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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – For seven minutes in the second quarter, the
Philadelphia 76ers played without their two stars -- Dikembe Mutombo
and Allen Iverson. It didn't matter.
|  | | The Sixers' Allen Iverson lays a shot in over Indiana's Jeff Foster. |
While Iverson, the NBA's leading scorer, finished with 37
points, and Mutombo, the league's No. 1 rebounder, hauled in nine
rebounds, the reserves had their best game of the season.
Four players scored in double figures and six had more than five
rebounds, as the 76ers beat the Indiana Pacers 104-93 Sunday,
defeating the team that knocked them out of the playoffs the past
two years.
"We played without Allen and Mutombo and we played well,"
coach Larry Brown said. "I thought that was the key to the game."
Mutombo was kneed in the stomach and left the game with 2:57
gone in the second quarter, returning at the start of the second
half. His abdomen was bruised when Austin Croshere hit him with a
knee under the Pacers' basket.
Iverson, who also leads the league in steals and minutes, sat on
the bench for the final 6:58 of the period after collecting his
third foul.
"We're getting ready to go into the playoffs and what better
time to come together than that," Iverson said. "It's important
for those guys to step up and play big and I'm not surprised when
they do."
Tyrone Hill had 15 points and 13 rebounds for his 16th
double-double of the season for Philadelphia. Hill took a terrific
half-court bounce pass from Iverson for a driving layup to give the
76ers their biggest lead, 85-65, with 9:46 left.
Philadelphia outrebounded Indiana 53-30, led by Hill, and
Mutombo and Matt Geiger, each with nine. Jumaine Jones had seven
rebounds and 11 points, and tied his season high in minutes with
29.
The loss put Indiana a half-game behind Boston in the race for
the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. But then the Celtics lost to Charlotte 80-79 later in the day.
The victory was only the third in nine games for the 76ers, who
are tied with San Antonio for the best record in the NBA.
"That's a big win for us," Brown said. "The hardest games are
against teams who are fighting for the playoffs."
Indiana rallied late in the fourth quarter with nine straight
points, sparked by a 3-pointer from Jalen Rose. But the Pacers
never got closer than eight, 98-90, with 1:02 left.
Rose, playing with five fouls for much of the fourth quarter,
finished with 26 points -- 14 in the final period. Croshere had 21
points and nine rebounds off the bench.
Reggie Miller continued his cold shooting, going 3-for-14 for 11
points in 33 minutes. Miller, who averages 18.9 ppg, has shot only
5-for-32 over the past two games.
"It's very frustrating," Miller said. "You want to play well
in the big games. I just have to keep shooting."
Brown, the former Pacers coach, said he was "shocked" by
Miller's poor shooting, but current Indiana coach Isiah Thomas said
he isn't worried.
"If he gives us two bad ones out of 82 games, that's all
right," Thomas said.
Philadelphia never trailed, leading by as many as 13 in the
second quarter and taking a 54-42 advantage at halftime.
Indiana stayed close by shooting 20-for-20 from the free-throw line in
the first half. The Pacers didn't miss from the line until 5:56
remained in the game.
Game notes
Iverson needs 12 3-pointers to top Hersey Hawkins, who
leads the 76ers' career list with 476 3-pointers. Iverson already
leads the 76ers with 1,426 3-point attempts. ... Brown is the
Pacers' all-time winningest coach, with a 190-138 record from
1993-97. ... Iverson was called for a technical foul late in the
fourth quarter, his third in four games.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Indiana Clubhouse
Philadelphia Clubhouse
RECAPS
Philadelphia 104
Indiana 93
Charlotte 80
Boston 79
Minnesota 99
Portland 95
Utah 92
Vancouver 73
New York 79
LA Lakers 78
Orlando 104
Toronto 101
Detroit 104
Golden State 87
New Jersey 101
Houston 98
Phoenix 106
Milwaukee 99
Dallas 119
Sacramento 107
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Allen Iverson streaks past two defenders and drives to the hoop for a layup.
avi: 528 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN
Cable Modem
Eric Snow passes to Allen Iverson for the 3-pointer.
avi: 482 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN
Cable Modem
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