Iverson returns, 76ers even series at 2-2
( 2001-05-29 09:34 ) (7 )

76ers vs Bucks Iverson

Allen Iverson returned after a game off to lick his wounds and led the Philadelphia 76ers to an 89-83 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks Monday, to even the NBA Eastern Conference finals at 2-2.

Iverson, whose various bruises around his hips and buttocks hampered him in Game Two, scored 28 points and got plenty of support from his teammates as the 76ers took back the homecourt advantage they sacrificed by resting the battered league Most Valuable Player in Saturday's Game Three six-point defeat.

Dikembe Mutombo scored 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds and Tyrone Hill scored 14 and snared six boards.

"We knew that we played a great game on Saturday but we just didn't finish our job," said Mutombo. "So we came out tonight we tried to play hard from the beginning with the help of AI (Iverson) and it was just great."

Eric Snow, like Hill a disappointment in Game Three, made some big plays down the stretch for Philadelphia and recorded three steals, three assists and four rebounds playing 26 minutes on an injured ankle..

Aaron McKie had nine assists and Iverson, who played all but a fraction of a minute, dished out eight. Reserve Jumaine Jones scored eight points and grabbed nine rebounds in 27 minutes.

BIG DOG

For Milwaukee, Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson scored 20 points and collected 10 rebounds but lost his cool and drew two technical fouls late in the game for continuing to argue after Snow stole the ball from him and no foul was called.

Tim Thomas came off the bench to score 15 points and Sam Cassell and Ray Allen each had 14 points as the "Big Three" of Robinson, Cassell and Allen came up short for the Bucks.

It was a rough game typified by a play with two minutes to go when Allen, protecting the ball, hit Iverson with an elbow, sending him to the floor. Iverson stood up like a wobbling boxer, blood in his mouth. Allen grimaced over the pain in his elbow, which also was bleeding. No foul was called.

Snow made perhaps the biggest shot of the game with 2:18 to go when Iverson was in trouble in the lane, managed to get the ball back to the top of the arc and into the hands of McKie, who whipped it around to Snow on the left side for a jumper to make it 82-75,

Snow then made the steal off Robinson, who appeared to have been bumped by McKie, and an Iverson layup made the score 84-77. Iverson then stole the inbounds pass and was fouled with 59 seconds remaining, and the still-fuming Robinson was called for two technical fouls.

Iverson made three of the four free throws to put the Sixers -- the best road team in the league during the regular season -- up by 10, the biggest lead of the game.

Game Five is Wednesday in Philadelphia.

"With Allen feeling good definitely we're going to win that game in Philadelpia and then we're going to come here and try to finish it off," Mutombo said.