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Glenn Robinson sat in front of a loaded ice bucket and smiled as he rattled off some of his point totals since returning from an injury. Robinson soaked it all in -- his numbers and his aching ankles.
Robinson scored a season-high 22 points, and Eric Snow added 14 points and 14 assists to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 95-73 victory Monday night over the Orlando Magic.
``I didn't expect to be playing this well right now,'' Robinson said. ``It's not all about scoring. As long as I'm in a position to help my teammates win, I'm happy with that.''
Robinson bounced back from a 2-for-10, 4-point game a day earlier against Boston, and helped the Sixers snap a two-game losing streak and move back into a tie for first place in the Atlantic Division.
Robinson, traded from Atlanta this summer, was supposed to be the perfect scoring complement to Allen Iverson. Instead, he's missed 18 games, mostly with a left ankle sprain, and has been inconsistent since his return from the injured list two weeks ago.
In his two games
before Sunday, Robinson scored 18 and 19 points, but combined for eight in the
two before that. He was sharp against the Magic in 38 minutes, hitting several
long-range jumpers while going 10-for-20 from the floor.
``It's no secret, I'm still moving a little slow,'' Robinson said. ``Every time
I don't play well, I don't want to credit that to injuries. I want to keep pushing
it and put it in the back of my mind.''
Coach Randy Ayers credited Robinson for continuing to practice and work out the day after games, which has improved his health and stamina.
``A lot of times people will back off, but he's pushed forward,'' Ayers said.
Kyle Korver had nine of his 16 points for the 76ers in the fourth quarter when they outscored Orlando 25-9. Korver went 3-for-4 on 3-point attempts in the fourth, a day after he made all five 3-pointers against the Celtics.
Korver, earning more playing time because of sharp shooting and a thin bench, has made 15 of 20 3-point attempts in the last five games.
``I finally feel like I belong out there,'' Korver said. ``I don't feel like he's (Ayers) putting me in just because we don't have anybody. I feel like I'm playing all right.''
Tracy McGrady missed nine of his first 10 shots, but finished with 20 points for the Magic, whose season-best three-game winning streak ended. The Magic went 22-for-35 from the free-throw line and 33 percent from the field.
AP - Dec 22, 8:45 pm EST
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``I thought we ran out of gas in the fourth quarter,'' Magic coach Johnny Davis
said. ``We didn't shoot the ball very well and we didn't make free throws. That's
a sign of fatigue.''
Aaron McKie had 14 points for Philadelphia, including a couple of 3-pointers and a driving layup down the baseline in a 2-minute stretch in the second quarter that gave them a 12-point lead.
McKie and Robinson have to carry the scoring load with the Sixers weakened by injury.
Iverson missed his fifth straight game with a swollen right knee, Derrick Coleman did not play with a left knee sprain, and Kenny Thomas left during the second quarter with flu-like symptoms.
Ayers said Iverson could rejoin the Sixers in the middle of a five-game Western road trip that starts Friday against the Los Angeles Clippers. Iverson said last week he would not travel if the knee still bothered him.
The Sixers end the trip on Jan. 3 at San Antonio. Ayers did not know when,or if, Iverson would join them.
Notes
Davis coached the Sixers during the 1996-1997 season, going 22-60 before he was fired and replaced by Larry Brown. ... Sixers C Marc Jackson will have the pins in his broken left ring finger removed on Jan. 6. He said he could be out another 2 to 4 weeks after that. ... Iverson has resisted the idea of wearing a knee pad. Ayers and Iverson were unsure when the injury happened, but a review of game film showed it was Nov. 29 against Atlanta. ... Frank Olivo, who as a 19-year-old Santa Claus was booed by Eagles fans, was at the game dressed again as Santa. When the Sixers' PA announcer asked fans to makeamends, there were scattered boos.
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