Trevor Ariza crashed the party that Philadelphia threw for Allen Iverson on Saturday, scoring 40 points to lead Washington to a 122-103 NBA victory over the 76ers.
The rout came on the night the Sixers honored one of their all-time greats in Iverson, retiring his number three jersey in a halftime ceremony in which it was raised to the rafters to join those of such stars as Wilt Chamberlain, Charles Barkley and Julius Erving.
Iverson played his first 10-plus seasons with Philadelphia, winning four NBA scoring titles, then returned for a final 25 games in 2009-10 after spending time with Denver, Detroit and Memphis.
The 11-time All-Star was the league’s Most Valuable Player in 2001, leading the Sixers to the NBA Finals.
He received a rapturous welcome from Sixers fans, who have had little to cheer about of late.
The loss to the Wizards was Philadelphia’s 13th straight defeat.
Ariza connected on eight of his 12 three-point attempts and added a game-high four steals for the Wizards, who won their sixth straight game.
Martell Webster and John Wall added 17 points each, with Wall also handing out 16 assists.
Sixers coach Brett Brown was asked whether he thought his team could win another game this season.
Iverson had some words of encouragement for Philly’s current crop of players.
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