Pacers 102, 76ers 97
PHILADELPHIA - Tyler Hansbrough and Danny Granger keyed a second-half surge Tuesday night, as the Indiana Pacers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 102-97 for their sixth straight victory.
Hansbrough, a reserve forward, scored seven of his nine points early in the fourth quarter, and Granger added six of his 24 on a pair of 3-pointers, part of a 25-7 run. That enabled the Pacers (40-22) to erase a five-point deficit late in the third quarter and take an 85-77 lead with 6:43 left.
The Sixers crept within three on four occasions in the closing minutes. But with the score 88-85, the Pacers' David West hit a tough jumper in the lane with 2:50 left. And when it was 90-87 Roy Hibbert converted a three-point play.
Then Paul George added a 3-pointer for Indiana to push the lead to nine, one of 13 triples the Pacers made in the game, in 24 attempts.
The Sixers (31-30) again sliced the gap to three with 47.5 seconds remaining, when Thaddeus Young nailed a 3-pointer from the right corner. But after Indiana came up empty on its next trip, Lou Williams' 3-point attempt from the top of the circle was short. George Hill then made two free throws with 14.1 seconds.
After Williams connected twice at the line, Granger did the same with 5.4 seconds to play.
Hibbert finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Pacers, who have won 10 of their last 11. West had 13 points and Hill 12.
Andre Iguodala had 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Sixers, losers of three straight and seven of nine. Young scored 19 and Williams 18. The Sixers also fell to 3-18 this season in games decided by seven points or fewer.
Granger scored 11 points and Hill 10 in the first half, when the Pacers claimed a 47-42 lead.
Iguodala and Young countered with 10 apiece for the Sixers before the break, and Williams added nine.
Jrue Holiday, scoreless in the first half, then packed six points into the first 6:54 of the third quarter, as the Sixers moved to a 61-56 lead. They were still up with 1:03 left in the period, at 70-65, when Indiana's Dahntay Jones sank a 3-pointer from the right corner and Leandro Barbosa added a fast-break layup to tie it at 70-70 heading into the fourth quarter.
NOTES: Indiana point guard Darren Collison missed his fifth straight game with a groin injury. Hill again started in his place. ... Sixers rookie center Nik Vucevic returned to the starting lineup, after giving way to Thaddeus Young Monday in Orlando. ... Sixers coach Doug Collins said before the game that his is a "quiet team," and that he is the one most likely to try to give the players a pick-me-up when things go bad. "As a coach I try to be as positive as I can," he said, "and bring the energy I can with this team." When asked why communication among the players was not an issue earlier in the season, he said, "Winning masks a lot of things. ... You start scratching at the surface, you start bleeding a little bit, and all of a sudden things arise." ... Former Sixers great Julius Erving was in attendance.
