Allen Iverson breaks Jacque Vaughn's Ankles!
Allen Iverson and Kyle Korver are developing their own version of the two-man game for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Iverson scored 42 points and Korver came within a point of tying his career high with 25 on Saturday night to help the 76ers beat the New Jersey Nets 107-95 in the first game of the season pitting the top two teams in the Atlantic Division.
A night earlier, the perennial All-Star guard and the third-year forward combined for 69 points in a 119-115 victory over Charlotte that snapped Philadelphia's four-game losing streak.
Korver tied his career high with 26 points in that game, and on Saturday continued his roll with 13 points in the first quarter including three 3-pointers. He finished the game 10-for-11 from the field, with all but two of his baskets coming on shots of 17 feet or farther.
"My legs felt good and the guys were looking for me," Korver said. "If I can hit my first few shots, it makes it a lot easier."
Korver and Iverson offset 26 points each for New Jersey's Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson. Jason Kidd had 14 points and nine assists for the Nets.
Korver put away the Nets in the fourth quarter after they had closed a 16-point deficit to 100-92 on Jefferson's two free throws with 4:08 left, though New Jersey had a part in its own downfall. Jason Kidd and Clifford Robinson each missed a 3-pointer after a defensive stop, and on Philadelphia's third possession, Korver knocked in a 27-footer to give the 76ers a 103-92 lead with 2:15 left.
"Kyle's just a shooter, and when Allen's going that way and Kyle's going that way, we are a tough team to beat," 76ers coach Maurice Cheeks said.
Against Charlotte, the 76ers lost 11 points off a 15-point lead in the final four minutes. On Saturday they never let the Nets get closer than eight after Jefferson's free throws.
"Tonight they had chances but they missed some shots," said Iverson. "This shows that once we get a lead in the fourth quarter, we can sustain it."
Iverson, who also finished with 12 assists, had 35 points through three quarters and scored eight points in the final 2:36 of the second quarter to help the 76ers take a 54-49 lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, he and Korver at times seemed to be playing a game of two-on-five as they scored 12 of Philadelphia's last 15 points to give the 76ers an 84-69 lead.
"When he's on, he's on," the Nets' Vince Carter said about Iverson. "But you have to regulate what the rest of the guys are going to do. Kyle Korver having a big game was the key more than anything."
The battle for supremacy in the Atlantic Division turned out not to be much of a battle at all as the 76ers outshot the Nets 57 percent (41-for-72) to 41 percent (35-for-85). Whether either team can claim any sort of supremacy in a division that now has no teams at or above .500 is another question.
At least Philadelphia took steps to correct its road woes by winning its third away game in 10 tries. New Jersey, meanwhile, has won four straight on the road after Friday night's win at Cleveland but dropped to 4-5 at Continental Airlines Arena.
Game notes
The biggest cheers of the evening came in the third quarter when former NFL players Dan Marino, Boomer Esiason and Shannon Sharpe, who were sitting at courtside, threw autographed footballs into the crowd ... The 76ers are 9-4 when they score 100 or more points.
