Indianapolis ? Allen Iverson got exactly what he wanted Wednesday night, and it wasn’t a third straight 50-point game.
Iverson scored 40 points, ending his streak of 50-point games at two. More importantly, he led the Philadelphia 76ers to a 102-90 win over the Indiana Pacers.
“I’m glad it didn’t take that,” Iverson said. “I hope it was there if we needed it.”
The Pacers led by five with just over six minutes to play, but Philadelphia closed the game with a 19-2 run – helped by two technical fouls called on Jamaal Tinsley.
Tinsley was whistled twice within 20 seconds, getting ejected for arguing with officials after picking up his sixth personal foul with 1:51 to play.
“We gave into some things out there,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “We gave into some frustrations with the officials, which is something that is going to happen from time to time, but it can’t become habitual. And Philadelphia took advantage of the situation.”
The ensuing free throws allowed the 76ers to extend a six-point lead to 10 and cruise to the win.
Reggie Miller led the Pacers with 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting, and Jeff Foster added 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Iverson was looking to become just the third player in NBA history to score 50 or more points in three straight games. He had 54 against Milwaukee last Saturday and 51 against Utah on Monday.
His 40 points pushed his three-game total to 145, breaking his previous best of 134 in 1997-98.
“I hope it continues,” Iverson said with a chuckle, before adding that he “gets better with age.”
Iverson looked on his way to another 50-point game in the first quarter. He scored 14 of Philadelphia’s 20 points in the quarter on 4-of-8 shooting.
“I am truly surprised by what he can bring to the court every night out,” Sixers coach Jim O’Brien said.
Iverson slashed his way to 23 first-half points, but no other Sixers player scored more than four.
The Pacers seemed content to let Iverson pile up the points, using a balanced attack to offset his brilliance.
Miller and Foster combined to shoot 9-of-13 from the field as the Pacers led by as many as 12 points in the first half.
Once Iverson got a little help, the Sixers got back into the game. Marc Jackson started knocking down jump shots, including one from the baseline that gave Philadelphia a 76-75 lead with just over nine minutes to go.
“It’s one thing if you have somebody on the other team scoring a lot of points,” Carlisle said. “The problem was other guys got going.”
After Tinsley hit two driving layups for an 86-81 lead, Iverson came right back with a reverse layup and a 13-foot jumper, and Andre Iguodala hit his second 3-pointer of the quarter for an 88-86 lead.
Jackson finished with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting and Iverson shot 12-of-23 from the field and was 14-for-16 on free throws to deal the Pacers their second loss in a row.
The Pacers learned earlier in the day that arbitrator Roger Kaplan knocked 10 games off the penalty Jermaine O’Neal received from commissioner David Stern for fighting with fans during the Nov. 19 Pacers-Pistons brawl.
O’Neal’s suspension was reduced from 25 to 15 games, making him eligible to return Saturday in the rematch with the Pistons, but only if a federal judge upholds the decision after a hearing on Thursday.
The NBA has filed suit, claiming that Kaplan has no authority to rule on the matter.
Tinsley had 17 points, six rebounds and five assists, but was ejected for the second straight game. He picked up two technical fouls for arguing in Saturday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls.
Notes: In advance of Saturday’s rematch with the Detroit Pistons, the Pacers installed covers over the two entrances to the arena. During the brawl with Pistons fans, players were pelted by drinks, popcorn and other debris as they tried to exit the floor. … Movie star Vivica A. Fox sat courtside. … Indiana’s Austin Croshere played after missing the previous three games with a sprained left ankle.
