Facing a physical Jazz team, the 76ers, up by 13 points late in the third quarter, saw former Villanova star Randy Foye's jumper slice through the net, completing an 18-6 Utah run that tied Friday night's game at 71.
But rather than assume the fetal position, the Sixers retaliated with a nice run of their own, restoring the lead and hanging on to win, 99-93, at the Wells Fargo Center.
At last, a team pushed the Sixers at home, and the Sixers pushed back.
"It felt good, especially after the last two games where we struggled, they pushed us, and we didn't push back," Sixers point guard Jrue Holiday said. "Getting a win like that against a tough team like that, especially at home, is real encouraging for us."
Scoring 18 points in the first half, Holiday led the Sixers with a game-high 26 points. He also finished with seven assists and five rebounds. Jason Richardson finished with 20 points and eight rebounds, Thaddeus Young had 14 points and eight boards, Nick Young had 12 points, Evan Turner had 11 points, and Lavoy Allen finished with 10 for the Sixers (5-4).
"We got a lot of good effort from our guys tonight," Sixers coach Doug Collins said. "Tonight was a huge win for us."
After being outrebounded by 36 boards in losses to Milwaukee and Detroit, the Sixers responded to the physicality of the Jazz, winning the rebounding battle, 43-40.
Much of that physicality was provided by center Kwame Brown. Although he scored just two points and grabbed six rebounds, Brown held Utah center Al Jefferson to four points in the second half.
Paul Milsap led Utah (4-6) with 22 points.
The Sixers, who shot 46 percent from the floor, connected on 10 of 18 three-point shots. Their 10 threes are a season high.
The Sixers played with the energy early on that Collins had been missing. They also delivered down the stretch.
"Yeah, we kept our cool," Richardson said. "But we've got to find ways to close games out towards the end. "
Contact John N. Mitchell at jmitchell@philly.com, or follow on Twitter @JmitchInquirer.
