Allen Iverson made the most of the wide-open look Andre Iguodala never gave Kobe Bryant.

Iverson outplayed Bryant in an anticipated matchup of the league's leading scorers, scoring 34 points and sinking the winner with 22.2 seconds left to lead the 76ers to an 85-81 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.

By DAN GELSTON, AP Sports Writer
November 11, 2005

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Allen Iverson made the most of the wide-open look Andre Iguodala never gave Kobe Bryant.

Iverson outplayed Bryant in an anticipated matchup of the league's leading scorers, scoring 34 points and sinking the winner with 22.2 seconds left to lead the 76ers to an 85-81 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.

Iverson -- stumbling in the fourth quarter after he missed an easy layup, two free throws and was whistled for traveling -- stepped just inside the 3-point arc and buried a jumper in the final seconds for an 83-81 lead.

Bryant missed a jumper over Iguodala with about 5 seconds left, and Iverson made two free throws to seal Philadelphia's third straight win after losing its first three.

Kyle Korver and John Salmons each hit critical 3-pointers in the final 2 1/2 minutes to pad the Sixers' lead, but it wasn't enough once Bryant finally got going.

Unable to find his shot all game against Iguodala's sticky D, Bryant came through in the final minute with a three-point play and then another basket with 37.8 seconds left to rally the Lakers and tie the score at 81.

But Iverson made up for a small stretch of miscues that nearly cost the Sixers, hitting a jumper that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

"Once they made one breakdown, they left me open and I got a good look at it," Iverson said.

Bryant came in averaging a league-high 34.8 points, but was held in check by Iguodala on 7-for-27 shooting.

"That's something we expect from Dre every night," Iverson said. "We know he has the ability to shut people down."

Chris Mihm picked up the slack inside with 20 points, and Lamar Odom added 16.

Iverson -- second in the league behind Bryant with 29.8 points -- fired up the Sixers and started a rally late in the fourth when he was challenged on his way to the basket.

After a rare miss on an uncontested fastbreak layup on the previous possession, Iverson was staggered on a hard foul the next time down by Sasha Vujacic. Vujacic threw his arm back and connected with Iverson in the neck, sending the feisty All-Star into a fit. He needed to be restrained from a possible fight.

Both players were whistled for technicals, so Iverson attempted only two free throws for the shot, and he paced around the court, agitated, before going to the line.

After he sank the first one, he turned to his left and glared at Vujacic. He hit the second to pull the Sixers to 69-66.

Iverson added two more free throws the next time down and Chris Webber followed with a spin move to give the Sixers a 70-69 lead.

But Iverson missed two free throws with the Sixers holding a 78-74 lead and traveled with 52 seconds left, allowing Bryant to make the game-tying running jumper.

Bryant missed his first eight shots before going up-and-under for his first bucket late in the second quarter. Bryant added another before the halftime buzzer to give the Lakers a 46-42 lead.

He was stifled in the first half (3-for-14) by Iguodala.

"That was a game I was forced to take a lot of shots with a hand in my face," Bryant said.

Iguodala might have concentrated too much on defense, because he was a non-factor offensively until his baseline jumper gave the Sixers a 73-71 lead. Iguodala made another timely play when Bryant was hit with an offensive foul for pushing off on the next possession.

Iguodala scored five points, but he finished with 11 rebounds.

"I had some shots I should have made," Bryant said. "We had difficulty down the stretch. We weren't able to capitalize on some makable shots."

While Bryant struggled, the Lakers relied on Mihm. The 7-foot center with the meager 6.8 points per average played outstanding, shooting 8-for-12 from the floor and finishing with nine rebounds.

Notes

Lakers G Aaron McKie got a standing ovation in his return to Philadelphia. McKie, who played at Temple and scored 4,143 points in seven-plus seasons with the 76ers, was averaging only 5.3 minutes and 0.5 points this season. "Just coming in this locker room alone is strange to me," McKie said. "I'm pulling for those guys (the Sixers), but at the same time we need to win." ... While McKie was cheered, Bryant was booed, the way he always is when he returns home. Bryant, who went to nearby Lower Merion High School, said the boos don't bother him. "I love it," he said. "I love it. I love it. I mean, I love it. This is where it all began for me." ... NBA referee Joe Crawford worked his 2,000th career game, joining four other refs to reach that mark.