Iverson, who handed out 10 assists, had 17 points by halftime, helping the 76ers to a 52-47 advantage. He scored six points in a 14-3 run to close the third period as Philadelphia extended its lead to 84-64.

Tim Thomas contributed half of his 20 points in the third quarter for the Sixers, who snapped a six-game losing streak to the Hawks. Philadelphia (23-39), which has won four of its last five home games, finished last season with the league's fifth-worst record at 22-60.

Alan Henderson scored 23 points for Atlanta, which had its four-game winning streak snapped. Steve Smith, the Hawks' leading scorer, was limited to 14 points after averaging 27.5 in two wins over the Sixers this season.

Theo Ratliff had five blocks and grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds to lead Philadelphia to a huge 55-34 edge on the boards. Journeyman center Benoit Benjamin, signed by the Sixers to a 10-day contract earlier this week, was 0-for-5 from the field but pulled down nine boards off the bench.

Leading 58-52 early in the third quarter, Iverson buried a three-pointer to spark a 10-2 spurt. Thomas scored the next five points before Joe Smith hit a fast-break dunk to increase the lead to 68-54 with 7:47 remaining.

Henderson answered with a pair of free throws and a three-point play to cut the deficit back under double digits. Iverson responded with a driving layup before Christian Laettner, who scored 12 points, came back with a 16-footer to pull Atlanta within 70-61. But the Hawks missed their next 17 field goals, failing to hit one for the next 8:13.

Thomas opened the 14-3 run with a slam before Iverson drained a 20-footer. To close the burst, Iverson and Thomas made back-to-back layups before rookie Kebu Stewart sank a free throw for an 84-64 lead.

A basket by Mookie Blaylock trimmed the deficit to 91-78 with 7:25 to play, but the Sixers reeled off the next eight points to virtually put the game out of reach. Iverson's layup capped the spurt, building a 99-78 cushion with 5:09 remaining.

Joe Smith and Ratliff scored 17 points apiece for Philadelphia, which shot 48 percent (44-of-91) from the field and scored 60 points in the paint to Atlanta's 26. That duo also helped control All-Star center Dikembe Mutombo, who played just 30 minutes battling foul trouble and finished with nine points and four boards.

The Hawks' starting backcourt of Steve Smith and Blaylock made just 9-of-31 shots, including a 1-for-10 effort from three-point range. Atlanta shot 35 percent (28-of-80) overall and 4-of-20 from behind the arc in losing for just the second time in nine games.