Sixers hold on to top Blazers
The Philadelphia 76ers fought off a late rally by the Portland Trailblazers in a 101-100 win at Wells Fargo Center on Monday night.
The Sixers held a 9-point lead on Portland at halftime and extended their lead to as much as 14 in the third quarter. But the hosts relinquished the lead late in the fourth quarter, when the Blazers took at 92-91 lead.
Guard Jrue Holiday paced the Sixers with 27 points. Center Spencer Hawes contributed 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Three straight buckets by Holiday, Hawes and forward Thaddeus Young gave the Sixers a 97-92 with just over a minute to go in the game.
Portland had a chance to win the game on a last-second shot by forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who scored 32 points and pulled down 14 rebounds, but the turnaround jumper did not fall.
The win came hours after the Sixers announced center and free-agent-to-be Andrew Bynum would undergo season-ending knee surgery. Bynum, who came to the 76ers in the offseason in a trade involving the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic, will miss the entire 2012-13 season.
