Hunter standing tall for the Sixers

Steven Hunter remembers his primary thought when 76ers coach Maurice Cheeks told him just before a game against Miami on Jan. 19 that he would be in the starting lineup for the first time all season.

"I was like, 'Well, I've been here before, and I wasn't able to hold on to the starting job,' " Hunter said yesterday. "So this time I wanted to put the emphasis on making sure I stay consistent and stay solid so that I can hold on to my starting job and help this team win basketball games."

The 7-foot Hunter seems to have succeeded on both counts. He has started every game for which he has been healthy - he missed one on Feb. 14 because of a dislocated finger - since then, and the Sixers have a winning record with him in the lineup at the opening tip.

With Hunter starting alongside 6-11 Samuel Dalembert, the pair have provided a true inside presence, blocking shots, rebounding, clogging up the middle, and providing energy generated from their athleticism.

The Sixers' dramatic 89-88 victory Friday night over the Utah Jazz improved their record to 16-10 in the games Hunter has started.

"I thought he would give us a little more defense, which he has," Cheeks said.

The regular playing time has helped Hunter in terms of confidence and consistency. In his 26 starts, he is averaging 8.0 points and 6.2 rebounds in 28.3 minutes, as opposed to 4.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 16.0 minutes in his first 29 games.

The Sixers' defensive numbers have improved since Hunter moved in as a starter. They had given up 99.8 points per game and allowed opponents to shoot 47.8 percent from the field before the move. With Hunter starting, they have yielded an average of 95.7 points and 44.2 percent shooting.

"I believe my confidence has grown," Hunter said. "I know how much time I'm going to play every game, and I'm comfortable in the starting lineup."

After flirting with the idea last season of starting Hunter and Dalembert together, Cheeks finally did so in five of the last seven games. Once, he started the two of them with Chris Webber, usually a power forward, playing at small forward.

Dalembert thought he, Hunter and Webber on the floor together could work again this season. But since the lineup change, which Cheeks instituted eight days after the Sixers bought out Webber's contract, Dalembert has liked the chemistry.

"We try to have each other's backs," Dalembert said. "Sometimes we can get a little upset with each other or whatever, but that's just because I've got high expectations for Steven."

"It's great playing with him," Hunter said, referring to Dalembert. "We bring what a lot of teams don't have."

Tonight's game. The Sixers meet the Houston Rockets tonight at the Wachovia Center in a game that starts at 6, two hours earlier than listed on many schedules.

More Amundson. The Sixers are expected to announce today that Louis Amundson, a 6-foot-8 forward out of UNLV, will be signed to a second 10-day contract. Amundson has appeared in only one game for the team, playing nearly three minutes against Atlanta.