Iverson returns tonight

Allen Iverson was back on the court Tuesday for the first time since spraining his right foot nine days ago, and is expected to be in the lineup for the Philadelphia 76ers against Atlanta tonight.

Iverson, the NBA’s second-leading scorer with an average of 33.2 points, missed the last four games after he bruised and sprained his foot against Memphis on March 12.

“It’s sore, but that’s what I expected,” Iverson said after practice. “I knew that once I missed the road trip that I was going to try to go the first game back. We had a couple of days off and I had a chance to practice once, so I’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”

The Sixers lost all four games without Iverson and have a tenuous hold on the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

On the courts

Nets 112, Wizards 100: At Washington, Richard Jefferson scored 21 of his 27 points after halftime, and New Jersey broke open a tight game in the fourth quarter, beating the Wizards for their sixth consecutive victory.

Raptors 114, Knicks 109: At New York, Mike James scored 37 points, one shy of his season high, and helped Toronto take control in the third quarter of a victory over the Knicks.

The Knicks lost Channing Frye early in the fourth quarter with a sprained left knee ligament.

Bobcats 108, Magic 102: At Charlotte, N.C., Gerald Wallace scored 27 points and the Bobcats sent Orlando to its team-record 16th straight road loss.

Grizzlies 105, Pacers 75: At Memphis, Tenn., Pau Gasol had 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to help the Grizzlies beat Indiana.

Mavericks 88, Rockets 72: At Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki scored 28 points and the Mavericks harassed Yao Ming (13 points, 13 rebounds) into his worst game in a month in a victory over Houston.

Hornets 120, Clippers 108: At New Orleans, Rasual Butler scored a career-high 32 points, hitting seven 3-pointers, and the Hornets snapped an eight-game losing streak with a victory over Los Angeles.

Timberwolves 100, Heat 96: At Minneapolis, Ricky Davis had 26 points, a season-high 10 assists and seven rebounds to lead Minnesota to a victory over undermanned Miami, snapping the Heat’s five-game winning streak.

Shaquille O’Neal was held out because of the sore right thumb he injured on a dunk attempt Sunday night and missed a physical game featuring 48 total fouls.

Spurs 107, Warriors 96: At San Antonio, Tony Parker scored 29 and Tim Duncan had 21 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Spurs to a victory over Golden State.

Jazz 107, Suns 99: At Salt Lake City, Andrei Kirilenko had 22 points, a career-high 18 rebounds and blocked four shots in the second half as Utah rallied from a 15-point deficit to beat Phoenix.

Deron Williams finished with 17 points and 11 assists and Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur also had double-doubles for the Jazz.