Toni Kukoc played perhaps his best game of the season and so did the Philadelphia 76ers.
Kukoc scored 19 points in support of Allen Iverson's 41 and the 76ers roared to a season high in their fifth straight victory, a 121-89 rout of the Seattle SuperSonics.
"Toni Kukoc played like we expected him to play every game," Iverson said. "We need a lot of that from Toni. He's one of those special players that can change a game."
While the 76ers have maintained the best record in the NBA this season, they have done so with little help from Kukoc, who has struggled to find his niche in the offense since being acquired in a trade last February.
"When I don't play much or play well, I still get upset," Kukoc said. "I go home and think about what I can do better to improve, and stay in the game longer."
A former Sixth Man Award winner and a member of Chicago's three championship teams from 1996-98, Kukoc came in averaging just 7.2 points per game. He surpassed that in the second quarter, when he scored 10 points and fueled a game-breaking run.
Kukoc made 8-of-9 shots in 21 minutes off the bench, surpassing his point total for the last three games combined. He helped the Sixers shoot 53 percent (47-of-89) and post season highs in points and victory margin.
"It's great when you can shoot 90 percent from the floor," Kukoc said. "I don't know how many nights you're going to shoot like that but this helps my confidence and helps the team as well.
When I get involved early in the game, it opens up the floor for Allen and the big guys in the middle."
Iverson continued his scoring binge, making 15-of-30 shots and 9-of-9 free throws as he had his way with defensive standout Gary Payton. Since returning from a one-game absence due to a partially separated shoulder, he is averaging 34.3 points in four games.
Since Iverson entered the NBA in 1996, Philadelphia is 8-11 when he scores 40 or more points.
"That's what he does, put points on the board," backcourt mate Aaron McKie said. "When Allen is playing like that, at a high level, everybody else picks it up."
Rashard Lewis scored 14 points for the SuperSonics, who shot 42 percent (35-of-84) and were pounded on the boards, 48-37. They dropped to 0-2 on a five-game road trip and have lost three in a row to the Sixers.
"If you're not giving an effort and you're not focusing or concentrating on what you need to do to play this game, you will get embarrassed the way we did," Sonics coach Nate McMillan said. "There's some negative energy on this team. Until we put this team first and give the effort that it takes in order for us to win, we will be faced with this situation a lot more."
The Sonics hung around for a quarter as Iverson scored 12 points to give the Sixers a 32-26 lead. Kukoc came on and scored eight points in a 15-2 burst that opened the second period. A layup by McKie gave Philadelphia a 47-28 lead with 6:26 left in the first half.
Todd MacCulloch had a pair of hoops in a 9-1 spurt that closed the quarter and opened a 64-41 halftime bulge. MacCulloch had 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Philadelphia shot 57 percent (27-of-47) in the first half and kept it up in the third quarter. Iverson scored 11 points in the period, helping to widen the lead to 90-64.
The Sixers could have gone scoreless in the fourth quarter and still won but tallied 31 points for their highest total in a regulation game since Iverson debuted five years ago.
"When I first got here, Pat (owner Pat Croce) and I talked about us having something special here," Iverson said. "And right now, from the looks of things, it's keeps getting better for us."
McKie scored 10 points, Tyrone Hill added eight and 11 rebounds and Theo Ratliff eight and five blocks for Philadelphia (23-8), which has eight wins by 18 points or more and is 11-0 when it holds foes below 100 points.
"Allen was terrific again, Toni goes 8-for-9 off the bench, Todd goes 6-of-9, Aaron was solid," Sixers coach Larry Brown said. "We played great. You don't beat a team like Seattle unless you played your best. I think we played our best."
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