Ratliff Blocks the Wizards

Theo Ratliff just wants to make his presence felt. He might make the All-Star team in the process.

Ratliff is establishing himself as one the NBA`s most dominant centers in a conference that lost Alonzo Mourning and Patrick Ewing.

Ratliff scored 18 points and tied a career-high with nine blocks Wednesday night as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Washington Wizards 93-87.

"They have to keep coming and coming because they`re easy shots," Ratliff said. "They think they have an easy layup, but I`m there for a block."

Allen Iverson scored 29 points, and Eric Snow added 18 for the 76ers, who improved to 12-2.

Mitch Richmond led Washington with 26 points, Juwan Howard had 14 and Jahidi White added 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Ratliff blocked four shots in a span of less than five minutes in the first quarter as Philadelphia took a 28-19 lead.

"Theo is becoming a great player," Sixers coach Larry Brown said. "I never expected him to be doing this stuff, but it`s all him. It`s nothing we`ve done. And he`s still got a long way to go in areas he can improve."

The Sixers, despite a franchise-best 10-0 start, also must improve in several areas. No one is thrilled about the team`s recent performance.

"In order for us to get better and play like a 12-2 team, we have to play every possession like it`s playoff basketball," said forward George Lynch, who had one field goal in 33 minutes. "When you play the better teams, you have to execute better."

Washington took its first lead since the opening minutes, 87-86, when Rod Strickland hit a pair of free throws to complete a 17-5 run with 2:42 left. A 3-pointer by Richmond had cut it to 86-85.

But Iverson made it 88-87 on a driving layup with 2:22 left after the Sixers missed 12 straight shots and went 7:58 without a field goal.

Richmond then missed a jumper and, after Snow missed a jumper, Iverson intercepted an outlet pass, and Snow made two free throws to give the Sixers a 90-87 lead with 29.4 seconds left.

Richard Hamilton missed a 3-pointer that would`ve tied the game with 24 seconds left, and Ratliff sealed it with two free throws.

"We stayed focused and didn`t allow ourselves to get discouraged," Washington coach Leonard Hamilton said. "We realized we were playing for pride and trying to put ourselves in position where we could redeem ourselves. If we could find a way to channel those emotions on a consistent basis, I think we can have a pretty good season."

Iverson entered the game shooting 37 percent, but hit 6 of 8 shots for 16 points in the first half. He finished 10-of-24 from the field, 8-of-8 from the foul line, and added six rebounds.

"My game right now is trying to make something positive out of something negative," Iverson said. "I`m learning how to play and I`m struggling. I never had to deal with that in my career. Now I`m learning how to play without scoring points, without having the ball all the time."

Notes:
Sixers forward Matt Geiger did not play because of tendinitis in his right quadriceps. Brown said Geiger will play Friday night against Charlotte. ... The Sixers have not allowed an opponent to score 100 points this season. ... Richmond shot 2-of-9 in the first half, and had made 12 of his last 45 shots before hitting 7-of-9 in the second half. ... Hamilton has scored 10 points or more in eight straight games. ... Toni Kukoc, criticized by Brown recently, did not score a point in 10 minutes.

Copyright 2000 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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Author: AP