Thursday, January 25, 2007
The lowly Sixers snapped a five-game losing streak.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Andre Iguodala scored eight points in the second overtime and finished with a with a season-high 34 as the Philadelphia 76ers handed Cleveland an embarrassing loss with a 118-115 win over the slumping Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
Samuel Dalembert added 20 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out in the second OT as the Sixers snapped a five-game losing streak on the road and won for just the third time in 20 games outside Philly.
Kyle Korver's two free throws with 2.1 seconds left put the Sixers ahead by three, and Philadelphia held on when LeBron James, who made two 3-pointers in the final 8 seconds to get Cleveland within one, was long with a 3 before the horn.
James scored a season-high 39 points -- 13 in the second OT -- and Larry Hughes added 26 for the Cavaliers, who have dropped five of six and have lost two straight at home where they are 15-5.
Cleveland, the NBA's worst free-throw shooting team at 68 percent, went 25-of-34 from the line. The Sixers, meanwhile, went 26-of-27 on their free throws with Iguodala making all 12 of his attempts.
Leaders
Rodney Carney had 18 points and Andre Miller 16 with eight assists for the Sixers.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 23 points and 10 rebounds for Cleveland.
Iguodala, who made big plays all night, fouled out Ilgauskas on a questionable call underneath -- the Cavs' center appeared to get all ball on a block -- and the Sixers' swingman made two free throws with 2:24 left to give Philadelphia a 108-104 lead.
But James kept the Cavs in it by making three 3-pointers and scoring 11 points over the next 1:38 before Korver's free throws and James' failed final fling ended the 3-hour, 1-minute game.
James banked in a 5-foot runner with 1:04 left in the first OT to give the Cavaliers a 99-98 lead, and after Anderson Varejao drew a charging foul in the lane on Miller, it appeared Cleveland would survive.
Coming back
But Ilgauskas missed an open jumper and Iguodala dropped two free throws with 19.1 seconds remaining to put the Sixers ahead 100-99. On Cleveland's next trip, James got the benefit of the doubt on some contact inside as Dalembert was called for a foul.
However, with a chance to put the Cavs ahead, James split his two free throws, tying it 100-all.
Iguodala then missed a contested 18-foot jumper in the final second, forcing the second extra session.
The Sixers, who came in 1-26 when trailing after three quarters, were down by six with two minutes left in regulation before going on a 9-3 spurt and pulling even at 92-92 on Iguodala's tough 6-footer over James with 8.6 seconds remaining.
On Cleveland's last possession, James drove the right side but missed a left-handed scoop and Ilgauskas couldn't guide in his tip before the horn sounded as the teams went to overtime.
James, who doesn't like to rank his dazzling dunks, came up with a new one during the third quarter that seemed to finally shake the Cavaliers from their funk.
With Cleveland trailing by one, James drove the right side and as he neared the basket he was confronted by Dalembert. In mid-air, James lowered the ball to avoid any contact before rising for a two-handed stuff that brought everyone on the Cavaliers bench out of his seat.