Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - Allen Iverson scored a game-high 25 points and handed out 11 assists, as the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Detroit Pistons, 93-83, in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series at the First Union Center.

Keith Van Horn added 17 points as all five Sixers' starters scored in double figures. The 76ers now trail the best-of-seven series by a 2-1 margin with Game 4 scheduled for Sunday night in Philadelphia.

"I think it does something for our psyche as far as the mental aspect of the whole thing knowing that we were down 2-0, then we come in our crib and we're able to win and win convincingly," said Iverson. "That gives us a lot of motivation going into the next game feeling like if we do the same thing that we did tonight then the outcome can be the same."

Derrick Coleman scored 15 points, Eric Snow chipped in 11 and Kenny Thomas posted 10 points and 14 rebounds for Philadelphia, which is trying to overcome an 0-2 deficit and win a best-of-seven playoff series for the first time in club history (0-8).

"As the game went on, I just tried to create for my teammates when they were trying to take things away from me," said Iverson. "At the beginning of the game they kept switching out on me and I was just trying to give it up to guys hoping they could hit the basket, but its just a credit to the guys on my team as far as getting open and finishing the plays and all I got to do is deliver the ball to them."

Richard Hamilton scored 24 points for the Pistons, who had their five-game playoff winning streak halted. Tayshaun Prince, who was instrumental in Detroit's Game 2 win and scored a playoff career-high 20 points, finished with 17 points, while Chucky Atkins contributed 13 in the loss.

The Pistons were without point guard Chauncey Billups for the second straight game because of a sprained ankle that he suffered late in the fourth quarter of Game 1.

"The guy is just simply not healthy enough to play," said Detroit head coach Rick Carlisle. "It's a grade two ankle sprain, and it's something we've got to make sure is right."

The Sixers used a 6-0 run late in the first quarter, capped by Van Horn's driving bucket, to grab an 18-14 lead with 2:33 left in the frame. Tyrone Hill's three-point play just over one minute later extended Philadelphia's cushion to five points and the Sixers' advantage was 23-19 after one.

Detroit's Ben Wallace was hampered early in the period after he appeared to bang his knee and as a result was limited to just one rebound in the quarter. Philadelphia took advantage of the NBA's leading rebounder being slightly injured as it held a commanding 18-6 advantage on the glass in the first.

"His (Wallace's) numbers may not look as good as normal, but I don't question his heart or effort," Carlisle said. "He'll bounce back tomorrow, and we'll bounce back tomorrow."

The Sixers scored the first four points of the second quarter and widened the gap to eight points at 27-19. Iverson's jumper from just beyond the foul line with 9:34 left in the period staked Philadelphia to a 31-22 margin. The difference later grew to 14 at 44-30 on Thomas' jump hook and the Sixers held a 48-37 lead heading into the locker room.

Thomas had 10 first-half points and 11 rebounds, while Iverson also netted 10 points for Philadelphia, which shot 44 percent (17-of-39) from the field. Hamilton paced all scorers with 15 points for the Pistons, who made just 12- of-37 shots (32 percent) in the opening 24 minutes. The Sixers also enjoyed a commanding 30-13 edge on the backboards.

Philadelphia used a 7-0 run to begin the third quarter, culminated by Van Horn's three-pointer, stretching the advantage to 55-37 with 8:47 left in the frame. The advantage later increased to 60-39 on another three-point shot by Van Horn and rose to as many as 22. The Sixers held a sizeable 69-52 lead after three periods.

"This was enormous," said Sixers coach Larry Brown.

Detroit used a 10-2 run early in the fourth quarter and got within 12 points at 76-64 on Prince's three-pointer. The Pistons never seriously threatened again as they could only get as close as the final margin of 10 points. Philadelphia was able to seal the victory by knocking down seven free throws in the final four minutes.