PHILADELPHIA — Sam Dalembert made a $100,00 donation to help relief efforts in his native Haiti, then had 17 points and 12 rebounds to lift the Philadelphia 76ers to a 98-86 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.
Thaddeus Young scored 20 points for the Sixers and Allen Iverson had 17. Dalembert made all seven of his shots and had three blocks.
The Sixers hit a pair of 3-pointers during a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter that turned a tight game into a comfortable victory in front of one of their largest crowds of the season.
The Sixers are a modest 3-2 since team president Ed Stefanski refused to guarantee coach Eddie Jordan would last the season. They could be headed toward their usual pattern of getting off to a miserable start before regrouping in January and February and sneaking into the playoffs.
Jason Thompson had 19 points and 16 rebounds for the Kings. Kevin Martin scored 19 points in his first game after missing the past 32 with a wrist injury. Martin was injured Nov. 2 when he collided with Allen Iverson, then with Memphis.
The game marked a homecoming for Kings guard Tyreke Evans, of nearby Chester, Pa. He was a McDonald's All-American out of American Christian and a two-time state player of the year.
One of the league's top rookies, Evans failed to impress his hometown crowd, scoring 14 points. He missed 10 of 13 shots from the floor and made all eight free throws. He had hundreds of fans waiting for him near the Kings bench after the game.
Elton Brand scored 14 points for the Sixers and continued to find success in his role as an $80 million bench player. Dalembert and Brand combined to make their first 10 shots from the floor, the kind of production the Sixers envisioned they'd see more out of the frontcourt.
Andre Iguodala, who sprained his right ankle in the first quarter and briefly left the game, started the fourth-quarter run with a 3-pointer, then sank two free throws the next time down. Lou Williams capped the small but decisive spurt with another 3 that turned a one-point lead into an 11-point edge.
Iguodala scored 12 points and had 10 rebounds.
Dalembert has long been the most-maligned Sixer because of his erratic production for such a bloated contract. He's enjoying one of his finest seasons and had his eighth double-double of the season.
Dalembert taped a public service announcement for UNICEF encouraging fans to support the relief efforts in his home country. He made a $100,000 donation to UNICEF.
"I know, at a time like this, times are tough in our own home. But you find a good heart to help us out," he told the crowd before the game. "Everything is accepted. Don't feel like anything is too small to help out."
The fans responded. The Sixers said in the third quarter they had raised $10,200
Notes
The 76ers held a moment of silence for R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass. … The Sixers improved to 6-13 at home. They are still one of four teams that have more wins on the road than at home. … The Comcast-Spectacor Foundation made a $10,000 donation to UNICEF, and Comcast-Spectacor — which owns the 76ers and Philadelphia Flyers — planned to air public service announcements.