76ers Fall To Nets 109-89
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Reggie Evans grabbed a career-high 23 rebounds, Deron Williams scored 22 points and the Brooklyn Nets improved to 6-1 under interim coach P.J. Carlesimo with a 109-89 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night.
Evans dominated on the glass, outrebounding the undersized Sixers 23-22 through three quarters. Evans had 22 rebounds against Seattle in 2006.
Andray Blatche scored 20 points for the Nets, hours after he was questioned by Philadelphia police as part of a sexual assault investigation at an upscale hotel. Blatche, who was not charged, wrote about the incident on Twitter: "Im ok and I didn't do anything jus was n the area when it happened," Blatche tweeted. He later took down the tweet.
Up by one at halftime, the Nets routed the Sixers in the third. Joe Johnson, who scored 15 points, and Gerald Wallace each hit 3-pointers during a game-changing 16-2 run to open the third. The Nets hit 14 of 19 shots in the quarter to stretch the lead to 23 points.
Evans, a former Sixer, fell six shy of the NBA season high of 29 rebounds set by Orlando's Nikola Vucevic.
The Sixers traded Vucevic after his rookie season to the Magic as part of the four-team deal that sent Andrew Bynum from the Los Angeles Lakers to Philadelphia. The Sixers were counting on Bynum to become the dominant center in the East and lead them deep into the postseason, but he has yet to play this season because of bone bruises on his knees. There's no date for a possible return. Without Bynum, the Sixers are getting outrebounded this season and entered the game ninth in the East.
Evans had 16 rebounds (12 defensive) by halftime, three less than Philadelphia's total. He had 20 rebounds with 6:54 left in the third, one more than the Sixers. He finished with 17 defensive rebounds and six offensive. He only scored two points.
Blatche didn't look at all affected by the police investigation. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said Blatche was among the witnesses interviewed by police Tuesday. Ramsey told reporters preliminary findings of the investigation show Blatche was not involved.
Officer Jillian Russell says the possible assault reportedly happened around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday in a room at the Four Seasons Hotel.
"He's going to play," Nets coach P.J. Carlesimo said of Blatche before the game. "He's been playing well and I expect him to play well today."
Blatche did not talk to reporters before the game. Photographers snapped photos of him as he left the Four Seasons and as he arrived at the Wells Fargo Center.
Police told WCAU-TV that a 21-year-old woman was taken from the hotel to a local hospital.
Jrue Holiday scored 19 points and Spencer Hawes had 14 for the Sixers, who stumbled home from a 2-6 road trip and on a three-game losing streak.
Philadelphia shot 50 percent in the first half only trailed 48-47 at the break, but the Sixers never got into a groove in the second half and were booed off the court to end the third quarter. Most of the 16,167 fans fled for the exits in the fourth. The few that remained at the end saw the Sixers lose their third straight game by at least 20 points.
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