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The Philadelphia 76ers let the Charlotte Bobcats hang around, but they pulled out the 98-89 win late.
The Philadelphia 76ers never relinquished the lead after a Jodie Meeks 3-pointer made the score 11-9 just over five minutes into the first quarter. The Charlotte Bobcats would come close to sneaking an upset over the Sixers a couple times late in the second half, however. Twice they pulled back within two points--at the end of the third quarter and with just over six minutes left in the fourth--but Lou Williams proved to be too much down the stretch, scoring eight of his 23 points in the final 6:11 of the game to lead Philadelphia to a 98-89 victory.
Andre Iguodala didn't do much as scorer, he went just 1-for-6 from the field, but he added nine assists to help the Sixers' cause. Jrue Holiday was among the beneficiaries, scoring 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia committed just seven turnovers, opposed to 12 by the Bobcats. Corey Maggette and Kemba Walker led Charlotte with 22 and 21 points, respectively.
The win was Philadelphia's 20th of the season, in just their 29th game played. Last year, the Sixers needed 45 games to reach the 20-win mark. The Bobcats will go on being the arguably the NBA's worst team following the loss. Their 3-25 record puts them 18 games behind the Miami Heat in the Southeast Division.
For all the latest news, updates and scores, be sure to check out Liberty Ballers and SB Nation Philly.
Philadelphia has been one of the surprise teams this year in the NBA. Charlotte most certainly hasn't.
The 76ers are fresh off of a 99-84 hammering of Cleveland. Jrue Holiday led the way with 20 points while Lou Williams added 19 points and five assists. That win kicked off a stretch of seven out of the next eight games being away from the Wells Fargo Center.
It was a much-needed victory after dropping consecutive games to San Antonio and the Clippers. It was the first time all year that Philly suffered a losing streak.
The Bobcats on the other hand are one giant losing streak. They're 3-24 with a current slide of 14 straight games. It's not only bad, but brutally ugly. Charlotte ranks dead last in offense and defense.
The 76ers (19-9) can't afford to overlook this game. It should be an easy win against a horrible team but things happen when you aren't focused. The good news is that usually isn't a problem for a Doug Collins team. The only bad loss this campaign came to New Jersey in a 97-90 overtime defeat.
After Monday's tilt, Philly will travel to Orlando to take on Dwight Howard and company.
TV: COMCAST
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
For all the latest news, updates and scores, be sure to check out Liberty Ballers and SB Nation Philly.
76ers Schedule 2012: Philadelphia Goes To Orlando Wednesday Before Hosting Dallas
The Philadelphia 76ers downed the Charlotte Bobcats 98-89 on the road Monday night, earning their 20th win of the season. The degree of difficulty ramps up significantly relative to the doormat Bobcats. The Sixers have to travel to Orlando on Wednesday to take on a Magic squad that has won six of their last eight.
On Friday they return to Wells Fargo Arena to host the Dallas Mavericks. Dirk Nowitzki has scored at least 20 points in five of his last six outings through Monday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Mavs are chasing the San Antonio Spurs for supremacy atop the standings in the Southwest Division.
Here's the complete 76ers weekday schedule with TV/Radio information:
Wednesday, 2/15: 76ers @ Magic (7:00 p.m. ET, TV/Radio: CSN/94WIP)
Friday, 2/17: 76ers vs. Mavericks (8:00 p.m. ET, TV/Radio: CSN/ESPN/94WIP)
For more on the 76ers, head over to the SB Nation blog Liberty Ballers.
Feb 13 10:56p by Louis Bien