PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Allen Iverson scored 31 points and had 13 assists, and Kyle Korver scored 13 of his 22 points in the third quarter to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 107-98 win over the Miami Heat on Sunday.

Andre Iguodala scored 20 points for the surprising Sixers, who are 3-0 and the only undefeated team in the Eastern Conference.

The Heat played without center Shaquille O’Neal, who bruised his left knee in Friday’s win at New Jersey. O’Neal is day-to-day.

Antoine Walker scored 23 points, Udonis Haslem had 17 points and 16 rebounds, and Dwyane Wade added 20 points for Miami.

Korver rallied the Sixers with 3s in the third quarter and helped them build a 17-point lead midway through the fourth until Walker cut the gap with a 3-point rampage of his own.

Walker sank three straight 3s that made it a 10-point 76ers lead late in the fourth.

Iguodala, who had a sensational all-around game, hit an 18-footer and Kevin Ollie made a baseline jumper to push the lead back to 13, and the Sixers held on for the victory.

Shaq would have made little difference against Korver. The former starter has found his niche this season off the bench, hitting clutch shots with such frequency that his minutes haven’t really been affected.

Korver got hot in the third, sinking three 3-pointers to extend his streak to nine straight overall going back to Friday’s win in Orlando. The streak ended when he missed a baseline attempt in the fourth.

After getting pounded on the boards in the first half, even with O’Neal gone and Alonzo Mourning battling foul trouble, the Sixers came out with a renewed zest in the second half.

Iverson and Korver hit consecutive 3s that sliced the deficit to three, then Korver added two more 3-pointers that tied the score at 71.

Steven Hunter blocked Gary Payton’s layup on the next possession and Iverson fed a long outlet pass to Iguodala for a big dunk and a three-point play that gave the Sixers the lead for good, 74-71.

Korver added a jumper and a couple of free throws before the quarter was over to stretch the lead to 78-73.

Iguodala hit a pair of 3s in the fourth that electrified the crowd and helped the Sixers improve to 2-0 at home. With pretty much the same roster returning that missed the playoffs last season, the Sixers have amped up the defense, and limited their mistakes while dashing out to the promising start.

Philadelphia had 26 assists and only eight turnovers. They also outrebounded the Heat, 43-40.

Mourning struggled filling in for O’Neal, picking up his fourth foul early in the second quarter and was a non-factor with six points. Dorrell Wright set a career high with nine rebounds, but had none in the third when the Sixers outrebounded the Heat 13-7.

Chris Webber had six rebounds for the Sixers in the third quarter, but continues to slump from the floor, with a 5-for-13 effort for 10 points. He was benched for the entire fourth quarter. Starting center Samuel Dalembert also was held out of the fourth and Korver was scoreless.

Notes: Iverson was hit with a technical foul in the first quarter. … Iverson was tripped hard by Mourning in the fourth, and a clear path foul was called. Iverson sank both free throws.

AP-ES-11-05-06 1659EST


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