50 points not the answer

76ers lose despite another big game from Iverson

? Another 50-point game by Allen Iverson wasn’t enough for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Iverson became only the seventh player in NBA history to score at least 50 points in consecutive games, but he fouled out with 4.5 seconds left, putting Mehmet Okur on the line for the winning free throws Monday night in Utah’s 103-101 victory over the 76ers.

“I had a hot hand, and coach (Jim O’Brien) called my number,” Iverson said. “That’s with anybody, though. If a guy’s going well, you milk it. You just keep running the same play over and over until they stop it.”

Iverson followed up his 54-point game in Milwaukee with 51 this time, becoming the first Sixers player to score 50 in back-to-back games and the first Philadelphia player to accomplish the feat since Wilt Chamberlain for the Warriors in 1962.

The last NBA player to score 50 points in consecutive games was Antawn Jamison in December 2000 with the Golden State Warriors. Iverson joined Rick Barry, Elgin Baylor, Chamberlain, Bernard King, Michael Jordan and Jamison as the only players to accomplish the feat.

Iverson scored 21 in the third quarter to help the Sixers overcome a 16-point halftime deficit, only to watch the comeback fall short from the bench. After Okur hit his foul shots, a running layup attempt by Willie Green clanged off the back of the rim, and the Jazz snapped a seven-game road losing streak and a three-game skid overall.

Okur finished with 20 points, and Carlos Boozer led Utah with 28 as four Jazz players finished in double figures.

After blowing their big halftime lead, the Jazz used a 15-4 run in the fourth quarter keyed by Boozer and Carlos Arroyo, who finished with 11 assists.

“We started feeling sorry for ourselves a little bit in the second half,” Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. “But fortunately they stuck together and a couple guys made real hard, hustle plays.”

Iverson scored on a variety of shots, hitting three-pointers, off-balance drives and a reverse left-handed layup that brought the crowd to its feet. He went 18-for-31 from the field, including 4-of-6 from three-point range and 11-of-17 from the line. He also had six assists.

Utah's Carlos Boozer (5) and Carlos Arroyo celebrate the Jazz's victory. Utah overcame 50 points by Allen Iverson in its 103-101 victory over the 76ers on Monday in Philadelphia.

“He puts up 50 points two nights in a row and he’s still looking for us,” teammate Kyle Korver said. “A lot of guys are capable of putting up 50 points back-to-back nights, but they (think), this is my show. He wasn’t like that. It’s pretty amazing.”

Bulls 92, Trail Blazers 87

Chicago — Ben Gordon scored 23 points with Michael Jordan in attendance, and Chicago earned its fourth consecutive victory.

Eddy Curry added 18 points, and Kirk Hinrich 17 for Chicago, which has won four straight for the first time since Jordan’s 1998 championship team won 13 in a row. The Bulls are 8-6 since their 0-9 start.

Jordan received a loud standing ovation when he appeared on the jumbotron before the start of the fourth quarter, and the Bulls used the energy to their advantage.

Zach Randolph finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds for Portland.

Rockets 114, Raptors 102

Houston — Yao Ming scored a season-high 40 points, and Tracy McGrady added 34 points and 12 rebounds, leading Houston.

The Rockets have won nine of 10 home games against the Raptors, whose only win in Houston was nearly five years ago. The point total was a season high for the Rockets, who shot 51.9 percent from the field.

Chris Bosh had 16 points to lead seven Raptors in double figures. Toronto has lost nine of its last 11.

Yao added 10 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season.

Suns 107, Nuggets 105

Denver — Amare Stoudemire had 32 points and nine rebounds, and Quentin Richardson tipped in a shot at the buzzer to help Phoenix extend its winning streak to nine games.

Richardson finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, and Steve Nash added 15 points and 10 assists to give Phoenix its second nine-game winning streak this season. The Suns have won 18 of 19 and eight straight on the road, one short of the team record.

Andre Miller had 23 points and 11 assists, and Kenyon Martin added 22 points and 11 rebounds for Denver, which played without starters Carmelo Anthony and Marcus Camby. Nene added 19 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, but the Nuggets allowed Phoenix to shoot 53 percent for their fifth loss in six games.

Grizzlies 82, Lakers 72

Los Angeles — Shane Battier had 17 points, Mike Miller scored five in the final 2:46, and Memphis beat the Lakers in Los Angeles for the first time in 19 tries.

The Lakers have had longer regular-season home winning streaks against four other teams — including a 43-game stretch against the Sacramento Kings franchise that dated back to the Kansas City-Omaha days.

It was a season-high third straight victory for the Grizzlies, who made the playoffs last season for the first time in club history after winning a franchise-record 50 games — 22 more than their previous best. Their streak of road futility against the Lakers included 12 losses at the Forum in Inglewood.

Wizards 103, Warriors 101

Oakland, Calif. — Gilbert Arenas drove the length of the floor, got past top Golden State defender Mickael Pietrus and scored an acrobatic layup with less than a second left to lift Washington.

Arenas burned his former team for 29 points, seven rebounds and five assists as the Wizards held on despite blowing a 14-point lead in the second half.

Larry Hughes, another former Warrior, swished a long jumper with 28 seconds left, but Kwame Brown made a costly foul on the other end, allowing Speedy Claxton to tie the game at 101 with 17 seconds remaining.

Antawn Jamison, another ex-Golden State player, added 18 points and 11 rebounds for his 11th double-double of the season. Hughes finished with 25 points, 15 in the first half.

Richardson had 26 points to lead the Warriors.