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Sixers snap skid, edge Raptors

Apr 9, 2011 - 5:23 AM Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Elton Brand scored 22 points and Thaddeus Young added 20 off the bench, as the Sixers held off the Toronto Raptors, 98-93, to snap a three-game skid.

Jrue Holiday ended with 13 points, 11 assists and four steals for Philadelphia, which remained in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, a half-game behind New York. The Knicks pounded New Jersey Friday night.

The Sixers, who have two games left -- at home against Orlando and Detroit -- also received 16 points from Andre Iguodala, 10 of them coming in the fourth quarter.

"We've been fighting, scratching and clawing all season long," Sixers coach Doug Collins said. "I just so desperately wanted us to finish in a positive way. I'm very proud we found a way to get this win."

DeMar DeRozan had 27 points and Jerryd Bayless 24 for the Raptors, losers of three straight and nine of their last 10 games.

Iguodala's step-back jumper gave the Sixers a commanding 96-87 lead with 2:13 left, but the Raptors rallied and Bayless' spin move and layup cut the deficit to 96-93 inside 29 seconds left.

Iguodala then missed a driving layup, giving Toronto the ball back with 5.9 seconds left. However, off the ensuing inbounds pass, Bayless' three-point try was well short of the basket. The ball bounced out of bounds and Holiday sealed the victory at the foul line.

Toronto led by only two points the entire game and went nearly 10 minutes without making a field goal. They missed 14 straight shots between 7:14 of the first quarter and 9:35 of the second. During that time, the Sixers turned a two-point deficit into a 33-18 lead.

James Johnson's three-pointer finally stopped the drought, but the Raptors were behind 54-42 at the half.

"We had 13 turnovers in the first half and it was guys trying to do things on their own instead of move the ball," Raptors coach Jay Triano said. "We addressed that at halftime and turned the ball over only seven times in the second half."

Philadelphia played front-runner for nearly the entire third quarter, but Toronto rallied and scored nine in a row to take a 72-70 edge on a Bayless three in the final minute. Young converted a three-point play with 2.5 seconds left for a 73-72 Sixers lead going to the fourth.

Game Notes

It was the 26th home win for the Sixers, the most for the team since the 2000-01 season (29)...The Sixers (41-39) haven't finished a season above .500 since going 43-39 in 2004-05...Triano was ejected midway through the fourth quarter for arguing a non-foul call...The Raptors played without Leandro Barbosa (sore right pinky), Amir Johnson (sore left ankle), Jose Calderon (hamstring) and Andrea Bargnani (sore right ankle)...Ed Davis had 14 points and 10 rebounds, while teammate Reggie Evans had 15 boards for the Raptors.