Chicago ? Samuel Dalembert gave head coach Jim O’Brien all he asked for – and more.
Dalembert had 13 points, 14 rebounds and six blocked shots in his first start of the season, leading Philadelphia to a 93-88 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night.
Allen Iverson had 22 points and 10 assists for the 76ers, who ended an eight-game road losing streak despite scoring just two points in the final 4:46.
O’Brien started Dalembert instead of Marc Jackson at center.
“I just had a feeling about putting Sammy in the starting rotation,” O’Brien said. “I wanted to see if it could make something happen.”
The Bulls scored 10 unanswered points to get within 91-88 on Luol Deng’s two free throws, but Kirk Hinrich was called for a charge after making a driving layup with 1:00 left that would have cut the 76ers’ lead to one point.
Iverson had a steal with 16 seconds left, and Andre Iguodala hit two free throws to make it 93-88.
Iverson praised Dalembert’s effort.
“That was the spark we needed tonight. He did it at both ends of the court, especially on the defensive end,” Iverson said.
Deng scored 17 points for Chicago and Hinrich had 12 points, nine assists and six rebounds.
“We got thoroughly outplayed until the last four minutes,” said Bulls head coach Scott Skiles. “We got away from things we can do well, and it showed.”
Leading 51-48, Philadelphia went on a 14-5 run early in the third quarter to extend its lead. During the run, Iverson made a diving steal and passed it ahead to Iguodala, who finished with a two-hand slam. Kyle Korver had a pair of 3-pointers during the span, one of which gave the 76ers a 65-53 lead midway through the quarter.
Iguodala finished with 11 points. Jackson scored 17 points off the bench, and Korver added 11 points.
The 76ers led 51-46 at the half as Iverson had 12 points and five assists.
Eddy Curry had 13 points for the Bulls and Tyson Chandler added 12 points, but both were off the floor in the final five minutes.
Notes: Forward Glenn Robinson may sit out the entire season because of an ankle injury, O’Brien said before the game. “I don’t anticipate seeing him at all. He said he is incapable of playing. My understanding is that his ankles are incapable of carrying him on the court.” … Philadelphia had six players reach double figures in scoring, including all five starters. … Despite a 3-14 record, the Bulls drew 20,823 fans.
