76ers-Pacers Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Apr 20 2012 1:12PM

The surging Indiana Pacers have locked up the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

The inconsistent Philadelphia 76ers could finally wrap up the East's last available playoff spot Saturday night.

Indiana looks to extend its longest winning streak in eight seasons to eight as the visiting 76ers try to win two straight for just the second time in six weeks.

Winners of 11 of 12 in April, the Pacers (41-22) will open the postseason at home for the first time since 2004. They clinched the third seed Thursday with a 118-109 victory over Milwaukee, which fell three back of eighth-place Philadelphia (32-30).

"It's not that we didn't play hard, it's that you need an extraordinary effort against a team like (Indiana), not an ordinary one," Bucks coach Scott Skiles said. "It's a great club. They'll be a tough out in the playoffs."

The Pacers, who lost to Chicago in last year's opening round in their first playoff appearance since 2006, are riding their longest winning streak since a seven-game run Feb. 28-March 12, 2004. They had an eight-game win streak earlier that season en route to a team-record 61 victories and a conference finals appearance.

The 76ers would settle for back-to-back wins at this point. They've lost 13 of 20 since a 3-0 run March 7-11, winning two straight only once in that span and going 2-10 against teams with above-.500 records. One of those defeats was a 102-97 home loss to Indiana on Tuesday.

Philadelphia blew a three-game Atlantic Division lead - Boston clinched that title earlier this week - but is in good shape to make the playoffs following Wednesday's 103-87 victory over Cleveland.

"It was a great win, much needed," said coach Doug Collins, whose team avoided a fourth straight loss to begin its season-ending five-game trip. "Hopefully we can get a little rest. That third game in three nights is not easy to do. All good stuff."

The 76ers have a potentially crucial matchup in Milwaukee on Wednesday, but the chase for the East's only remaining playoff berth will end Saturday if Philadelphia wins and the Bucks lose to New Jersey.

While the 76ers have played better on the road lately, winning three of four, they'll face a Pacers team that has won four straight and eight of nine at home.

"This is our house," George Hill said Thursday after scoring 22 points with eight assists. "We can't let anybody come in here and try to take advantage of us, push us around. We've got to be the ones who go out and do that."

Hill has done plenty since taking over the starting point guard job from Darren Collison, who has missed six of the last seven games with a sore groin. Hill, a first-year Pacer, is averaging 15.4 points and 5.4 assists while starting each game during Indiana's current surge.

"At the end of the day, when D.C. comes back, we're going to get another great player back and whatever coaches ask us to do, I'm going to try to do it the best I can," Hill said.

Collison's former UCLA teammate, Jrue Holiday, scored a team-high 24 points for the 76ers on Wednesday after finishing with eight in Tuesday's loss to Indiana.

Danny Granger has averaged 22.0 points in the last two meetings - the Pacers won both - after missing the first one with food poisoning as the 76ers won. Of the teams' past 15 matchups, Indiana is 7-1 when Granger scores at least 20.

Brand leads 76ers past Pacers 109-106 in OT

By CLIFF BRUNT
Posted Apr 21 2012 11:08PM

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Philadelphia finally played like a team with a purpose.

Elton Brand scored 20 points and Lou Williams added 19 to help Philadelphia beat Indiana 109-106 in overtime Saturday night. The 76ers stopped the Pacers' winning streak at seven games to inch closer to a playoff berth.

"It's great for our confidence," Brand said. "The hottest team in the NBA, on their court, close game, found a way to win in a playoff atmosphere."

Jrue Holiday scored 17 points and Andre Iguodala added 16 for the 76ers, who need just a win or a loss by Milwaukee to clinch a postseason spot. The 76ers had lost seven of their previous 10 games, prompting coach Doug Collins to challenge his team.

"I just said, `You know, guys, we've worked so hard for two years. I would just hate like heck for us to let this season slip away from us,"' he said. "`Let's give ourselves a chance to get into the playoffs. Let's see what we can do. Let's do our best.' And our guys responded."

David West had a season-high 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Indiana. Tyler Hansbrough scored 17 points and Paul George added 16 for the Pacers, who could have locked up the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference with a win.

Indiana appreciated the intensity level so close to the postseason.

"That was a heck of a basketball game, playoff-type atmosphere," Indiana coach Frank Vogel said. "Philly made some really tough shots at the end of regulation and overtime. It was a hard-fought game at both ends."

Danny Granger, Indiana's top scorer this season, had four points on 2-for-12 shooting.

"He's a great shooter and he's got a quick release, so you've got to pay attention to him at all times," said Iguodala, who guarded him for most of the game. "Even though the stat sheet didn't show it, he opens it up for his other teammates because you've got to help on him a little bit. I just tried to keep him off the 3-point line and put him in tough positions."

Philadelphia led 107-106 late in overtime when Indiana's George Hill shot a quick 3-pointer. Philadelphia came up with the ball in a scramble, and Holiday's breakaway dunk gave the 76ers a 109-106 lead with 12.4 seconds left. Indiana was called for a 5-second violation when George couldn't get the ball inbounds, but the Pacers then forced a jump ball, won the tip and called a timeout with 10.7 seconds left.

Granger missed a 3-pointer, and the Pacers couldn't get the ball back outside to try to tie the game.

"We switched, and Thaddeus Young did a great job of guarding that," Iguodala said.

Williams opened the overtime with a four-point play. West fouled him on a 3-pointer, and Williams converted the free throw to take the air out of the crowd.

"It gave us some leverage, something to work with in that overtime," Williams said. "I thought it gave us momentum a little bit and just some confidence to continue to move forward."

Indiana fell behind 51-38 with 5:37 left in the second quarter before George got hot. He drained two 3-pointers to cut Indiana's deficit to 51-46. The Pacers continued their surge, and Hill's fadeaway at the buzzer gave Indiana a 54-53 lead. George scored 14 points in the quarter.

Philadelphia took control and led 81-74 at the end of the third quarter.

Consecutive layups by Hill cut Philadelphia's lead to 96-94, and Roy Hibbert tied the game on a tip-in with 2:28 to play. Two free throws by Young gave Philadelphia the lead again, but West's layup with 29.8 seconds left tied the game at 98.

Holiday missed, and Granger rebounded and called a timeout with 7.5 seconds left. George missed a jumper from near the free throw line as time expired, forcing overtime.

Indiana took some positives from the result.

"They outplayed us when they had to," Hansbrough said. "We knew they were going to be tough and we were going to need a lift to keep things going our way. We did some good things out there, and we will have to learn from them and carry them over into the playoffs."

Collins hopes the 76ers can build on the win.

"I couldn't have been more proud of our guys," Collins said. "It would have been a shame if we had lost this game tonight because we played so well."

Notes: Pacers PG Darren Collison entered the game in the first quarter. He had missed six of the previous seven games with a groin injury. He finished with eight points in 16 minutes. ... Indiana gave up 34 points in the first quarter, matching the second-highest total the Pacers surrendered in a first quarter this season. ... It was Indiana's first loss with Hill as its starting point guard. ... Philadelphia is 1-10 when allowing 100 or more points. ... Granger had scored at least 18 points in 14 straight games.

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Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/cliffbruntap

Notebook: Sixers 109, Pacers 106

Posted Saturday April 21, 2012 11:16PM

By Conrad Brunner, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: David West took care of things inside, but the Indiana Pacers were beaten outside. Lou Williams had a four-point play and a 3-pointer in overtime and scored 19 points to spur Philadelphia to a 109-106 victory over Indiana Saturday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. West scored a season-high 32 points and pulled 12 rebounds for his 12th double-double and his step-back jumper with 45.1 seconds left put the Pacers up 106-105. But Indiana came up empty on its final three possessions and Jrue Holiday scored twice on drives to give the Sixers (33-30) a much-needed win. Philadelphia reduced its magic number for clinching a playoff berth to one and move into a seventh-place tie with New York in the Eastern Conference playoff bracket. Indiana (41-23) had its seven-game win streak snapped and the Pacers' magic number for wrapping up the third seed remains at one.

QUOTABLE: "I could just feel our guys were so connected and it was a hell of a win. I spoke to them the other day and I said 'We worked so hard, I would just hate for this season to slip away from us. Let's give ourselves every chance to get in the playoffs. Let's see what we can do.' I think our guys responded. Indiana's going to mash you inside and knock you around, and you have to be able to take that."
- Philadelphia head coach Doug Collins.

THE STAT: Danny Granger had scored 28 points in the Pacers' first five overtime games, including four victories, but was shut out this time, missing his only shot, an off-balance 3-pointer in the closing seconds.

TURNING POINT: The Pacers had multiple opportunities to win but couldn't hit the big shots. They rallied from a 96-90 deficit in regulation to tie it at 98-all but Paul George missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer. Indiana missed two more 3-pointers in the final 18 seconds of overtime, one by George Hill that would've put them in front and the final shot by Granger that would've tied it.

QUOTABLE II: "He and I have been going against each other for eight years now. And when you see somebody that much you get used to each other and you kind of get a feel for their game. If he gets looks, open space, he can get into a rhythm and get it going. He's kind of an unorthodox player. He's strong and he has a great shot but with a quick release. You have to pay attention to him at all times. Tonight his stats don't show it, but he opens up the floor for his teammates. My main thing is just trying to keep him off the three-point line and not let him get comfortable. "
-- Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala on defending Granger

HOT: West topped 20 points for the third time in the last four games after doing so four times in the first 60, hitting 13 of 22 from the field. ... Tyler Hansbrough had his biggest game in weeks with 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting. ... Elton Brand scored 20 on 9-of-15 shooting for the Sixers.

NOT: Granger was the only Indiana starter to fail to score in double figures, producing four points on 2-of-12 shooting. ... Roy Hibbert struggled through a 2-of-10 night, and Leandro Barbosa was 2-of-9. ... Philly's two struggling starters continued to slump as Nikola Vucevic was 2-of-8 and Jodie Meeks 2-of-7.

QUOTABLE III: "We didn't make enough big plays when we needed to. This hurt us in the outcome. It is certainly not what we wanted. We came up a little short but we also showed some sharpness out there. Philly made some big plays to hang in there and win."
-- West.

GOOD MOVE: After Hill's 3-pointer late in overtime missed, the rebound pinballed around until it wound up in the hands of Williams, who quickly fed a streaking Holiday for a dunk that made it 109-106 with 12.4 seconds left.

BAD MOVE: George came up empty in a couple of key situations, drawing a five-second violation and failing to get the ball inbounds with 12 seconds left in overtime. He could've won the game in regulation when he was isolated at the top of the key but lost his dribble and left himself with only an off-balance 3-pointer that was wide left.

NOTABLE: Granger had scored at least 18 points in the previous 14 games but finished with just four, though he did pull 11 rebounds. ... The Pacers enjoyed advantages of 23-10 on second-chance points and 48-32 on points in the paint. ... Hill appeared to tweak his left shoulder when fouled on a drive to the basket midway through the third quarter, but remained in the game. Hill missed 12 games in January with an injury to the same shoulder. When he checked back into the game midway through the fourth quarter, he was wearing a protective brace. ... Darren Collison returned after missing six of the previous seven games. Vogel announced another rotation change, with veteran small forward Dahntay Jones heading to the bench. Vogel wants to give George, who starts at shooting guard, additional minutes as a backup small forward. ... NFL Draft prospect Ryan Tannehill, a quarterback from Texas A&M, Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Terence Newman and Pro Bowl wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals were in the house.

UP NEXT: For the Pacers, Monday vs. Detroit, Wednesday vs. Chicago. For the Sixers, Monday @ New Jersey, Wednesday @ Milwaukee, Thursday @ Detroit.

• 76ers: --
• Pacers: Foster, Stephenson

• 76ers: --
• Pacers: --

• Lead Changes: 9
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
• Officials: #55 Bill Kennedy, #58 Josh Tiven, #33 Zach Zarba
• Attendance: 17701
• Duration: 2:41