Andre Iguodala

76ers swingman Andre Iguodala did not participate in practice on Saturday because of a sprained right wrist. Iguodala underwent an MRI exam later in the day that confirmed the sprain. He is listed as day-to-day. The injury is a lingering one for Iguodala, who is thought to have initially hurt his wrist this summer while playing for the U.S. national team. The Sixers open the season on Wednesday against the Miami Heat at the Wells Fargo Center.  

Veteran forward Andre Iguodala spent the summer in Istanbul, Turkey, winning gold with the NBA's elite. Take the trip with him and get to know the 76ers' hardest-to-know player. Evan Turner was the overall No.2 pick in the 2010 NBA draft. Was he a great pick, a bust, or somewhere in between? Jrue Holiday spent his rookie season wowing, leaving fans wondering if he's the real thing. Find out how Holiday added inches to his vertical leap and buzz to his game. Plus the NBAlmanac.

76ers will have 11 players officially under contract when training camp begins on Friday: POS.   PLAYER G        Jrue Holiday* G        Jodie Meeks G        Lou Williams G        Evan Turner F        Andre Iguodala* F        Andres Nocioni F        Craig Brackins PF     Elton Brand* PF     Marreese...

  Not long after 76ers president Rod Thorn watched helplessly from the stands as Minnesota's Kevin Love hit a pair of free throws with a tenth of a second remaining to give the Timberwolves a one-point victory and drop the 76ers to their third loss in a row, he could be seen pacing back and forth in front of the team bus, clearly dismayed by the loss. Three days later in Houston, Thorn watched the Rockets' Kevin Martin score 14 points in the fourth quarter of yet another Sixers loss to bring their losing streak to a season-high five heading into this weekend's all-star break.

The once comfortable lead that the 76ers held atop the Atlantic Division continued to disappear Wednesday night as the Sixers fell behind early and never fully recovered in an 82-79 loss to the New York Knicks at the sold-out Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers (26-21) have lost 12 of their last 18 games and their lead in the Atlantic over the Boston Celtics, who play here Friday, is just one game. Amar'e Stoudemire led the Knicks (23-24) with 21 points and nine rebounds. Jeremy Lin added 18 points and three assists for the Knicks.

76ers swingman Andre Iguodala is among 15 players who were selected as finalists for the 2010 USA World Championship Team. The survivors of the team's recent workouts in Las Vegas were announced Wednesday. Chester native and NBA Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans did not make the cut. The team will re-assemble Aug. 9 in New York City, where it will train from there Aug. 10-16. The official 12-man USA roster will determined after the camp is complete, though USA Basketball chairman jerry Colangelo said a few more players may make the trip overseas for the games.

Pistons 105, Sixers 88 The series: Tied at one game each with the next two to be played in Philadelphia. Turning point: Holding a six-point lead with 5:34 to go in the first half, the Pistons outscored the Sixers, 14-3, to grab a 53-36 lead. The run was fueled by five Sixers turnovers. It was never closer. Did someone say balance? Criticized for leaning too heavily on Rasheed Wallace in the first half of Game 1, the Pistons unleashed the balanced attack that has made them so hard to defend all season, and in playoffs past.

Elton Brand, who averaged 21.5 points to help the 76ers post consecutive wins at Detroit and against visiting New Orleans, appears to be adapting well to his role off the bench. The Sixers forward initially was unhappy with the assignment. Over his last 23 games, the 6-foot-9 Brand has averaged 16.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.52 blocked shots. In his first 10 games of the season, the veteran came up with only 9.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per game. Brand, who was averaging 14.1 points and 5.4 rebounds going into last night's home game against the New York Knicks, is third on the team in minutes played, behind swingman Andre Iguodala and forward Thaddeus Young.

The 76ers have agreed to terms with forward Rodney Carney, according to a source familiar with the situation. Carney, a 6-foot-6 forward, has agreed to a one-year deal for the fourth-year minimum of $855,189, giving the Sixers 13 players under contract for the 2009-10 season. Carney, who played collegiately at Memphis, played his first two professional seasons with the Sixers, from 2006 to 2008. In July 2008, the Sixers traded Carney, Calvin Booth, and a future first-round pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of a deal that dumped contract money, creating room for the Sixers to sign power forward Elton Brand to his five-year, $82-million deal.

Andre Iguodala was both proud and relieved at being named to the NBA all-star game. A day after his selection, the eighth-year veteran talked about being an all-star following Friday's shootaround at the Wells Fargo Center in preparation for tonight's game against the Los Angeles Clippers. "To be named an all-star and some of the things I've accomplished, it puts everything into perspective how much hard work goes into this and how much of a blessing it is," Iguodala said. When asked if it were finally a relief to be selected, Iguodala responded, "I definitely thought that.