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Williams, Ivey lead Sixers over Celtics in preseason opener

Oct 9, 2008 - 2:03 AM By Mike Petraglia PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

AMHERST, Massachusetts (Ticker) -- Royal Ivey connected on a jumper with 42 seconds remaining to lead the Philadelphia 76ers over the reigning world champion Boston Celtics, 98-92, on Wednesday in the preseason opener for both teams.

Lou Williams scored 27 points while Thaddeus Young added 21 for the 76ers, who came back from 14 points down to win at the Mullins Center on the campus of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

Newcomer Patrick O'Bryant had 10 points and seven rebounds while Eddie House added 10 points off the bench for the Celtics, who came out in their preseason opener and played like a team determined to show that last season's title run was not a fluke.

Powered by three 3-pointers from Ray Allen and an up-tempo game directed by Rajon Rondo, the Celtics raced out to leads of 16-4 and 19-9, delighting the partisan Celtics crowd. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett joined Allen and Rondo in playing between 17 and 19 minutes.

Elton Brand, making his debut in a 76ers' uniform after signing a five-year, $82 million deal in the offseason, collected 11 points and four rebounds in 21 minutes.

Rookie Bill Walker stole the show in the second quarter with two thunderous dunks to help give the Celtics a 54-44 halftime lead. Darius Miles, another new face in Boston, threw down a dunk early in the fourth and finished with six points on 3-of-3 shooting. Miles is trying to make the roster after missing the last two seasons recovering from microfracture surgery on his right knee.

The Sixers staged a 14-0 rally in the third period and briefly took a 70-69 lead on Brand's free throw with less than two minutes remaining in the quarter. The Celtics built their lead back to as big as six before the Sixers rallied once again down the stretch to pick up the victory.

The Celtics were without head coach Doc Rivers for personal reasons and backup point guard Sam Cassell because of a family sickness. Assistants Armond Hill and Tom Thibodeau ran the team in Rivers' absence.