A.I. and the 76ers went home losers again.
“It’s going to have to be one of the best games ever from us in order to win,’’ Allen Iverson said.
They sure didn’t play one against Detroit in Philadelphia.
Rodney Stuckey scored 27 points and hit the winner with 8.7 seconds left to lead the injury-plagued Pistons to a 90-86 win over Philadelphia last night, the 76ers’ 11th straight loss.
New Jersey (2-20) and Minnesota (3-19) are the only teams with worse records than the Sixers (5-17). The Sixers haven’t won since Nov. 18 vs. Charlotte, and they’ve lost by 5 or fewer points six times during the skid.
Stuckey had the ball stripped by Andre Iguodala, but he grabbed the loose ball and tossed it in for the go-ahead basket with 1 second left on the shot clock.
Iguodala went for the win, but his open 3-point attempt was no good. He scored 18 points.
Pistons coach John Kuester said Stuckey was the right player to take the shot.
“No question I want the ball in his hands,’’ he said. “You saw a lot of growth in a young man. I’ve been telling people about how good he can be. He can be one of the best guards in the league and he showed it tonight.’’
Iverson, once the best guard in the league, scored 11 points in his second game with the Sixers. He hit the tying jumper with 1:06 left that made it 86-86, but he finished 3 of 10 from the field with three assists.
“It’s going to get better,’’ Iverson said. “This is one of these times when you find out what type of character you have as men.’’
The Pistons won without their top three stars. Guard Ben Gordon sat out because of a sprained left ankle, and they had been playing without Richard Hamilton (ankle) and Tayshaun Prince (back).
Rockets 95, Cavaliers 85 - Aaron Brooks scored 27 points, Trevor Ariza added 26, and host Houston held LeBron James and Cleveland to one of its worst offensive performances of the season. James scored 27 points, but went only 8 of 21 from the field. No other Cleveland starter reached double figures and the Cavs matched their season-low point total.
Spurs 118, Kings 106 - Richard Jefferson broke out of a slump with 23 points, including a dunk to cap a 14-point run at the end of the first half, and host San Antonio ended a three-game skid.
Tony Parker had 18 points and 11 assists for the Spurs, who beat Sacramento for the seventh consecutive meeting.
Hawks 118, Bulls 83 - Jamal Crawford scored a season-high 29 points and host Atlanta opened the second half with a 20-4 run to hand Chicago its fourth straight loss and ninth in 10 games.
Hawks forward Joe Smith dislocated his left thumb on a blocked shot less than a minute into the fourth quarter. He was escorted to the locker room.