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Wizards collapse in fourth quarter in loss to 76ers

Feb 6, 2008 - 4:53 AM PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- A fourth-quarter collapse sent the Washington Wizards to their fourth straight loss.

Andre Iguodala scored 20 points as the Philadelphia 76ers overcame a double-digit deficit in the final nine minutes to post a 101-96 victory over the Wizards on Tuesday.

Philadelphia had lost two straight coming in and was well on its way to a third consecutive loss before turning it around in the fourth.

"I was just proud of the guys," Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said. "They hung in there even though we were down by 12 and we looked liked we were in trouble. We just hung there and came away with a win."

Washington led at the end of each of the first three quarters and took a 90-78 lead on a three-point play by Antonio Daniels with 8:51 to go. The Wizards then went scoreless of over six minutes as the 76ers took over the game.

"That was a blitzkrieg," Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said. "They denied us, they were quicker and more athletic. The pressure was too intense and we didn't keep our poise."

Philadelphia went on a 17-0 run to take its first lead since early in the second quarter. Rodney Carney dunked to tie the game, 90-90, with 4:30 to go, and Iguodala scored in the lane to give the 76ers a 92-90 lead.

"It was like a snowball effect," Iguodala said of the run. "You get a steal here and a deflection there and, from there, it just kept going."

The Wizards never regained the lead as Carney dunked again off a steal and Louis Williams made 1-of-2 free throws to cap the spurt and give the Sixers a 95-90 lead.

"We just tried to lock it down defensively," Carney said. "We got a lot of fast-break points and we had a lot of young guys who brought a lot of energy. We made stops and we were able to put it away."

Antawn Jamison stopped the bleeding with a bucket in the lane, but Iguodala answered immediately, and Philadelphia held on in the final minute.

"We just kept making little things happen," Iguodala said. "We got a lot of hands on a lot of loose balls, we got some blocked shots and we forced them to make plays."

"Our offense is built to counter that sort of pressure," Jordan said. "There is a fair amount of skill you have to have as an NBA player, and we didn't bring it to the table."

Rookie Thaddeus Young scored a season-high 17 points and Carney added 16 for Philadelphia.

"This a big win for us," Young said. "We've been coming after teams and have come out with very many wins. This was big because we need some home wins."

DeShawn Stevenson scored 19 points for the Wizards, who are on their first four-game skid since losing five straight to open the season.