76ers Report

Record: 37-35 The last week: 3-1 A look back

Magic 113, Sixers 95, last Friday. Orlando jumped out to a 17-4 lead and coasted all evening, leading by as many as 34 points.

Sixers 91, Nets 87, Saturday. Samuel Dalembert had 11 points, 18 rebounds, and five blocked shots in a dominating defensive effort.

Sixers 95, Celtics, 90, Monday. A 19-0 run turned an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit into an eight-point lead. Andre Iguodala scored the final 10 points in the run.

Sixers 121, Bulls 99, Wednesday. Andre Miller had 18 of the Sixers' 36 assists, and the Sixers shot 54.3 percent from the field.

Hot Sixer

Andre Iguodala averaged 22.7 points in the four games while hitting 31 of 60 shots, or 51.7 percent. His assist-turnover ratio was 3-1, with 21 assists and seven turnovers. The only downer was his free-throw shooting: 23 for 40, or 57.5 percent.

Cold Sixer

Willie Green is in a shooting slump. In the last four games, he averaged 5.5 points and shot 19.1 percent from the field, making nine of 47 attempts.

Opponent of the week

Orlando's Rashard Lewis had 18 points, including two of three-pointers in three attempts, and eight rebounds in the win over the Sixers.

Non-opponent of the week

The Chicago Bulls. It's hard to imagine a team fighting for a playoff spot playing with such little fire.

Looking ahead

Tonight vs. Phoenix (47-24), 7 o'clock. The Sixers began their run of 11 wins in their last 13 games March 1 with a 119-114 win over the Suns in Phoenix.

Sunday at Cleveland (40-32), 6 p.m. The Sixers trail the Cavs by three games for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and will play them twice in their final nine games.

Tuesday at New Jersey (31-41), 7:30 p.m. The Nets' Richard Jefferson will try to atone for a 3-for-15 shooting night in Saturday's loss to the Sixers.

Odd stat of the week

Courtesy of Harvey Pollack, it has been learned that the NBA has had 60 four-point plays this season after just 35 last year. The Sixers have had two attempts at a four-point play, with Lou Williams converting but Andre Iguodala missing the free throw.

Opponents' schedules

Here are the coming week's schedules for the other main contenders for the final four playoff spots:

Cleveland: Tomorrow at Detroit, Sunday vs. the Sixers, Wednesday at Charlotte, and Thursday vs. Chicago.

Washington: Tonight at Sacramento, Sunday at the Los Angeles Lakers, Monday at Utah, and Wednesday vs. Milwaukee.

Toronto: Tonight vs. New York, Sunday vs. New Orleans, Monday at Charlotte, and Wednesday at Atlanta.

Atlanta: Tonight vs. Chicago, Sunday vs. New York, Monday at Memphis, and Wednesday vs. Toronto.

New Jersey: Tonight at Indiana, tomorrow vs. Phoenix, and Tuesday vs. the Sixers.

Did you know?

In March, while going 11-2, the Sixers have averaged 104.6 points and allowed an average of 96.9.

Just wondering

The drumbeat blaring for Maurice Cheeks to be named coach of the year is getting louder with each victory. It's the last thing Cheeks is thinking about. Still, with the extremely low preseason expectations from outsiders and what the Sixers have achieved, there is no question Cheeks will get his share of votes. The final 10 games will not only shape the Sixers' postseason position, but also determine if Cheeks will make a late push for the award. The fact that this discussion is even taking place, especially since the team was 18-30, shows how Cheeks kept the Sixers focused when they were traveling many bumpy roads.

The last word

The signature moment of this season will be Monday's 19-0 run at Boston. With the Celtics leading by 80-69 in the fourth quarter, one got the feeling that one or two more baskets would finish off the Sixers.

The 19 points were scored by Thaddeus Young, Lou Williams and Andre Iguodala (average age, 21.3 years). Maybe the Sixers are too young to realize that nobody is supposed to drop 19 straight on the NBA's best defensive team in its house. It was interesting that none of the Sixers' players realized they had gone on such an extended run until they were told after the game. The silence from the stunned crowd in what had been a raucous arena is a highlight that even this streaking team will have difficulty topping.

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Contact staff writer Marc Narducci at 856-779-3225 or mnarducci@phillynews.com. Read his blog at http://go.philly.com/deepsixer.