Iverson Heads Off Knicks With a Pass

Allen Iverson was smothered by a double team in the corner with time running out and no way to shoot.

Problem was, New York gave him room to pass.

Iverson made a nifty assist to Marc Jackson for the winning layup with one second left, and the Philadelphia 76ers moved back to .500 and into a tie for first place in the Atlantic Division with a 106-105 victory over the Knicks on Monday night at Philadelphia.

“I knew they’d double somebody, but I was surprised I was open,” said Jackson, who scored 22 points. “It was a great play and we executed it perfectly.”

Iverson was the first option, but he was quickly trapped by Stephon Marbury and Michael Sweetney. The Knicks had a foul to give, but didn’t use it and Iverson made them pay.

“As soon as I got the ball, I saw two people, then I saw Marc cut to the basket,” Iverson said.

The Knicks had one last chance, but Nazr Mohammed’s shot off a lob in front of the rim missed and they lost for the 19th time in their last 23 games.

Philadelphia (26-26) is tied atop its division with the Boston Celtics.

Iverson followed his career-high 60-point game against Orlando on Saturday night with 38 points.

His 98 points were his second-highest total in consecutive games, topped only by his 54- and 51-point performances in consecutive games in December. He also had 10 assists.

“It’s tough to score 60 and not think about it the next game,” said Iverson, who had 31 points at halftime against New York.

Marbury led the Knicks with 32 points.

Phoenix 136, Utah 128 -- Amare Stoudemire had 42 points and 12 rebounds, Steve Nash matched a season high with 18 assists and the Suns (41-12) held off the Jazz at Salt Lake City to move a half-game ahead of idle San Antonio (40-12) for the NBA’s best record.

Raja Bell had a season-high 22 points for Utah as both teams set season highs for points.

Utah was hampered after Andrei Kirilenko (sprained ankle) and Carlos Boozer (foot) were injured in the second quarter and did not return.

Portland 80, Charlotte 77 -- Nick Van Exel made a 29-foot desperation heave at the buzzer to give the Trail Blazers a victory at Charlotte, N.C.

It was the seventh consecutive loss for the Bobcats -- and the second in a row on a three-pointer at the buzzer.

Joel Przybilla had a career-high 19 points and 17 rebounds for Portland. Melvin Ely had 16 points for Charlotte.

Detroit 107, Milwaukee 83 -- Rasheed Wallace had 17 points and 10 rebounds at Auburn Hills, Mich., and the Pistons broke the game open with a 14-2 run in the final 4:42 of the first half to win for the eighth time in their last nine games.

The Pistons also completed a 3-0 homestand in which they beat the the Bucks, Lakers and Washington Wizards by an average of 22.3 points.

Erick Strickland had 18 points for Milwaukee, which played without leading scorer Michael Redd (finger).

New Orleans 98, Washington 96 -- J.R. Smith scored 18 points and Dan Dickau made a pair of go-ahead free throws with 4.5 seconds left in the Hornets’ victory at New Orleans.

Gilbert Arenas had 34 points for Washington, but his three-point attempt at the buzzer missed. Arenas was two for 12 on three-point shots.

Antawn Jamison had 30 points and 12 rebounds for Washington, but the Wizard reserves were outscored by the Hornets’ bench, 39-12.