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Iguodala helps 76ers outlast Clippers

Jan 1, 2009 - 6:29 AM By Jonathan Raber PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- The Philadelphia 76ers haven't been playing as bad as their recent record might indicate. On Wednesday, their perseverance was rewarded.

Andre Iguodala scored 14 of his 28 points in the final seven minutes and added seven assists and seven rebounds to help the 76ers stop a season-high four-game skid with a 100-92 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

"Finally we showed a result of playing good," said 76ers interim coach Tony DiLeo, who improved to 4-4 on the season.

"We had some tough losses where we played pretty good, but now we got a win and we needed that win."

Thaddeus Young scored 20 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Andre Miller chipped in 15 points and nine assists for Philadelphia, which took control late in beating Los Angeles for the fifth straight time.

"We did a good job executing our plays," Iguodala said. "We've struggled a little bit at executing our plays down the stretch when teams put us in half-court situations. So, (this game) shows that we've been making strides at doing a good job in our half-court offense, getting good shots and completing plays."

The game was originally slated to be the anticipated return of Elton Brand to Staples Center. However Brand, who averaged 20.3 points and 10.3 rebounds in seven seasons with the Clippers

before opting out of his contract and bolting across coasts in the offseason, is currently sidelined because of a dislocated right shoulder.

It turns out that Philadelphia didn't miss him much against a depleted Los Angeles frontline.

Al Thornton recorded 24 points and nine rebounds and rookie Eric Gordon scored 21 for the Clippers.

Los Angeles once again played without Chris Kaman (left arch), Zach Randolph (left knee) and Ricky Davis (left knee). Marcus Camby finished with 16 points and 17 rebounds.

"To be honest with you, we had 18 turnovers and they scored 25 points off that," Thornton said. "That's the game right there. This game is about closing out and us taking care of the ball."

Camby put the Clippers ahead 84-83 on a layup with 4:03 left in the fourth. Iguodala converted a 3-point play on the other end to give the 76ers the two point lead.

Thornton would tie it at 86-86 with a pair of free-throws at the 3:32 mark. Philadelphia then scored six points in row, including two buckets by Young, for the 92-86 advantage with 1:42 to play.

After Baron Davis hit a 3-pointer with under 10 seconds left to close the gap to 96-92, Iguodala iced it with a pair of free-throws following an intentional foul.

"We played great defense down the stretch," Young said. "We got them to turn the ball over and made them take bad shots. We just focused more."

Both squads struggled from beyond the arc, combining to shoot 5-of-27. The 76ers particularly were off, making just 1-of-9 attempts.

The Clippers scored 11 straight points to begin the third to grab their largest lead at 58-50. The 76ers answered right back with an 11-2 spurt to move ahead, 61-60 with 4:32. The teams then exchanged leads right down to the final minutes.