PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- The Houston Rockets only shot well in one quarter but shut down Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers for all four.
Iverson was held to a season-low 15 points on 5-of-19 shooting as the 76ers endured one of the worst games in franchise history en route to a 74-66 loss to the Rockets.
Iverson entered the game averaging a league-leading 29.7 points per game but struggled against Houston's physical defense. He typified a horrid offensive effort by Philadelphia, which posted its lowest point total since managing just 57 against the Miami Heat on February 21, 1996 - the year before they drafted Iverson.
"(Houston) did a great job of controlling tempo on us and really taking us out of the rhythm of our offense," Sixers coach Randy Ayers said. "I'll give them a lot of credit, they had a good game plan and they executed it for 48 minutes." Philadelphia already is without injured forwards Glenn Robinson and Derrick Coleman and nearly had to play without Iverson, who is battling a bad knee.
"I'm struggling," he said. "I didn't think I was going to be able to do it. Then I got in here, and you know me. I get in this environment and I just want to play. I don't think I was smart tonight about going out there."
The Sixers shot a season-low 32 percent (23-of-73) but were not much worse than the Rockets. Houston made only 33 percent (26-of-80) of its shots but took control in the second quarter, when it made 12-of-19 attempts.
"We didn't make a lot of shots tonight," said Sixers point guard Eric Snow, who made just 3-of-10 shots. "I know I didn't make my share. Allen probably missed some that he usually makes. We missed shots, but they didn't give us many easy baskets."
Philadelphia struggled to stay within striking distance as it made just 9-of-37 shots in the second half, including 2-of-18 in the third. The Sixers missed nine consecutive shots in the third, going a span of nearly eight minutes without a basket.
Cuttino Mobley scored seven of his 19 points in the second quarter to help Houston to a 46-36 halftime advantage. The Rockets maintained their lead despite making only 5-of-24 shots in the third, when both teams scored 13 points.
"We showed a good amount of heart," Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "We were running on fumes in the second half a little bit. We have to play smarter. You can only go so far in this league if you don't play smart. Heart will only take you to a certain level."
Yao Ming had 12 points and 14 rebounds and Steve Francis and 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists as the Rockets held a 50-44 edge on the boards, including 15 on the offensive end.
"We left it out there on the basketball court against a tough, physically and defensive-minded Sixers team," said Francis, who was 3-of-17 from the floor. "We basically left everything out there."
Marc Jackson scored 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting and Aaron McKie had 10 points for Philadelphia, which lost for just the second time in its last six games against Houston.
