Iverson comes through in clutch as 76ers nip Celtics to force fifth game
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – After missing 17 of 20 shots, Allen Iverson came through when the Philadelphia 76ers needed him most. Iverson scored Philadelphia’s final eight points, including a go-ahead 14-footer with 22.6 seconds left that lifted the Sixers to an 83-81 victory over the Boston Celtics, forcing Game 5 in their first-round series.
The deciding game will be Friday night in Boston. The defending Eastern Conference champion Sixers are trying to become just the seventh team in NBA history to win a best-of-five series after losing the first two games.
Iverson finished with 28 points, Derrick Coleman added 14 and Dikembe Mutombo had 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Antoine Walker scored 25 and Paul Pierce added 20 for the Celtics.
Trailing by two, Aaron McKie missed two free throws with 1:17 left, but the rebound was tapped out to Iverson and he made a driving layup to tie it at 77.
McKie then stripped Pierce, Eric Snow picked up the loose ball and passed to Iverson for a driving layup and a 79-77 lead with 54 seconds left.
Pierce missed an open layup after dribbling through a triple-team, but Rodney Rogers grabbed a loose ball and banked a jumper to tie it at 79.
With a defender in his face, Iverson nailed a jumper to give the Sixers an 81-79 lead. Walker missed a 3-pointer as Pierce called for the ball, and Iverson sealed it with two free throws.
Pierce hit a jumper at the buzzer to account for the final margin.
Iverson, who missed the final 14 games of the regular season with a broken bone in his left hand, has struggled in this series. He missed 30 of 45 shots in the first two games, but scored 42 points on 10-for-23 shooting in Sunday’s 108-103 victory.
Iverson didn’t take his first foul shot until midway through the third quarter after going 19-of-20 from the foul line in Game 3. He finished 9-of-26 from the field and 9-of-10 from the line.
After making his first two shots, Iverson was 3-for-20 before hitting a jumper to tie it at 70 with 5:20 left.
Boston, 15-of-30 from 3-point range in Game 3, was 9-of-29 from beyond the arc. Walker had five 3s. He had seven 3s in the first half of Game 3, including a playoff-record six in the second quarter.
A 3-pointer by Walker, a driving layup by Kenny Anderson and two free throws by Walker gave the Celtics a 61-55 lead. Corie Blount’s free throw cut it to 61-56 after three quarters.
The Sixers tried to take advantage of a mismatch inside by getting the ball to Mutombo early, but he didn’t attempt a shot in the first half, and missed six free throws.
Philadelphia outscored the Celtics 13-5 to end the first half, taking a 38-36 lead. McKie’s 3-pointer made it 36-35, and Iverson followed with a 12-footer. Notes:@ Right before tipoff, former Sixers guard Andrew Toney, who was nicknamed “The Boston Strangler,” offered his former team some words of encouragement on the arena’s video screen. Highlights of Toney playing against the Celtics were shown during the first timeout. … Snow, who had a career-playoff high 23 points in Game 3, didn’t take his first shot until 3:15 remained in the first half. … The Sixers are 14-4 in Game 4s of a best-of-five series, including 4-0 under Larry Brown. When facing elimination in a Game 4, the Sixers are 6-1. … The Celtics are 0-6 in Game 4s in Philadelphia. … Pierce played just 13 minutes in the first half.