Palacio led Philadelphia to a big 94-83 win over New Orleans in this evening's matchup. "We figured we could play with them, but Palacio really surprised us," said New Orleans coach Bob. "He really took us out of our game plan, and we never really figured out how to stop him. We'll just have to hope for a more normal performance next time we meet, and hopefully the final tally will be a little closer."

Philadelphia coach Bob was enthusiastic about his star's performance. "That was really something, wasn't it? Certainly we take a realistic expectation into each game, but it really gives the whole team confidence to know that Palacio can pull off a game like he did today."

Philadelphia was led by Palacio (19 points, 21 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, a block), Allen (13 points, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks), Mcdougal (23 points, 1 assists). New Orleans was led by Forde (10 points, 15 boards, 0 assists, 2 steals), Bravo (8 points, 2 steals, a block), Gimbrone (13 points, 5 boards, 2 assists, a block).

Philadelphia improve to 53-22 and 30-8 at home. They clinched the Atlantic title and remain at #2 overall in the Eastern Conference. New Orleans drop to 27-47. They remain at #5 in the Southwest and remain at #13 overall in the Western Conference.

box score Philadelphia roster New Orleans roster