Iverson leads 76ers past Hornets

Chris Webber posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds for Philadelphia, which halted a two-game losing streak.

All five starters scored in double figures, including Steven Hunter, who had 10 points and also pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds.

"Being 7-foot and athletic, I thought I should do a better job on the boards," said Hunter, "and tonight I wanted to start that."

Reserve guard John Salmons played more than 26 minutes and finished with 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting for the Sixers. Iverson, with the game almost never in doubt in the second half, was able to rest for much of the final two quarters.

Forward David West had a team-high 20 points with nine boards for the Hornets, who had a two-game winning streak snapped.

J.R. Smith had 17 points, while rookie Chris Paul contributed nine points and six assists.

Philadelphia shot 60 percent from the floor in the first half and outdueled the Hornets in the paint, 32-16, to take a 65-47 lead.

Iverson scored 24 points over the first two quarters and dished out seven assists to build the Sixers advantage to as many as 19 points.

Paul broke an 0-for-8 Hornets field goal drought with just under five minutes to play in the third quarter to make it 72-57, then made one of two free throws the next trip down the floor to cut the lead to 14.

The lead would dwindle down to 13 but the Sixers finished the third quarter strong. Andre Iguodala connected on a three-point try with about a minute left in the frame and Hunter followed with a putback dunk to give Philadelphia an 83-63 lead after three quarters.

Smith’s three-pointer with just over four minutes remaining capped an 8-0 Hornet run that shrank Philadelphia’s lead to 99-83 and forced head coach Maurice Cheeks to call a timeout.

Salmons answered with a driving layup to push Philadelphia over the century mark, however, and the Hornets were never able to seriously threaten the Sixers’ lead thereafter.

Game Notes

The Hornets are 2-3 as the visitor this season...The teams will play once more this season. The Hornets are scheduled to host the Sixers on December 2...The Sixers are 4-3 at home this season...The Hornets have dropped three straight at Philadelphia...Philadelphia will hit the road for a pair of games against Milwaukee on Wednesday and New York on November 26th...The Hornets return home on Wednesday to host Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves.