Halladay has strong outing, Victorino leaves after collision

Final Score: Philadelphia 4, Boston 1 

Reigning NL Cy Young winner Roy Halladay went 7 2/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits and struck out six, as the Phillies topped the Red Sox, 4-1, in Grapefruit League play. 


Josh Barfield hit a two-RBI single in the sixth while Raul Ibanez and Michael Martinez both knocked in a run for Philadelphia. Ryan Madson was credited for a save for finishing out the eighth and allowing one hit in the ninth. 


Jon Lester, the Red Sox opening day starter, was charged for four runs -- three earned -- on five hits in 5 1/3 innings. Jed Lowrie scored on Drew Sutton's sacrifice fly in the fifth to account for Boston's only run. 


Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino left the game in the top of the fifth inning after colliding with Ibanez on a routine fly ball. Victorino was cut above his left eye, and departed a short time later. 

Copyright: The Sports Network
                  

Sixers top Pacers behind strong showing from T-Young

Thaddeus Young finished with 18 points and nine rebounds as the Philadelphia 76ers held off a late Pacers run to top Indiana, 110-100, at Conseco Fieldhouse.


Andre Iguodala, straight off back-to-back triple-doubles, posted 16 points, 10 assists, and four rebounds while Jrue Holiday added 16 points for Philadelphia, which is three games over .500 for the first time this season and now sits just a half-game behind the idle New York Knicks for sixth place in the Eastern Conference.


"Our starters have been starting really slow and tonight was huge for us because we got our defense set," Sixers coach Doug Collins said. "Iguodala was fantastic."


Jodie Meeks added 15 points while both Elton Brand and Spencer Hawes scored 12 points in the victory, Philadelphia's third straight and seventh in eight games.

Sixers take down C's behind low-post tandem

Elton Brand and Spencer Hawes both finished with 14 points and Philadelphia edged Boston, 89-86, at Wells Fargo Center.


Andre Iguodala added 13 points with nine rebounds and eight assists for the Sixers, who bounced back from Wednesday's overtime loss to the Thunder and have won four of five. Jodie Meeks added 12 points while Jrue Holiday posted nine points and seven assists for the victors.


"That's my guy," Sixers coach Doug Collins said of Iguodala. "I am going to put it in his hands and ride him down the stretch."


Jeff Green paced the Celtics with 18 points in a reserve role while Nenad Krstic added 16 points and 15 rebounds for Boston, which had won seven straight and nine of the last ten meetings in Philadelphia.


Green and Krstic are both relatively new to the Celtics as they were a part of the Kendrick Perkins to Oklahoma City deal at the trade deadline. Kevin Garnett added 14 points while Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce scored 12 and 11 points, respectively, in the loss.

Halladay goes three innings; Phils fall to Pirates

Final Score: Pittsburgh 4, Philadelphia 3

Neil Walker's two-run homer in the sixth inning gave the Pirates the lead, and Pittsburgh topped Philadelphia, 4-3, in Grapefruit League action.

Lyle Overbay went 3-for-3 with a double and scored two runs while John Bowker added a double to account for Pittsburgh's other run.

Paul Maholm allowed one run on four hits in the three-inning start while Jeff Karstens allowed one run on two hits in two innings of work to record the win.

Roy Halladay threw three innings of one-hit ball for Philadelphia. The reigning National League Cy Young winner walked two batters while striking out four. J.C. Ramirez was tagged for four runs -- all earned -- on five hits in three innings of work in the loss.

Sixers enter the .500 Club

Jodie Meeks scored all of his 14 points in the second half, and Philadelphia held on late to top the Cleveland Cavaliers, 95-91, at Quicken Loans Arena.

Elton Brand and Lou Williams both finished with 16 points as the Sixers won their season-high fourth straight game. Jrue Holiday added 13 points while dishing out nine assists and Evan Turner added 10 points in a reserve role for Philadelphia, which is above .500 for the first time this season (30-29).

"Our bench gave us a huge lift," Brand said. "[Young] and Williams gave us a huge spark to overcome a 12-point deficit, they played with heart."

J.J. Hickson posted a game-high 22 points and 16 rebounds and Ramon Sessions added 20 points and 10 assists for Cleveland, which has dropped two of three. Antawn Jamison contributed 16 points but left the game late in the third quarter after breaking his left pinky finger.

Phillies top Yanks in Grapefruit League opener

Sardinha is looking to make the team as the #2 catcher

Final Score: Philadelphia 5, NY Yankees 4

Dane Sardinha's two-out, two-run single in the top of the eighth inning gave the Phillies the lead, and Philadelphia held on to top the Yankees, 5-4, in Grapefruit League action.

Sardinha finished 2-for-2 while both Pete Orr and Ross Gload knocked in a run for the Phillies, who won their fourth-straight National League East title in 2010 with a 97-65 record.

Brian Schlitter was touched for two runs on two hits in one inning of work but got the win thanks to scoreless eighth and ninth innings from Mike Zagurski and Jason Grilli, respectively.

Jorge Vazquez went 2-for-2 with a two-run homer in the seventh inning for the Yankees, who finished second the American League East in 2010 with a 95-67 record.

Eric Wordekemper allowed two runs on three hits in the eighth inning to suffer the loss.

Copyright: The Sports Network

Sixers enter All-Star break on high note: top Rockets

Andre Iguodala finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists as the Philadelphia 76ers matched their entire win total for the 2009-10 season, topping the Houston Rockets, 114-105, at Toyota Center.

Philadelphia is now 27-29, a drastic improvement from their dismal 27-55 record from last season.

Jrue Holiday finished with 20 points and eight assists while both Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young finished with 19 points off the bench. The Sixers have now won three of four overall and are only the second Eastern Conference team to match or surpass their 2009-10 win total before the All-Star break (New Jersey 17).

"Our guys are in great spirits entering the break," Sixers coach Doug Collins said. "We are a good team and I tell them to remember that we are a good team."

Mauled: Sixers roughed up by Memphis

Mike Conley finished with team-high 22 points as Memphis won its fourth straight game, topping Philadelphia, 102-91, at FedEx Forum.

Zach Randolph posted 21 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Grizzlies, who ended a three-game home stand with the win. Sam Young added 12 points and five boards while Rudy Gay scored 11 points before leaving the game in the second quarter.

Gay drove in the lane and was fouled by Sixers rookie Evan Turner, injuring his left shoulder in the process. Gay shot the associated free throws, but left the game afterward and did not return.

Thaddeus Young led Philadelphia with a game-high 23 points in a reserve role, and Lou Williams added 18 points, five boards and four assists as the Sixers lost in Memphis for the first time since January of 2007.

"This is one of the most aggressive teams we've played just because the lineups they put in the game are so strong," Young said. "They try to outmuscle you and out-quick you to everything. Those guys just outhustled us."

Augustin comes up big as B'Cats top Sixers

D.J. Augustin poured in a career-high 31 points, including 25 in the first half, and the Charlotte Bobcats snapped a two-game skid against Philadelphia, topping the 76ers 100-97 at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Augustin also dished out a game-high eight assists for the Bobcats, who have won two straight on the heels of a three-game skid.

"It was probably the most impressive thing I've seen so far with this club," Bobcats coach Paul Silas said of Augustin's first half. "I expect that kind of play from him all the time."

Gerald Henderson scored nine of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, and Nazr Mohammed added 15 points and seven rebounds for Charlotte, which announced mid-game that forward Tyrus Thomas will miss up to eight weeks with a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee.

Thaddeus Young led the Sixers with 21 points and Andre Iguodala contributed 19 points, but missed a crucial jumper in the final seconds for Philadelphia, which has dropped two straight.

"We just gotta get the team to learn how to play the game in certain situations," Iguodala said of the Sixers late-game struggles. "Late in games we gotta continue to know how to close out a game."

Henderson's jumper with 56.4 seconds remaining gave the Bobcats a 94-91 lead. After a Sixers timeout, Iguodala was fouled in the act of shooting a three- pointer, but missed the third free throw to leave the Sixers a point behind. Henderson grabbed the rebound and widened the Bobcats' advantage to 96-93 with a basket from the right side with 26 ticks remaining.

Williams leads Sixers over Bobcats in OT

Lou Williams finished with 23 points, including a three-pointer to send the game into overtime, and the Philadelphia 76ers topped the Charlotte Bobcats, 96-92, at the Wells Fargo Center.

Elton Brand notched a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, while Andre Iguodala netted 16 points to go along with 10 rebounds and six assists for the Sixers, who won their first overtime game of the season and capped a three-game home stand at 2-1.

Jrue Holiday and Marreese Speights each supplied 10 points for the victors.

"Lou Williams was great in the second half," Sixers coach Doug Collins said. "Second [close] game in a row that we have won that we had not won all season long. It is huge growth for our team."

Boris Diaw finished with a triple-double scoring 25 while grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out 11 assists for Charlotte, which has dropped three straight. Kwame Brown and Stephen Jackson both scored 15 and Brown grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds in defeat.

"We expected to win," Brown said. "We know we've got to chase balls off the three-point shot but we had a mental lapse and we didn't win."

Iggy makes return, Sixers fall flat to Pacers

Danny Granger finished with a game-high 27 points, and the Indiana Pacers survived a late Philadelphia surge to top the Sixers, 111-103, at Wells Fargo Center.

Darren Collison notched a double-double with 21 points and 13 assists for the Pacers, who snapped a nine-game road losing streak. Mike Dunleavy finished with 20 points and Tyler Hansbrough added 12 points and nine rebounds for Indiana.

Jrue Holiday led a balanced Sixers attack with 19 points and eight assists. Elton Brand added 18 points and both Evan Turner and Marreese Speights finished with 14 points in reserve roles for Philadelphia, which has dropped two in a row.

Sixers forward Andre Iguodala made his return to the team after missing seven games with an injured right Achilles. He finished with seven assists, but went 0-for-7 from the field and scored his only point in 33 minutes on a free throw.

"Needless to say, we were in an uphill struggle the whole night. We came out incredibly flat," Sixers coach Doug Collins said.

Back on track: Sixers return home with topping of Washington

Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams both finished with 26 points as the Philadelphia 76ers topped the Washington Wizards, 109-97, at the Wells Fargo Center. 

Elton Brand added 17 points and Andres Nocioni notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds for Philadelphia, which returned home after an eight- game road trip. 

Thaddeus Young contributed 11 points in a reserve role for the Sixers, who topped Washington for the first time since winning four straight during the 2008-09 season. 

"Needless to say, it is nice to beat Washington," Sixers coach Doug Collins said. "Our guys would not lose that game, and I was very proud of them for that." 

Nick Young led the Wizards with 21 points. Rookie John Wall finished with 18 points and 14 assists and Rashard Lewis added a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds for Washington, which has yet to win a game on the road this season (0-17).


"We've got to make clutch plays in clutch situations as far as on the road," Wizards coach Flip Saunders said. "Our margin of error is not that much." 

Lakers hold-on, avoid late Sixers surge

Bryant jumper in the final minute put the game away

Kobe Bryant hit the deciding jumper with 1:15 remaining and sank two free throws in the final seconds, as the Los Angeles Lakers edged the Philadelphia 76ers, 102-98, at Staples Center.

Bryant finished with a game-high 33 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter. Pau Gasol added 20 points and Andrew Bynum grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds to go with eight points for the Lakers, who have won two straight on the heels of a three-game skid.

Lamar Odom added 18 points and seven rebounds in a reserve role for LA.

Jrue Holiday led Philadelphia with 19 points and 11 assists. Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young finished with 18 and 14 points, respectively, off the bench for the Sixers, who are 3-4 on an eight-game road trip.

"I am proud of our guys," Sixers head coach Doug Collins said. "We hung in there and battled. Twenty-six assists ... we moved the ball. [Gasol and Bynum] are just so big, that's a load in there."

E.T. Phones Home: Sixers tops Suns without Iggy.

Turner had a breakout night 

Jrue Holiday scored 25 points to go along with seven assists, rookie Evan Turner added 23 points in a reserve role, and the Philadelphia 76ers topped the Phoenix Suns, 123-110, at US Airways Center.

Andres Nocioni added a season-high 22 points and 12 rebounds. Spencer Hawes notched a double-double with 10 points and 11 boards for the Sixers, who are 3-3 on a eight-game road trip.

Elton Brand and Thaddeus Young scored 16 and 15 points, respectively, for Philadelphia.

The Sixers played without swingman Andre Iguodala, who missed his second straight game while dealing with right Achilles tendinitis. Reserve guard Lou Williams scored 10 points in his first game back after missing two games due to the birth of his daughter.

High School Basketball Throwback:

I was always told as a child to never forget where I came from, hell that simple statement 'never forget where you came from' is one of the strongest lyrics and sentiments in the hip-hop community. Well as a short white kid with no rapping ability, this is my way of never forgetting where I came from. Coatesville, PA, the biggest little city and the biggest basketball city that is not Philadelphia.

A brief view of youtube made me a bit nostalgic. So here are some interesting articles from my viewings. The first is called Born to Ball Part. 2.

Sixers even up on the road, Top Nuggets

Meeks' three in the final minute sealed the win

Jodie Meeks hit a deep three with 47.1 seconds remaining to cap strong fourth quarter, and the Philadelphia 76ers topped the Denver Nuggets, 95-89, at Pepsi Center.

Jrue Holiday finished with 22 points, Elton Brand notched a double-double with 16 points and 17 rebounds. Meeks ended with 17 points for the Sixers, who snapped a two-game skid and are now 2-2 on a eight-game road trip.

"Once again our defense gave us a chance," Philadelphia coach Doug Collins said. "We won this game today shooting under 40 percent from the floor, 3-of-14 from three, missing 12 free throws."

Chauncey Billups finished with a game-high 24 points, Arron Afflalo and Ty Lawson both scored 14 and Nene had 13 points and nine rebounds for Denver, which was without superstar Carmelo Anthony. He missed his third game in a row following the death of his sister, Michelle Anthony, who passed away due to a pre-existing medical condition.

Fisher leads 'Nova to romp of Monmouth

Corey Fisher scored a game-high 20 points to go along with five assists and five rebounds as the No. 8 Villanova Wildcats topped the Monmouth Hawks 76-36.

Corey Stokes added 19 points, including five three-pointers, and Mouphtaou Yarou scored 14 for the Wildcats (10-1), who have won five straight and will next face Big 5 rival Temple on December 30.

Maalik Wayns had 11 points and six assists for the victors.

Phil Wait led Monmouth with eight points and Jordan Davis scored seven for the Hawks (4-8), who have lost four of five.

The Wildcats jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.

Monmouth's R.J. Rutledge made the first of two foul shots to tie the game at 5-5 with 16:08 remaining in the first half, but Fisher's jumper on the other end started a 19-2 run for Villanova that put the game away for good.


Stokes followed Fisher's jumper with a layup in the lane, and Fisher added two more jump shots -- surrounding a Davis layup -- to put Villanova up 13-7.

The Wildcats scored a total of 13 unanswered points and the Hawks went 0-for-6 from the field to widen Villanova's lead to 24-7 with 8:32 left in the half.

Fisher and Stokes scored 13 and 11 points, respectively, for Villanova in the first half, en route to a 44-17 lead at the break.
Monmouth would never threaten down the stretch.

Game Notes
Villanova shot 50 percent from the field, while Monmouth shot just 25.5 percent...The Wildcats converted 13 turnovers into 23 points...The Hawks shot 1-for-19 from beyond the arc.

Copyright. The Sports Network

Allen leads the way as Celtics top the Sixers AGAIN

Ray Allen led the Celtics with 22 points and six assists as Boston topped Philadelphia, 84-80, for its league-leading 14th consecutive victory. 

Shaquille O'Neal finished with 13 points and nine rebounds and Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce added 12 and 11 points, respectively, for Boston, which capped a three-game home stand. 

Elton Brand led Philadelphia with 16 points and 12 rebounds, but fouled out late in the fourth, and Jrue Holiday added 15 points for the Sixers, who have dropped two straight. 

"Our team is competitive," said Sixers head coach Doug Collins. "Our guys compete every single night. For them to come out and play the Celtics the way we did, they showed me who they are. I knew our guys were going to compete like this." 

Luck of the Irish: Celtics top 76ers on Garnetts last second basket

Iconic is was not but Sixers Celtics sure was entertaining

Kevin Garnett's alley-oop layup with 1.4 seconds remaining lifted the Boston Celtics to a 102-101 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center.

Rajon Rondo connected with Garnett for the tip-in, finding his teammate with a substantial size advantage in the paint over Sixers guard Jrue Holiday.

"We worked on that last week," said Celtics head coach Doc Rivers of the play. "We tried to run it early and we had bad timing. It's just funny how things work out."

The shot came just seconds after Andre Iguodala gave Philadelphia a 101-100 advantage with a running hook shot.
Garnett stole the inbounds pass after his go-ahead bucket, sealing the win for Boston. He scored 14 points and Rondo added 19 with 14 assists for the Celtics, who have won nine straight.

Ray Allen scored a game-high 23 points and Glen Davis added 16 in a reserve role for Boston.

Jodie Meeks led the Sixers with 19 points on 4-of-4 from beyond the arc and Iguodala scored 14 with 11 assists for the Sixers, who saw their five-game home winning streak snapped.

Hornets Stung: Philly capitalizes on slow NOLA for win

Andre Iguodala scored 16 to go along with 10 rebounds and five assists as the Philadelphia 76ers cruised to an 88-70 victory over the New Orleans Hornets at Wells Fargo Center.

Lou Williams accounted for 17 points and Elton Brand had 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Sixers, who capped a 3-1 homestand with the win. Jrue Holiday added 12 points and four assists.

"The mentality around the team is great. Five out of seven," stated Brand when talking about the team's recent success. "We had a lead out in Atlanta, big lead and the one-point loss the other day [to Boston]. That could have been seven in a row. We would have been one of the most talked about teams in the league, so they know we can play. We are just working hard to get better."

Chris Paul led the Hornets with 25 points but fell well below his 10.4 assists per game average because of a dismal shooting day from his team. David West accounted for nine points and eight rebounds and Trevor Ariza grabbed 10 boards for the Hornets, who have lost two in a row and four of their last five.

"Give them credit. They switched, they're active and athletic," Hornets head coach Monty Williams said of the Sixers. "But we missed a lot of point blank shots and we missed a lot of free throws."