A 59-win regular season has ballooned expectations and put pressure on the Magic’s leading men to make a deep playoff push. That road begins Sunday against a Philadelphia 76ers team eager to break its own trend of early postseason exits.

“If we don’t get as far as we need to go, the two people standing on the firing line are he and I,” Van Gundy said.

The duo discussed the importance of staying focused, not worrying about the officials’ calls and keeping the team motivated, Howard said.

“It’s really on me and him,” Howard said. “We’re going to be the ones to really get our team over the hump or have to carry our team. As me and him go, the team will go.”

With the prospect that the Boston Celtics may be without Kevin Garnett for the playoffs, many in Orlando feel the path is paved for the Magic to make it to at least the Eastern Conference finals. The 23-year-old Howard is already in his fifth year, but like many young All-Stars he hasn’t made it past the second round.

Expectations for him have never been higher.

“This is what we’ve been waiting for. It’s playoff basketball,” Howard said. “It’s time for us to really step our games up and try to build a legacy.”

Philadelphia’s plans are much more modest.

The Sixers (41-41) enter the playoffs having just ended their six-game losing streak with a shaky overtime win against a Cleveland team that rested LeBron James and most of its starters. The skid has sapped Philadelphia’s confidence.

“I can’t pinpoint it, but we just lost it mentally,” Sixers guard Andre Miller said.

Getting back their groove against Howard and the Magic won’t be easy.

One of the league’s most dominant centers, Howard’s inside muscle is surrounded with free-shooting perimeter players. That formula presents a major matchup dilemma for any team, but has particularly given fits to the Sixers, who have lost all three games against the Magic this season.

Philadelphia has not won a playoff series since beating New Orleans in the first round in 2003 and is simply hoping to end that slide.

“We can go out and prove ourselves,” Sixers coach Tony DiLeo said. “Would we liked to have finished better? No question. We would have liked that momentum for the playoffs, but there’s nothing we can do about that now. I think the team is in a good state of mind.”

The Magic also begin the playoffs in somewhat of a funk.

They ended a season-high, three-game losing streak with a win over Charlotte on Wednesday. Injuries to starters Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu have thrown off Orlando’s rhythm. The forwards will be in the lineup Sunday for the first time in more than a week.

Rusty or not, the Magic believe it’s time they take the next step in the postseason. Veterans like Lewis and Turkoglu are especially mindful of not taking playoff appearances for granted.

“We have to take advantage of the window of opportunity,” Lewis said.

Until last year, the Magic hadn’t been past the first round of the playoffs since 1996. The franchise still hasn’t made it beyond the second round since that year, when they were swept in four games by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the conference finals.

Finishing a win shy of tying the best record in franchise history this year, the pressure to show postseason progress is greater than ever, particularly on Howard.

The Magic’s superstar is still the youngest player on the team and likely has years of title runs ahead of him. But he said he doesn’t want to let any opportunity slip.

Part of his discussions with Van Gundy, Howard said, focused on starting to build a strong legacy. Howard said it wouldn’t be a hole in his resume if never gets a championship, but quickly added, “It would be a hole in my heart.”

Hookscenter.com wire report.

The 76ers look to bounce back from a dismal offensive performance on Tuesday when they visit the slumping Bobcats, whose latest loss has pushed them closer to elimination from postseason contention.

Philadelphia (40-36) clinched its second straight playoff berth following a 95-90 win over Detroit on Saturday, but still has plenty to play for.

The 76ers are in sixth place in the Eastern Conference – a half-game behind fifth-place Miami and 2 1/2 back of fourth-place Atlanta with six games remaining. If they can catch the Hawks, the Sixers would get home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs because they won the season series.

They didn’t look like a team still fighting to improve their postseason seed on Sunday in a 96-67 loss to New Jersey. Philadelphia shot 35.1 percent while scoring its fewest points and suffering its largest margin of defeat of the season.

Louis Williams was the only Philadelphia player to score in double figures with 14.

It was a particularly frustrating game for Andre Iguodala and Andre Miller, who have combined this season to average 34.6 points. After playing the entire second half Saturday, they were held to 12 points on 4-of-17 shooting Sunday.

Despite the awful performance, coach Tony DiLeo didn’t believe it was a case of players letting up once they were guaranteed a spot in the postseason.

“I don’t think it had anything to do with clinching the playoff berth,” DiLeo said. “Yesterday was an important game. We played both Andres more minutes than they usually play, the whole second half. Maybe that caught up to them a little bit. I don’t think just because we clinched we let down. We just had nothing going tonight.”

The 76ers were averaging 98.0 points in the previous five games.

While Philadelphia’s loss somewhat dampened the excitement of the team’s playoff berth, the Bobcats’ latest defeat severely hurt their chances of reaching the postseason for the first time in franchise history.

Charlotte (34-43) had a chance to move within one game of the eighth and final playoff spot in the East on Sunday but lost 104-97 to Detroit. The Bobcats are in ninth place in the East and have five games left but are three behind the Pistons and Chicago, which are tied for the conference’s final two postseason berths.

D.J. Augustin scored 22 points while Emeka Okafor added 14 and grabbed 16 rebounds, but the Bobcats lost their third straight. Charlotte scored only 17 points in the first quarter but still led early in the fourth before Detroit pulled away.

“We just have to execute better,” Charlotte coach Larry Brown said. “We had some really bad turnovers late, and when you have some empty possessions late in the game, you don’t have time to overcome that.

“We just need to keep getting better.”

Charlotte is giving up an average of 104.0 points in its last three games after allowing 91.3 in the previous eight games, going 6-2.

The Bobcats have won two of three against Philadelphia this season and six of the last seven meetings in Charlotte.

Hookscenter.com wire report.

The Hawks hope to replicate that performance against another team battling for playoff position in the Eastern Conference on Tuesday night, when they look to strengthen their hold on fourth place with a road game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Atlanta (43-31) lost at East-leading Cleveland last Saturday in the opener of a rough eight-game span that’s included home losses to San Antonio and Boston.

In addition to the game against the Sixers (37-35), the Hawks also visit the Celtics and host Southeast Division-leading Orlando before the rough stretch ends. Atlanta, however, has to be feeling better about its chances to win those games after defeating the West-leading Los Angeles Lakers 86-76 on Sunday.

The Hawks held the Lakers to a season-low point total while limiting Kobe Bryant to 17 points and 7-for-19 shooting, perhaps aided by Bryant’s upset stomach that forced the MVP candidate to miss the morning meal and film session.

“We had just lost two very important games,” said Hawks guard Joe Johnson, who scored 10 points and went 4-for-18 but led the defensive effort against Bryant. “We needed to get back on the winning side. This was probably one of our biggest games of the season.”

Hawks coach Mike Woodson was pleased with his team’s performance and expects similar ones in the final eight games of the regular season. Atlanta has clinched its second consecutive playoff appearance but is battling for home-court advantage in the first round.

“We met a little bit after our last game, and talked about these last nine games, where we have to come out and be the aggressor,” Woodson said. “Tonight, we were solid from beginning to end. And that’s how we have to play the rest of the way out, as we get closer to the playoffs.”

The Sixers could steal home court in the first round with a strong finish and a Hawks collapse, but they’d first have to pass fifth-place Miami. To do so, they’ll need to play better than they have in their last two games – a home loss to Charlotte on Friday and a 101-97 defeat at Detroit on Sunday.

Andre Iguodala had 27 points and Thaddeus Young added 22 against the Pistons, but the Sixers were outscored 22-14 in the fourth quarter.

“Every loss is tough down the stretch,” Iguodala said. “I think that we played hard and what happened, happened. We just try and go out and play hard and let the chips fall wherever they may.”

Philadelphia center Samuel Dalembert left in the first quarter with a leg injury and didn’t return. His status for Tuesday is uncertain.

The Sixers and Hawks split their first two meetings, both in Atlanta. Johnson had 35 points and went 14-for-23 from the field in the Hawks’ 95-88 win Nov. 1, then scored 25 in a 109-94 loss Jan. 11.

Iguodala had 27 points, six rebounds and nine assists while going 9-for-13 in the Jan. 11 game. He’s averaging 22.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.0 assists while shooting 49.5 percent from the field in his last seven contests against Atlanta.

Hookscenter.com wire report.

He wasn’t used to hearing them about his toughness, though.

Iverson returned Sunday after missing 16 games with a back injury and scored eight points in 21 minutes of the Detroit Pistons’ 101-97 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. After the game, he acknowledged being hurt by media reports that he might not play again this season.

“The one thing that everyone has always known about me is that I’m a warrior — the doctors would say I’d be out two-four weeks, and I’d come back in a week,” he said. “So now I have an injury I’ve never had before — one that was bothering me — and people are suddenly questioning my courage. That was hard, but I know positive stories don’t sell.

“If you can come up with a negative story about Allen Iverson, it will sell, so that’s what people rolled with.”

Iverson said it was also an adjustment to come off the bench, something he has only done a handful of times in his career.

“With all the things I’ve done in my career, I knew it was going to be tough for me mentally to do this,” he said. “But the more I looked at the big picture — the idea of helping my teammates win games — the more the idea appealed to me.”

Tayshaun Prince scored 21 points and Rodney Stuckey added 16 points as Detroit pulled within 1½ games of Philadelphia for sixth place in the conference.

“This was a big win for us to get, especially playing a tough team on a back-to-back,” Pistons coach Michael Curry said. “It didn’t help that they are one of the fastest teams out there — if you turn the ball over, they will be gone.”

Andre Iguodala had 27 points and Thaddeus Young added 22 for the 76ers, but Samuel Dalembert left in the first quarter with a leg injury and didn’t return.

“Losing Sam hurt our rebounding, because he’s the best rebounder on the team, and we missed the shot blocking,” Philadelphia coach Tony Dileo said. “We tried to be aggressive, but for whatever reason we just couldn’t get free throws.”

The lead changed 19 times in the first three quarters, but the 76ers began to take charge late in the third, using an 8-1 run to take a 83-79 lead.

Two quick baskets by Iguodala made it 89-83 with 9:55 left, but Detroit brought in Amir Johnson for defense and used a 10-0 run for the game’s 20th lead change.

“Amir was huge,” Curry said. “He was getting us rebounds above the rim, where there had been a lot of loose balls that they were picking up and putting back in.”

The Pistons built the margin to as many as six, but Philadelphia pulled to 99-97 on Iguodala’s layup with 35 seconds left.

Hamilton, though, hit a baseline jumper with 14 seconds left and the Pistons held on. The Sixers argued that Hamilton had stepped out of bounds, but replays were inconclusive.

“We played hard and whatever happened, happened,” Iguodala said. “We thought we had the game, and then things changed and they got back into it.”

Hookscenter.com wire report.

With an opportunity to pull within one-half game of fifth place in the Eastern Conference, Philadelphia looks to get back on track Sunday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Facing a Detroit Pistons team that hasn’t been playing its basketball of late should help.

Philadelphia (37-34), looking for its first winning season since 2004-05, still has work to do to keep pace with No. 5 seed Miami and hold off surging Chicago and Detroit, both 2 1/2 games back of the 76ers for the sixth seed.

“At this point, we feel like we have to play at a high level every night, not only against top teams against the league but also in the conference,” Philadelphia’s Andre Iguodala said following Friday’s 100-95 loss to Charlotte. “We have to be able to maintain that regardless of what their record is and that is something we have to continue to work at.”

Iguodala, scoring a team-best 18.4 points, is averaging 20.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists as Philadelphia has won three straight over Detroit, including a 96-91 win in Auburn Hills on Dec. 5 in their only meeting this season.

Thaddeus Young looks to maintain his hot shooting. The second-year forward, averaging 15.2 points, has scored 21-plus in his last six games while shooting 57.0 percent from the field during this stretch.

Philadelphia, though, had its three-game winning streak snapped Friday as it scored just 33 first-half points against the Bobcats, 10 in the second quarter.

“I think we were disappointed tonight, especially the way the first half went,” 76ers interim coach Tony DiLeo said. “We really didn’t have that sense of urgency until maybe midway through the third quarter.”

Philadelphia has consistently been ranked in the top 10 in scoring defense this season, but in the last 15 games, the opposition is averaging 101.3 points. The 76ers allowed an average of 95.7 in their first 56 games.

Detroit, meanwhile, has scored 98 points or fewer in its last four games. The Pistons (35-37), though, snapped a three-game slide Saturday with a 98-96 victory over Washington.

In his first game back since missing six with a left groin injury, Richard Hamilton hit a season-high five 3-pointers and scored 31 points. Detroit was 1-5 without its star guard.

The Pistons, who trail Chicago by percentage points for the seventh seed, may get Allen Iverson back Sunday after he missed the past 16 games with a sore back. Iverson, who spent his first 10-plus seasons with Philadelphia, is averaging 29.3 points and 8.0 assists in four career games versus his former team.

Rasheed Wallace, however, will likely not return until Tuesday’s game in Cleveland, according to Detroit coach Michael Curry. Wallace has been sidelined 10 games with a strained left calf.

Even without Wallace’s 7.5 rebounds per game, the Pistons have outrebounded their last 10 opponents by an average of 5.9. Philadelphia, meanwhile, grabbed a season-worst 23 boards in Friday’s loss to Charlotte.

Detroit has lost four of five at home since winning three in a row there March 3-9.

Hookscenter.com wire report.

Diaw scored 24 points and Ray Felton added 20 points for the Bobcats, who won 100-95 on Friday and moved within 2½ games of idle Detroit for the eighth playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.

“We did a tremendous job in the first half,” Bobcats coach Larry Brown said. “The rebounding and shooting is what kept is in it. We did a great job on the boards. Winning on the road, against a quality team, is a real good win for us.”

The Sixers, who have been outrebounded by 10 in four of the last 21 games, were led by Andre Iguodala with 25 points.

“They played desperate,” 76ers coach Tony DiLeo said of the Bobcats. “They did a heck of a job tonight and are trying to get into that last spot.”

The Sixers made a late charge and pulled to within three with less than a minute left to play in the game. But after a miss by Charlotte’s Raja Bell went out of bounds off of Philadelphia’s Reggie Evans, Felton drove for a layup to give the Bobcats a 100-95 lead with 7.9 seconds left.

“We were up by (19) then let them back in it,” Diaw said. “But we held on, and that was huge. We’re a young team, with a lot of potential. We’ve got to learn how to make plays down the stretch. It’s a matter of winning games, so tonight was a big win for us.”

The Bobcats, who won for the first time in five road games, shot 51.4 percent in the first half to take a 50-33 lead into the break. Meanwhile, the Sixers struggled to find any offensive rhythm as they shot just 36 percent in the first half and were outrebounded 27-12. For the game, Charlotte held a 41-23 advantage in rebounds.

“We were fortunate,” Brown said. “We got a lead and then forgot how we got it. (Felton) got real tentative, but then made a real good play at the end of the game.”

The Sixers missed an opportunity to stay ahead of Miami for the fifth playoff spot in the East.

“That’s the same team we expected,” Iguodala said. “That’s a Larry Brown team. They played hard the entire game and that’s what you expect.”

Hookscenter.com wire report.

Coming off perhaps his best game of what has been an outstanding season, Wade looks to help the Heat earn a rare win at Philadelphia when they face the 76ers on Sunday.

Wade topped Alonzo Mourning on Miami’s all-time scoring list Saturday, matching a career high with 50 points while adding 10 rebounds and nine assists in a 140-129 triple-overtime win over Utah.

“It feels great,” said Wade, who passed Mourning on a dunk with 11:05 left in the third quarter and also set new personal bests in field goals made (19) and attempted (39). “I have a lot of people that have helped me get to this point.”

Wade has 9,489 points in 380 games. Mourning scored 9,459 in 593.

The All-Star guard is having a career season, posting an NBA-leading 30.0 points and 7.7 assists per game to help put Miami (36-29) in position to return to the playoffs after a one-year absence.

Wade is averaging 25.2 points – slightly better than his career average of 25.0 – in 10 road games against the 76ers (32-31), but the Heat have lost nine of those contests.

Miami has dropped 15 of 17 in Philadelphia after winning its first six games at the Wachovia Center, the Sixers’ home since the start of the 1996-97 season.

Philadelphia played one last game at the Spectrum – scheduled for demolition by the end of the year – on Friday night, paying tribute to past Sixer greats such as Julius Erving in a 104-101 win over Chicago.

It was Philadelphia’s first victory at the 42-year-old venue since beating Miami 90-86 on April 17, 1996.

The latest matchup in this series at Philadelphia features two teams fighting for playoff position in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers, in seventh place, are three games behind the fifth-place Heat.

Philadelphia has won two straight and three of four, thanks partly to a couple of Wade-like performances from Thaddeus Young.

The second-year forward has set a career high in scoring each of the last two games, finishing with 31 against the Bulls two days after a 29-point effort in a 115-106 win over Toronto. Young has scored at least 20 in three straight games after doing so nine times in his previous 60.

“He’s just growing every game,” Sixers coach Tony DiLeo said. “He has the desire to be a great player. His shot is just getting better and better. When he is hitting his outside shot, he’s so hard to guard because guys have to get on him and he’s so quick getting to the basket. … He just finds a way to help you win.”

Young was held to 10 points in Philadelphia’s last matchup with Miami, a 97-91 loss Feb. 21. The Heat are 2-1 against the Sixers this season after losing the previous five matchups.

Hookscenter.com wire report.

Thaddeus Young scored a career-high 31 points and Andre Iguodala had 25 to spark the Philadelphia 76ers to a 104-101 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night in the final NBA game at the 42-year-old Spectrum.

Julius Erving implored the Sixers to beat the Bulls in a pregame ceremony, where he was feted with members of the 1966-67 and 1982-83 NBA champion Sixers. They were on hand for one last game at the dated arena that is targeted for demolition by the end of this year.

The Sixers, who normally play across the street at the Wachovia Center, gave a capacity crowd one more thriller to remember in their first game here since April 19, 1996.

The Sixers played their first game at the Spectrum on Oct. 18, 1967, and beat the Lakers 103-87.

This one was a lot tighter down the stretch and the Sixers were saved by a pair of clutch blocks in the final minutes. The first was Iguodala’s rejection of Ben Gordon’s shot, then Samuel Dalembert stuffed Derrick Rose in a play the Sixers turned into Young’s clinching dunk for a 104-101 lead that electrified the crowd.

Moments earlier, the Bulls threatened to make it 42 years, plus an overtime.

Gordon’s 3-pointer with 36 seconds left tied the game at 101, then Iguodala put the Sixers ahead by one when he made the second of two free throws.

Rose led the Bulls with 20 points.

Andre Miller had 13 points and 13 assists, and Dalembert grabbed 19 rebounds for the Sixers.

The 76ers led by 11, but Tim Thomas buried two quick 3-pointers and tied the score at 88. Young tied his career high of 29 on a soft jumper that made it 90-88.

Young scored 29 only two nights earlier in a win against Toronto.

Perhaps the Sixers were inspired for a thrilling victory by the pregame festivities that included two banners for the Sixers championship teams unfurled from the rafters, along with one former public address announcer Dave Zinkoff.

Erving thanked the fans and told today’s 76ers to be great ambassadors for the city. Then he issued his challenge for Philadelphia to, “take care of the Chicago Bulls like we used to.”

“There will be a void when this building doesn’t exist anymore,” he said. “I used to proudly bring family and friends to Philadelphia and find time to bring them down to see the statue of me.”

Young had to make Erving proud when he scored 14 points in the third quarter, driving to the hoop for easy baskets and hitting mid-range jumpers on the refurbished 1983 championship court.

The authentic court was one of many old school features for the special night. Most notably, no rap or dance music was blasted through the arena during play. Some oldies were played during timeouts, and recordings of organ music were played to pump up the fans. There were plenty of fans as a sold-out crowd of 17,563 filled the last row of the arena for once for the Sixers, who entered the game 24th in the NBA in attendance.

“I can’t tell you how happy I’m going to be to see a full house for the Sixers,” team chairman Ed Snider said.

The nostalgic fans surely didn’t want to leave their rickety seats to miss any action: There was no video board for instant replays.

Snider, around since the building’s inception, pointed toward his old seat for Flyers games and fondly reminisced about his interactions with fans who grumbled after every loss and went wild for every win.

“They’d tell me the seat is broken, I’d say what number is it. I’d write it down,” Snider said. “Or they’d tell me the officials are terrible.”

“I loved it here and I missed it.”

The demolition of the Spectrum will be part of a larger plan for a retail and entertainment development at the stadium complex, where the Phillies and Eagles also play. Snider said plans for the project, dubbed Philly Live!, were moving forward.

“It’s going to happen,” he said.

Hookscenter.com wire report.

Thaddeus Young scored a career-high 29 points, Dalembert snapped out of his recent slump, and the Philadelphia 76ers handed the Toronto Raptors their sixth straight loss with a 115-106 victory Wednesday.

“We got a lot of contributions from a lot of people,” Sixers coach Tony Dileo said. “Both [Andre Iguodala and Andre Miller] were hurting tonight and Sam really stepped up and Thad really stepped up.”

Dalembert, who entered the night with only three blocks over the last four games, recorded his 11th double-double of the season with a season-high 19 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots. Young was 13-for-20 from the field as Philadelphia (31-31) got back to .500.

“Obviously, Chris Bosh is a very good player,” said Dalembert, who has come under criticism over a recent four-game span of uninspired play. “After I got that first foul (just 11 seconds into the game) I put everything on the line. I said, ‘Hey, you cannot be soft on him. Don’t let him get going,’ and that changed the game for us.”

Bosh was limited to 17 points for Toronto after consecutive 30-point outings. He had scored a total of 57 points in two previous meetings this season against Philadelphia, but missed four of his first five shots and struggled to get anything going for much of the night.

“We didn’t do a good job of getting in front of people defensively and Dalembert was the beneficiary,” Toronto coach Jay Triano said. “Our offense was fine, but we couldn’t stop them.”

Especially Young, who thought the only thing that stopped him from his first 30-point game was his teammate, Lou Williams. Young missed a pair of late free throws, then gave a look toward Williams.

“I just went out there and played,” Young said. “The difference between today and any other day is I was making shots and my team kept me going. I thank them for leaning toward me to get me shots. I knew I had 29 points. I’m blaming Lou. He jinxed me and had a nice talk with me before I took those free throws.”

Hookscenter.com wire report.

Facing the woeful Toronto Raptors should help Philadelphia get back in the win column.

The 76ers will try to avoid losing for the fourth time in five games when they open a three-game homestand Wednesday night against last-place Toronto, which has lost five in a row.

Philadelphia (30-31) went into the All-Star break on a roll, winning four straight and 14 of 18 while looking like a threat to rise up to the East’s fourth seed, which would give it home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Since then, however, the Sixers have looked like a team that may not be around for the postseason. They’ve lost three of four and seven of 10, and Milwaukee, Chicago, New Jersey and red-hot Charlotte are all within striking distance of knocking them from the top eight in the standings.

The Sixers looked lost offensively in their latest loss, scoring just 50 after the first quarter in an 89-74 defeat at Oklahoma City on Sunday, their second-lowest point total of the season.

“We didn’t play well. We haven’t been playing too well after the All-Star break,” said leading scorer Andre Iguodala, who had nine points and six turnovers. “We kind of relaxed too much. We’ve got to get on pace or we could find ourselves in a bad position.”

Philadelphia’s biggest bright spot of late has been point guard Andre Miller, who’s scored at least 20 in five straight games for the first time in his career. The Sixers, though, are 2-3 in those games and 9-10 this season when Miller has 20 or more.

Miller scored 13 in Philadelphia’s opening-night 95-84 home loss to the Raptors on Oct. 29, as Toronto (23-41) reeled off three wins to start a season most felt would end with a playoff berth.

Instead, it’s been nothing short of a disaster. The Raptors are on their fifth losing streak of at least five games after falling 109-101 to visiting Utah on Sunday, a game they led by eight with less than 10 minutes to play.

“I don’t really care to define a loss anymore,” All-Star Chris Bosh said after finishing with 30 points and 10 rebounds. “A loss is a loss, I just move on. It really doesn’t matter who we play, we’re just trying to win games.

“We’ve had so many opportunities where we could have turned a corner, but it just didn’t happen. We just have to get off this skid right now.”

Bosh has averaged 27.2 points during the losing streak and center Andrea Bargnani’s averaged 21.4, but scoring hasn’t been Toronto’s problem. The Raptors have yielded 113.2 points per game during their latest slide, and they’ve allowed 100 points in eight consecutive games.

They haven’t given up 100 points in nine straight since March 25-April 9, 2005.

Toronto allowed the Sixers to hit triple digits Nov. 12 in a 106-96 home loss. The Raptors, though, have owned the series recently at the Wachovia Center, where they’ve won five of six.

Hookscenter.com wire report.