PHILADELPHIA – Andre Iguodala scored 18 points and Andre Miller had 14 to lead Philadelphia to a 112-69 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night, the 76ers’ largest win in 12 seasons at the Wachovia Center.

Thaddeus Young scored 14 points for the Sixers, who won for only the fourth time in the last 15 games. Even with that abysmal record of late, Philadelphia still finds itself on the brink of a playoff spot. Coach Maurice Cheeks has tried to squash blossoming talk of a postseason push and instead worry only about winning a nice slate of home games leading into the All-Star break.

Counting the win against the Bucks, the Sixers play seven of eight at home before the break.

Cheeks said before the game his goal for the semi-homestand was to win all seven. Well, they’re off to a nice start after punishing the Bucks for all 48 minutes.

The Sixers recorded 32-point wins over Charlotte in 2005 and Seattle in 2001. That had been Philadelphia’s widest margin in a victory since the building opened in 1996.

Royal Ivey scored 17 for the Bucks, who were without leading scorer Michael Redd for the third straight game because of a left knee strain. Mo Williams had 14.

The Bucks haven’t won on the road since winning at Philadelphia on Jan. 8. They are only 5-22 on the road, including an 87-80 loss at New Jersey on Tuesday. They also matched their lowest point total of the season.

The Sixers trailed only for the first few possessions before blowing open the game. Perhaps because they were tired, short-handed or both, the Bucks were sloppy and looked disinterested. They committed 10 turnovers in the first half, including seven in the second quarter.

That helped Philadelphia open the quarter on a 22-6 run, with Iguodala trying to excite the crowd with both a 3-pointer and a flashy fast-break dunk. The Sixers, who have struggled to score all season, had a rare well-rounded effort with Iguodala, Miller and Willie Green all in double figures at the break.

Cheeks tried to shake up the lineup by bumping Reggie Evans from the starting five in favor of rookie Jason Smith. Evans shook off the demotion before the game, saying, “Winning is like Advil. It heals everything.”

Evans went out and gave the Bucks a migraine. His 13 points matched a season high for the power forward, though he could have topped the total had he not shot 3-for-13 from the free throw line.

The Sixers led 77-47 at the end of three. The Bucks were a miserable 19-for-49 from the field through three quarters, misfired on nine of 13 3-point attempts and showed little hustle. After Rodney Carney dunked in the fourth to put Philadelphia ahead 87-49, the Bucks slowly walked toward the bench for a timeout with their heads down and their spirits even lower.

Carney scored a season-high 12 points.

Notes: Smith made his first career start. He appeared to hurt himself in the fourth and left the game. … The Sixers scored 100-plus points for the second straight game. They reached that mark only three other times this month.

AP-ES-01-30-08 2147EST


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