TORONTO, 21 November 2003 — The injury-depleted Philadelphia 76ers showed their mettle by defeating the Toronto Raptors 81-75 on Wednesday.
With 2001 Most Valuable Player Allen Iverson and forwards Derrick Coleman and Glenn Robinson all sidelined, the 76ers were not expected to put up much resistance, especially with the Raptors a perfect 5-0 at home this season.
But Marc Jackson and Aaron McKie had other ideas, hitting for 23 and 21 points respectively to pace Philadelphia. Vince Carter topped Toronto with 20 points.
No NBA team has gone a season without a home loss, the best being the 40-1 mark produced by the Boston Celtics in 1985-86.
Lakers 104 Knicks 83
In New York, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant supplied the one-two punch as the Los Angeles Lakers thumped the Knicks 104-83 to snap a three-game road losing streak.
O’Neal notched 23 points and Bryant 21 while Karl Malone had 17 points and 14 rebounds. Frank Williams collected 14 points for New York.
Wizards 106 Cavaliers 95
In Washington, Gilbert Arenas poured in 25 points and Larry Hughes added 22 to carry the Wizards to a 106-95 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are still winless on the road. Etan Thomas had 18 points and 10 rebounds for Washington. Rookie LeBron James totaled a career-high 28 points, seven boards and eight assists for the Cavaliers.
Pacers 91 Clippers 78
In Indianapolis, Al Harrington topped all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting as the Indiana Pacers strolled to a 91-78 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Keyon Dooling led the Clippers with 18 points while Predrag Drobnjak added 15 points and 14 boards.
Hornets 81 Celtics 73
In Boston, the surging New Orleans Hornets (9-3) won every quarter but the third in an 81-73 triumph over the Celtics.
Baron Davis claimed 17 points to top the Hornets. Jamaal Magloire added 15 and PJ Brown 12, and both were also in double figures in rebounds. Paul Pierce paced the Celtics with 23 points.
Rockets 85 Warriors 83
In Houston, Yao Ming and Steve Francis both chalked up 23 points as the Rockets outlasted the Golden State Warriors 85-83.
Yao collected 15 of Houston’s 21 points in the final period. Clifford Robinson also counted 23 points to pace the Warriors, who remained winless on the road. Erick Dampier added 15 while grabbing 12 rebounds.
Pistons 99 Grizzlies 92
In Memphis, Chauncey Billups picked up 33 points, hitting on four of his five three-point tries, as the Detroit Pistons downed the Grizzlies 99-92. Lorenzen Wright had 18 points and nine boards for Memphis.
Nuggets 94 Bucks 86
In Denver, six Nuggets finished in double figures in a 94-86 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Andre Miller was best of the bunch with 17 points. Tim Thomas, with 25 points, and Michael Redd, with 24, paced the Bucks.
Kings 118 Jazz 110
In Salt Lake City, Peja Stojakovic piled up 30 points as the Sacramento Kings defeated Utah 118-110 to hand the Jazz their first home loss of the season. Mike Bibby added 18 points and Brad Miller 17 points and 13 rebounds. Three of the Jazz went past 20 points, Carlos Arroyo leading the way with 25. Andrei Kirilenko added 22 and DeShawn Stevenson 21.
Trail Blazers 94 Heat 93
In Portland, Rasheed Wallace knocked down 21 points as the Trail Blazers rallied for a 94-93 win over the Miami Heat.
Qyntel Woods won it for Portland by hitting two free throws with 0.4 seconds on the clock. Eddie Jones had 26 points for Miami and Dwyane Wade added 24.
