Iverson scored 23 of his 25 points through three quarters, but his teammates turned up the defensive intensity late and the Philadelphia 76ers posted an 82-76 triumph over the reeling Heat.
 League MVP Allen Iverson sails to the hoop against the Heat. Victor Baldizon/NBAE/Getty Images from Sixers-Heat: 56k | 300k |
Down the stretch, however, the 76ers made all the plays and watched Miami self-destruct, committing costly turnovers and missing easy shots. Philadelphia's Aaron McKie had a huge block with 4:19 to go and Miami's Eddie House committed a turnover and missed a short jumper in the final three minutes.
"We defended down the stretch and that was the difference," 76ers coach Larry Brown said. "We managed to hang on tonight."
Iverson missed 22-of-30 shots, including all five attempts in the fourth quarter. But Derrick Coleman contributed 21 points and 12 rebounds.
"I'd like to have a great shooting game because it makes things easier on me and my teammates," Iverson said. "But I'm struggling right now. However, as long as we keep on winning, that's the most important thing."
Eddie Jones had 20 points and House added 14 off the bench for the Heat, who have lost three straight and at 2-5 are off to their worst start under coach Pat Riley.
"We are not playing well as a team," Riley said. "We need contributions from all five guys. We need four or five guys to play well on the same night. We can't have this up and down play that has been our problem."
"I can't believe we can't get over this hump," Jones added. "We're just not moving the ball and getting to the open shots."
Philadelphia carried a 66-58 lead into the final quarter, but Miami scored nine of the first 11 points in the period to draw within a point with 7:25 remaining.
The Sixers scored the next six points, but the Heat were back within 74-72 on a basket by Chris Gatling with 4:43 to play. Iverson committed a turnover on Philadelphia's next possession, but McKie blocked a layup by Anthony Carter. Iverson made a free throw with 4:01 left, House was called for traveling and Gatling and House missed jumpers.
Rookie Speedy Claxton made a layup with 2:24 to go and Carter committed another turnover before Mourning missed a short hook shot.
"Don't expect to see a pretty game," McKie said.
"They came up with some key plays and stops that hurt us," Carter said.
Coleman had 10 points in the opening quarter as Philadelphia built a 23-15 lead. Iverson dominated the second quarter, scoring 11 points in nine minutes and helping the 76ers extend their advantage to 49-38 at intermission.
"We just play hard," Iverson said. "We're going to play harder than every team on every night and hopefully get the win."