Bobcats-76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers let another lead slip away. Only this time, they still managed to win. Allen Iverson scored 43 points and Kyle Korver tied a career high with 26, helping the Sixers end a four-game losing streak with a 119-115 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday night. Philadelphia nearly blew a 15-point lead with 3:47 left, but held on to win for only the third time in 11 games. ``For whatever reason, we are giving up leads,’’ Korver said. ``We’ve got to do something different because we don’t want to make this more of a pattern than it already is.’’ Andre Iguodala added 20 points and the starters had all but six points for the Sixers. Emeka Okafor and Kareem Rush each scored 15 points for Charlotte, which has lost six in a row. The Bobcats are 1-11 on the road this season and 5-15 overall.

``We just got down and spent the whole game crawling back,’’ Okafor said. Iverson, who came in leading the NBA with 33.6 points per game, missed his first five shots. He finished 15-of-32 to record the 64th 40-point game in his 10-year career. Charlotte cut it to 117-113 on a layup by Bernard Robinson with 1:12 remaining, capping a 14-3 run. After John Salmons missed a layup, the Bobcats had a couple of chances to get closer, but former Sixers swingman Jumaine Jones missed a 3-pointer after Charlotte got an offensive rebound. Salmons turned it over on the ensuing possession, but Jones missed another 3 with 8.6 seconds left and Korver and Iguodala iced it with free throws. ``It might’ve been a good thing we won like that,’’ Iverson said. ``It showed us we can still win after giving up a lead.’’ The Bobcats closed within 103-93 midway through the fourth on a 3-pointer by Jones. But Iverson made a tough runner and sank a free throw to complete a three-point play. Raymond Felton answered with a 3-pointer, but Iverson came back with a 20-footer and then hit a 3-pointer to make it 111-98 with 4:16 left. Iverson electrified the crowd with a spectacular behind-the-back dribble and driving layup to put the Sixers ahead 90-73 late in the third. ``When you have a succession of games where you lost some close games, I think you have to win a game like that,’’ Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said. ``We had to win like that to get over the hump.’’ The Sixers never trailed after taking a 13-12 lead on a hook shot by Chris Webber almost midway through the first quarter. Philadelphia closed out the first half with an 18-7 run to take a 62-48 halftime lead. A dunk by Iguodala off an alley-oop pass from Iverson started the run and the two combined for another one during the spurt. Iguodala finished it off with a 3-pointer that barely beat the buzzer. ``The second quarter set basketball back 100 years,’’ Bobcats coach Bernie Bickerstaff said. ``That might have been the worst exhibition in basketball I’ve seen.’’ Notes: Charlotte C Primoz Brezec sat out with flulike symptoms. ... F Matt Barnes didn’t play in his first game back with the Sixers. Barnes came to Philadelphia in the Webber trade last year and started this season with the Knicks. ... The Sixers play at first-place New Jersey on Saturday. ... Philadelphia is 8-4 when scoring 100 or more points. ... The Bobcats are 1-7 when allowing 100 or more. Charlotte Bobcats - Philadelphia 76ers Goals Total 1 2 3 OT Shootout Charlotte Bobcats 115 Philadelphia 76ers 119