against Portland and Sacramento
in December 1999.
"When you consider he's a role player and non-starter, to go
back-to-back is pretty neat," Sixers coach Larry Brown said.
The Sixers hit their first eight shots, had two 7-0 runs in the
first quarter and led the entire game. Toni Kukoc's 3-pointer with
1.8 seconds left in the second quarter capped an 18-5 run, giving
Philadelphia a 60-33 halftime lead.
Atlanta didn't get any closer than 20 until midway through the
fourth quarter. The Hawks cut it to 85-70 following a 15-2 run, but
didn't get any closer.
Iverson, playing his first game at home since dislocating his
right shoulder in a 91-71 loss to the New York Knicks on Dec. 22,
shot 7-for-18 and had eight assists.
Iverson, expected to miss 1-to-3 weeks with the shoulder injury,
returned after sitting out one game -- a 97-91 victory over the Jazz
on Dec. 26.
Game notes
Charles Barkley is the only other player to record multiple
triple-doubles in one season for the Sixers. ... Sixers center Matt
Geiger missed his 21st game of the season. He'll have arthroscopic
surgery on his right knee Thursday and should miss 4-to-6 weeks.
... Sixers president Pat Croce sat in the stands in the first half,
and celebrated his team's 27-point halftime lead by buying ice
cream for all the fans sitting in his section. ... Philadelphia
missed 11 straight shots to open the fourth quarter. ... Hawks
center Dikembe Mutombo had four points and nine rebounds in 30
minutes.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Atlanta Clubhouse
Philadelphia Clubhouse
RECAPS
New York 100
Boston 91
Philadelphia 98
Atlanta 80
Detroit 107
Dallas 104
Milwaukee 88
Cleveland 83
Phoenix 90
LA Clippers 85
Portland 102
Indiana 86
Vancouver 99
Charlotte 89
Denver 111
Golden State 100
LA Lakers 82
Utah 71
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Theo Ratliff blocks the shot and Allen Iverson finishes with a reverse for a Sixers' score.
avi: 540 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Larry Brown Official Site
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