McKie Leads Depleted 76ers Past Jazz, 97-91

Aaron McKie realizes he’s not Allen Iverson. The Utah Jazz, on the other hand, didn’t seem to notice.

McKie played for the injured Iverson, scoring a season-high 24 points as the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Utah Jazz, 97-91, ending a 13-year losing streak in Utah.

The 76ers didn’t need Iverson after McKie, who played despite a slight case of flu, shot eight of 15 and helped Philadelphia hold off a fourth-quarter surge by the Jazz.

“This is a strange team,” said Toni Kukoc, who scored 15 points. “Whenever everything’s right, someone finds a way to make something wrong. When everything’s wrong, we find a way to win.”

Iverson partially dislocated his right shoulder in Friday’s game against the New York Knicks and will miss one to three weeks. He made the trip, but never left the Philadelphia locker room.

The Philadelphia lineup looked like it was held together by duct tape, but still managed to get a victory. Theo Ratliff, who also was feeling ill, joined Tyrone Hill with 13 points.

Kevin Ollie started in place of Eric Snow, because of a broken right ankle. Rodney Buford, signed last week, played in place of Pepe Sanchez, out because of a sore hip.

The 76ers also played without Matt Geiger, who didn’t dress because of a sore right knee, and Speedy Claxton, who’s recovering from surgery to repair a torn knee ligament.

“Any time you come here and win, it’s a miracle. When you’re so short-handed, it’s even more significant,” Philadelphia Coach Larry Brown said.

Bryon Russell scored 17 points, and John Starks had 14 for the Jazz. Karl Malone scored 12 and had five rebounds--well below his average of 23.4 points.

Charlotte 115, Cleveland 110--Jamal Mashburn scored eight of his 27 points in overtime at Charlotte to lead the Hornets to their seventh consecutive victory.

Cleveland, rallied from 14 points down in the fourth quarter, but scored only 11 in overtime, and all but three came after the Hornets built an eight-point lead.

Derrick Coleman, who returned to Charlotte’s lineup after almost six weeks on the injured list, scored four points, had one rebound and four fouls.

Detroit 101, Boston 96--Jerry Stackhouse had 33 points and seven assists as the Pistons overcame a season-high 29 turnovers at Auburn Hills, Mich.

Stackhouse struggled playing his first game since getting married Sunday, shooting five of 15 from three-point range. He committed nine turnovers, but hit 18 of 20 free throws, both tying career highs.

San Antonio 103, Houston 95--Antonio Daniels had a career-high 26 points and 10 assists at San Antonio to lead the Spurs to their fifth victory in six games.

Tim Duncan had 20 points and 13 rebounds, and David Robinson added 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs.

Steve Francis scored 21 points and Cuttino Mobley added 17 points for Houston, which lost its fifth consecutive.

Dallas 114, Seattle 93--Michael Finley scored 38 points at Dallas, including 27 in the first half, and helped Don Nelson become the third winningest coach in NBA history.

With his 945th victory, Nelson moved into third place for coaching victories behind Toronto’s Lenny Wilkens (1,192) and Miami’s Pat Riley (1,012).

Dirk Nowitzki had 21 points and 11 rebounds for his third consecutive double-double.

Minnesota 100, Toronto 97--Terrell Brandon scored 24 points and Kevin Garnett added 22 at Minneapolis for the Timberwolves, who ended a four-game losing streak.

Vince Carter scored 32 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter and Charles Oakley had 10 points and 14 rebounds for the Raptors.

Atlanta 81, New Jersey 76--Jason Terry scored nine of his 18 points in the final 2:27 to rally the Hawks at East Rutherford, N.J.

Dikembe Mutombo, who had a season-high 28 rebounds, added 12 points and five blocks for Atlanta.

Stephen Jackson had a career-high 25 points for New Jersey.

Phoenix 97, Vancouver 95--Jason Kidd scored 12 consecutive points late in the fourth quarter and finished with 28 to lead the Suns at Vancouver, Canada.

The Suns trailed 89-83 with 2:37 left when Kidd took control. He eventually broke a 95-95 tie with a tipin off a miss by Shawn Marion with 12.7 seconds left.

Mike Bibby scored 21 points before fouling out late in the game for the Grizzles, who lost their third consecutive game by two points.

Milwaukee 89, Orlando 77--Ray Allen scored 25 points and made four three-pointers in the fourth quarter to lead the Bucks at Milwaukee.

Glenn Robinson added 15 points for the Bucks, who have won three consecutive and 12 of 15 since starting the season 3-9.

Tracy McGrady led the Magic with 26 points and Darrell Armstrong added 20.