Philadelphia — Allen Iverson says he knows he's injured when someone can defend him. If that's the case, then he must be better.
Iverson scored 36 points in his first game back to help the 76ers end a five-game losing streak with a 90-78 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night.
Philadelphia's Allen Iverson, left, smiles as he heads for a layup after stealing the ball from Milwaukee's Rafer Alston. The 76ers snapped a five-game losing streak on Monday in Philadelphia.
"If it comes to a point that somebody can guard me, then I know I'm hurt," Iverson said. "My thing is as long as I can run, I can play. And I could run."
Iverson showed no sign of the severe left hip bruise that caused him to miss five of the last six games. He scored on his first shot, scored 13 of the team's 19 points in the first quarter and played a total of 42 minutes.
Coach Larry Brown said he was confident that Iverson was better after watching him in practice Sunday.
"His arm wasn't sore, I know that," Brown joked Monday.
Dikembe Mutombo had 17 rebounds and 12 points, and Aaron McKie scored 20 points though Iverson still scored more than the rest of the 76ers' starting line combined (31 points).
The loss snapped Milwaukee's five-game win streak. The Bucks won the last two meetings with the 76ers this season.
"It happens. We just carry on. The better team won tonight," Bucks guard Sam Cassell said. "I think if we meet in the playoffs, it's going to be a hell of a series."
Cassell led the Bucks with 20 points before going out with a bruised left knee at the end of the third period. Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson scored 18 points each.
The 76ers started slow, going 1-for-16 over the first 6:16 and missing 13 straight field goals in the first quarter.
The 76ers took their first lead of the game with 1:03 left in the second period, then never trailed again. Milwaukee led by as many as nine in the first quarter, but gave up 25 turnovers for 25 points. Philadelphia had 14 turnovers for six points.
Philadelphia went on a 15-8 run midway through the third and took its biggest lead to that point, 62-50, with a slam by Mutombo at 6:27.
"The way we started out it's a miracle we won the game," coach Larry Brown said. "It was like a playoff game in my mind. They had beaten us twice. This was a major win for us."
Iverson flourished in his return. After a turnover by rookie Rafer Alston, Iverson drove alone to the basket smiling at the Bucks' bench as he gave the 76ers their biggest lead of the game, 75-59, to end the third period.
He said his hip cramped some in the second half.
"I thought I might have tried to run too fast. But once I was able to deal with the pain, I was OK," he said. "I know I'll be sore tomorrow. But that's the way it goes."
Iverson leads the NBA in scoring (31.1 ppg), in steals (2.47 per game) and in minutes (42.2 per game).
Mavericks 98, Jazz 90
Salt Lake City Dirk Nowitzki scored 12 of his 27 points in the final two minutes and Michael Finley added 33 as Dallas defeated Utah. The Mavericks held the Jazz without a field goal for more than seven minutes in the fourth quarter to win at the Delta Center for the third time in a row.
Nuggets 109, Bulls 104, OT
Chicago Two free throws by Antonio McDyess with 53 seconds left in overtime broke a tie as Denver topped Chicago. McDyess finished with 35 points and George McCloud had an NBA season-high 22 assists for the Nuggets, who won in Chicago for the first time since 1994.
Sonics 104, Cavaliers 86
Seattle Gary Payton scored 21 points and Seattle kept its slim playoff hopes alive with a victory over Cleveland. Seattle beat Cleveland for the 11th consecutive time, dating to 1993.
Blazers 104, Clippers 96
Portland, Ore. Rasheed Wallace and Steve Smith each scored 19 points as Portland won its third straight.
Suns 104, Lakers 83
Phoenix Shawn Marion scored 27 points and Jason Kidd had 22 points and 11 rebounds as Phoenix snapped a seven-game losing streak to Los Angeles.
Knicks 89, Warriors 87, OT
Oakland, Calif. Glen Rice hit a three-pointer at the regulation buzzer to force overtime, and Mookie Blaylock missed a three-pointer at the end of overtime as the Knicks blew a 20-point lead but rallied to beat Golden State.
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