
Andre Iguodala scored 32 points and fuelled a second-half surge Saturday night as the 76ers held on for a surprising 119-114 victory over the struggling Suns, who have lost consecutive home games for the first time this season.
Andre Miller had 25 points and 12 assists for the Sixers (27-33), who are moving in the right direction. They have won nine of their last 12 games to move into seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
"We can't look at this like they got Amare (Stoudemire) and Steve Nash and Shaq (Shaquille O'Neal)," said Sixers forward Reggie Evans, who had 13 points and 13 rebounds. "We just gotta come in here and get a win."
It's hard to tell which direction the Suns (39-20) are moving. They have lost five of eight to fall from first to sixth in the West.
"It's probably an understatement to say were struggling," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said.
The Suns are just 2-4 since acquiring the 7-1, 330-pound O'Neal in a trade with the Miami Heat. With O'Neal on the floor, Phoenix uses less of its run-and-gun offence and more half-court sets, a dramatic change for the NBA's second-best offence.
"This has nothing to do with Shaq," D'Antoni maintained. "It has something to do with urgency and playing with heart. The players have to get up in the morning, look at the standings and understand the urgency of the game."
"I'm only taking four or five shots a game," said O'Neal, who had eight points, seven rebounds and four turnovers. "I'm just rebounding and trying to fit in. But right now we just have to stop people."
The Suns did not do that against the Sixers, who built leads of 12 points in the first quarter and 10 in the third period. The Suns closed the gap both times before Iguodala took over.
"I think we're a really good team after losing a game," said Iguodala, whose team was coming off Friday's loss at Golden State. "Whenever we lose a game, we come back with a vengeance."
Iguodala made 15-of-23 shots, including a 50-footer at the third- quarter buzzer that gave Philadelphia the lead for good at 83-81.
The Sixers opened the final period with a 12-2 spurt featuring a jumper and ferocious slam by Iguodala. His jumper with 4:52 remaining widened the advantage to 103-87.
"When a guy hits a half court shot, you know he's in his rhythm," said Stoudemire, who had 26 points and 11 rebounds.
The Suns staged a frantic rally that was slowed by a 3-pointer from Lou Williams that made it 111-101 with 1:10 to go and gave Philadelphia just enough to finish off Phoenix.
Willie Green scored 17 points and Williams added 13 for the Sixers, who shot 57 per cent (51-of-90) and scored 30 fast-break points as they became the first Atlantic Division team to defeat the Suns this season.
"Brazilian Blur" Leandro Barbosa scored 22 points, Nash added 21 and 11 assists and Frenchman Boris Diaw contributed 17 points for Phoenix, which shot 49 per cent (43-of-87) but committed 18 turnovers.
"We realise how tight it is and we can't play like this for too long and put ourselves out of the playoff picture," Nash said.
San Antonio 96, Milwaukee 94
The visiting Spurs won their eighth consecutive game as Argentine Manu Ginobili scored 30 points, including the go-ahead jumper with 13 seconds remaining.
"French Flash" Tony Parker scored 26 points but missed a free throw with 8.5 seconds to play and the Spurs holding a two-point lead. Milwaukee's Michael Redd, who scored 25 points, drew a foul but missed the first free throw. He intentionally missed the second and Australian teammate Andrew Bogut got the rebound but missed the follow shot as the horn sounded.
Bogut had 17 points and 15 rebounds and helped hold superstar Tim Duncan to nine and seven for the Bucks, who have dropped two in a row.
Utah 113, Memphis 92
Turkey's Mehmet Okur was one of seven players in double figures with 17 points and added 13 rebounds for the visiting Jazz, who snapped a three-game road slide. Rudy Gay scored 20 points and Spaniard Juan Carlos Navarro added 17 for the Grizzlies, who have lost eight in a row.
Detroit 103, LA Clippers 73
Tayshaun Prince had 22 points and a career-high 10 assists as he filled in nicely for sidelined All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups, helping the visiting Pistons to their fourth win in five games. Corey Maggette scored 22 points for the Clippers, who have lost five straight games.
Orlando 118, New York 92
Dwight Howard had 26 points and 22 rebounds and Turkey's Hedo Turkoglu added 25, eight and 10 assists for the host Magic, who have won four of their last five games. Jamal Crawford scored 23 points for New York.
By Paul Levine, dpa