76ers remain in first place at .500

Coach Don Chaney had written ``Anderson-Iverson'' as one of the five game matchups, and Houston's name was not on the board.

Anderson scored 20 points, reaching that mark for only the fourth time in his three seasons with the Knicks, as New York defeated Philadelphia 99-88 on Saturday night.

``They didn't know how we were going to play. We didn't know how we were going to play. That was probably the key tonight,'' Anderson said.

Utilizing a small lineup and passing the ball uncommonly well, the Knicks also got big contributions from Howard Eisley, Charlie Ward, Kurt Thomas and Michael Doleac in their first double-digit victory margin of the season.

The extra offense was needed from everyone as Keith Van Horn also sat out because of an injury.

``Looking around in the layup line it was like: `Where are all our guys?''' Doleac said.

Eisley added 17 points and nine assists, making five of the Knicks' 10 3-pointers. Ward scored 18, making four 3s, Thomas had 14 points, 12 rebounds and four assists and Doleac contributed 12 points, five rebounds, four blocks and three steals.

``We have to build on this. I hope we found our game,'' coach Don Chaney said. ``I enjoy playing this way. I grew up playing like this and that's how I want us to play.''

Allen Iverson scored 27 for Philadelphia, which remained in first place in the Atlantic Division despite a .500 record (7-7).

Houston sat out because of a sore lower back, an injury he said was causing a tingling sensation in his feet.

``I just wanted to give it time to heal a little bit. It got to the point where I felt I was pushing it too much,'' said Houston, who leads New York in scoring with an average of 21.0 points. ``When I felt tingling in my feet, I didn't want to mess around with that. A nerve was getting inflamed.''

The Knicks, who had lost seven of their previous eight, shot 78 percent (14-for-18) in the third quarter to turn the game into a blowout. Or so it seemed.

After Ward made a 3-pointer to give New York an 85-65 lead early in the fourth quarter, Aaron McKie answered with a 3 to begin a 20-6 run that pulled the 76ers to 91-85 with 2:25 left.

Two free throws by Dikembe Mutombo were followed by an airball from the corner by Philadelphia's Marc Jackson, and Ward and Eisley made 3-pointers on the Knicks' next two possessions to wrap up the victory.

``They just outplayed us tonight,'' Iverson said. ``They had some guys out and we approached the game like it was going to be a cakewalk. They shot the ball well from the 3-point line and did everything they had to do to win.''

Eisley had three 3-pointers and five assists in the first quarter, and Ward added five points and three assists in the second quarter to help New York to a 47-42 halftime lead.

Anderson scored 14 points in the third quarter, nine in a 22-4 run thatturned a 49-48 lead into a 71-52 edge.

Notes:
Houston had played in 103 consecutive games since a sprained ankle kept him out of a game on April 2, 2002. ... Van Horn expects to return sometime next week from a sprained right ankle. ... Iverson had one assist and six turnovers. ... Illusionist David Blaine was among the celebrities in thecrowd.