Korver lifts Sixers over Jazz

By John McMullen
The Phanatic Magazine

Kyle Korver's jumper with 5.1 seconds remaining proved to be the game winner as Philadelphia edged Utah, 89-88, at the Wachovia Center.

With the Sixers trailing by a point, Samuel Dalembert freed Korver on what looked like an illegal screen but the whistles remained silent and Korver found himself wide open for an 18-foot jumper from the left baseline. The shot was true and the Sixers were on top 89-88 with 5.1 ticks left.

"The last play was supposed to be for Kyle. Sam (Dalembert) backscreened for Kyle, but instead he rejected the backscreen and went right to the ball and made the shot," said Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks. "He had kind of a tough night, in terms of shooting the ball, but he made the two big shots of the night for us. That's one of the reasons we leave Kyle on the floor. Even when he's not making shots, he has the threat of making shots. He's always a valuable weapon."

Deron Williams tried to win it with a long three from the left wing but his shot was long and the Sixers held on for the exciting victory.

Andre Iguodala scored 23 points, pulled down nine rebounds and had four steals for the Sixers, who snapped a two-game skid and have won eight of their past 10 games. Dalembert added 17 points and seven boards, while Andre Miller finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

Williams tallied 18 points and 16 assists for the Northwest Division-leading Jazz, who have dropped three straight contests. Mehmet Okur had 15 points, 10 boards and six assists, while Carlos Boozer and Matt Harpring netted 14 points apiece.

"We got some life and fought back in the fourth quarter," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. "We also started making some shots, but obviously we gave up some tough [shots] that were hard to defend, but you have to do it down the stretch."

The Sixers took an 11-point edge into the fourth quarter but the Jazz quickly got back into the game. Williams drained a three to cap a 9-0 run and even things at 73 with 7:15 left.

Things remained tight from there as the game headed toward the stretch. Korver drained a jumper from the deep left corner with 1:08 left to give the Sixers a precarious 87-86 lead.
Utah went back in front when Boozer found a soft spot in the Sixers zone and got loose for an easy lay-in to make it 88-87 with under 20 seconds to go.

The Sixers took a slim 24-21 advantage after the opening frame and extended their lead to six, 45-39, at intermission.

Philadelphia kept inching away in the third quarter and took a 68-57 lead into the final frame.