EAST RUTHERFORD (New Jersey), Nov 18: The reigning Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers showed the upstart Nets they still had a way to go to reach the top by defeating New Jersey 94-82 Saturday.
Allen Iverson scored 28 points and Aaron McKie held Nets point guard Jason Kidd without a point as the Sixers won their fifth straight and halted New Jersey’s five-game winning streak.
Kidd, who has led the Nets to a brilliant 7-2 start, registered 12 assists and nine rebounds but was 0-of-9 from the field and had five turnovers.
Former Net Derrick Coleman scored 20 points and Matt Harpring added 15 for Philadelphia. McKie had 14 points and 12 assists.
Philadelphia reached the .500 mark at 5-5 with their fifth successive victory since the return of Iverson after elbow surgery.
Kenyon Martin scored 16 points and former Sixer Todd MacCulloch added 15 for the Nets, who shot just 37.5 percent (33-of-88) from the field.
In Minnesota, Kevin Garnett, Wally Szczerbiak and Joe Smith each posted double-doubles as the Timberwolves continued their best start ever with a 103-95 victory over the Orlando Magic.
Garnett had 21 points and 16 rebounds and Szczerbiak added 20 and a career-high 14 boards. Smith scored 21 on 10-of-12 shooting and swept 11 rebounds.
Tracy McGrady scored 25 points for Orlando.
SATURDAY’S RESULTS (HOME TEAM IN CAPS):
ATLANTA 112 Boston 103
Portland 97 CHARLOTTE 87
DETROIT 104 Indiana 98
MEMPHIS 98 Cleveland 93
MINNESOTA 103 Orlando 95
Philadelphia 94 NEW JERSEY 82
HOUSTON 124 Dallas 87
MILWAUKEE 104 Utah 93
GOLDEN STATE 93 Chicago 88
Denver 103 SEATTLE 93
OTTAWA: Karel Rachunek gained revenge by scoring with just five seconds left in overtime to give the Senators a 2-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on a busy Saturday night that saw several last-ditch game-winners in the National Hockey League.
Rachunek was carried from the ice on a stretcher the last time Ottawa faced Toronto when he was rammed into the end boards during the season-opener and taken to hospital for what turned out to be a bruised back.
In Pittsburgh, Jan Hrdina scored with 19 seconds left in overtime as the Penguins beat the New York Rangers 1-0.
RESULTS:
Philadelphia 3 NEW JERSEY 1
BOSTON 3 Buffalo 1
MONTREAL 1 Florida 0 (OT)
OTTAWA 2 Toronto 1 (OT)
WASHINGTON 4 Anaheim 1
NASHVILLE 3 Columbus 2
DETROIT 4 Los Angeles 2
PITTSBURGH 1 NY Rangers 0 (OT)
Dallas 3 SAN JOSE 2 (OT)
TAMPA BAY 2 Carolina 0
CALGARY 2 St Louis 0
PHOENIX 6 NY Islanders 1
Edmonton 2 VANCOUVER 2 (OT)
—Reuters