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Spurs look to pick up rare road win vs. lowly Philadelphia

Jan 21, 2007 - 3:03 PM San Antonio (28-13) at Philadelphia (11-29) 6:00 pm EST

PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- The San Antonio Spurs must not be pleased that Allen Iverson resides in the Western Conference now. At least they won't have to deal with him on Sunday.

The Spurs hope to capitalize on Iverson's absence Sunday when they visit the Philadelphia 76ers, who look to carry momentum from a thrilling win over the reigning NBA champions.

San Antonio has struggled here over the last six years, dropping five of six contests since 1999. The Spurs only win here in that span came on November 18, 2004.

A four-time scoring champion, Iverson was the engine driving Philadelphia's success in those games, averaging a whopping 38.4 points and 7.4 assists. But Iverson now is out of the picture, a member of the Denver Nuggets since a blockbuster trade on December 19.

San Antonio is just 5-5 in its last 10 games but snapped a two-game skid Friday with a 99-86 triumph over the New Orleans Hornets.

Tony Parker scored 23 points and Tim Duncan grabbed 16 rebounds for the Spurs, who opened a 26-12 lead after one quarter and cruised thereafter.

The lowly Sixers, who own the worst record in the Eastern Conference and the second-worst in the league, have shown signs of slight improvement since the Iverson deal, going 6-11.

One of Philadelphia's most impressive wins in that stretch came on Friday in a 98-95 overtime victory over the defending champion Miami Heat. Andre Iguodala scored 16 points and dished out nine assists while Willie Green added 16 points for the Sixers.