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Surging 76ers go for eighth straight victory

Mar 13, 2007 - 1:49 PM Philadelphia (25-38) at Atlanta (25-39) 7:00 pm EDT

ATLANTA (Ticker) -- A new AI has the Philadelphia 76ers on the right track.

With the Allen Iverson era behind them, Andre Iguodala and the 76ers go for their eighth straight victory when they face the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday.

Philadelphia was floundering at 5-18 when it traded Iverson to Denver. Things went from bad to worse as the 76ers lost 11 of 16 after the trade and the Greg Oden watch picked up in earnest.

The 76ers may still wind up with the Ohio State star center but they are no longer anywhere near a lock for the top pick in the draft or even for the lottery. There is still work to do but Philadelphia has thrust itself into the Eastern Conference playoff picture by winning seven straight.

Philadelphia is on its longest streak since winning nine in a row from February 12 to March 2, 2003. It owns the second-longest current streak in the league behind San Antonio (12) and is four games out of the eighth and final playoff spot with 19 games to play.

Iguodala is a huge reason why the 76ers are surging. Averaging 18.3 points per game, the former Arizona Wildcat has been even better recently. The 6-6 swingman has scored 25 or more points in each of Philadelphia's last three games and is averaging 21.8 points, 7.1 assists and 6.8 rebounds since February 1.

After sweeping a six-game homestand, Philadelphia won at Indiana on Saturday to improve to 4-3 in its last seven road games. The Sixers look to continue thier road success against the Hawks, who they have already beaten twice this season.

After losing six straight, the Hawks have won the first three games of a four-game homestand. Leading scorer Joe Johnson missed all three of those games with a calf injury and will be out for Tuesday's contest as well.