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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Needing a home win to bolster their bid for
a home-court edge in the playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers turned in
a shoddy shooting performance Monday night.
The 76ers missed 13 straight shots in the fourth quarter, going
more than 10 minutes without a field goal, and lost to the Indiana
Pacers 92-90.
|  | | Indiana's Chris Mullin, left, and Sam Perkins team up to shut down Allen Iverson, who missed 14 of 22 shots from the field. |
The loss leaves Philadelphia just a half-game ahead of Charlotte
for the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers must beat
Chicago in their regular season finale Tuesday -- without top scorer
Allen Iverson -- and need Charlotte to lose one of its final two
games to get home-court advantage in the first round.
"Home court better be worth very little," Sixers coach Larry
Brown said. "But I don't believe that."
Said Iverson, who scored 24 points against Indiana despite a
sore right elbow: "When I think about how to win a championship,
you have to win on somebody's home court anyway. I'm trying to turn
a negative into a positive. I'm preparing for the worst."
He will not accompany the team to Chicago so he can get
treatment on his elbow, team officials said after the game.
The Pacers, playing without their starting backcourt, overcame a
10-point deficit to start the fourth quarter by hitting five
3-pointers. Indiana, which secured home-court advantage throughout
the Eastern Conference playoffs Monday, rested starters Reggie
Miller and Mark Jackson. Miller is nursing a sore lower back and
groin and Jackson has a thigh bruise.
Both had started every game prior to Monday.
The Sixers had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds,
but Toni Kukoc missed an 18-foot shot from the corner. The Sixers
went 2-of-17 from the field in the fourth quarter.
"To win we're going to have change our approach," guard Eric
Snow said. "Whether it's our approach or sense of urgency, we have
to address this before it's too late. We had to win this game."
Indiana's Chris Mullin, making just his second start of the
season, scored 21 points, including nine in the fourth quarter on
three 3-pointers. Jalen Rose added 20.
George Lynch had 16 points for the Sixers, and Tyrone Hill had
12 points and 14 rebounds.
"We knew it was a big game for them," Pacers coach Larry Bird
said. "Mullin gave us a big lift. We played hard and that's good
to see, especially when you don't have much to play for."
Kukoc cut the deficit to 89-88 with a 3-pointer from the wing
with 50 seconds left. Rose, who spent the final minutes taunting
fans sitting courtside, hit two free throws to make it 91-88 with
26.6 seconds remaining.
Snow made two free throws to cut it to 91-90 with 19.4 seconds
left. Indiana's Travis Best hit one to make it 92-90, setting up
Kukoc's miss.
"We wanted this game," Rose said. "We don't mind playing
spoiler."
The Sixers trailed throughout most of the first half, but
outscored Indiana 32-16 in the third quarter.
Iverson took over midway through the third. First he put the
Sixers ahead 60-59 with a slicing layup. Then he electrified the
crowd with a behind-the-back pass to Snow, who completed the fast
break with a layup for a 62-59 lead.
After Mullin made a 3-pointer to tie it at 62, Iverson answered
with a 3-pointer that gave Philadelphia a 65-64 lead.
"It hurts to lose a game that obviously is a very meaningful
game for us," Brown said. "Everybody had to realize this was like
a playoff game."
Indiana opened the fourth quarter with an 11-2 run and grabbed
an 84-82 lead with 6:26 left.
With Iverson sitting on the bench for 6:13 of the second
quarter, the Sixers cut a 10-point deficit to 43-37. Kukoc sparked
a 10-2 run with several key passes, getting five of his six assists
during the stretch.
Game notes
The Sixers needed to win their final two games to notch
their first 50-win season since 1989-90. ... Philadelphia is 21-10
since Kukoc arrived from Chicago on Feb. 16. Only the Lakers and
Jazz have better records over that span. ... Mullin's 21 points and
38 minutes were both season bests.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Indiana Clubhouse
Philadelphia Clubhouse
RECAPS
Milwaukee 85
Orlando 83
Indiana 92
Philadelphia 90
San Antonio 100
Vancouver 93
Minnesota 101
Golden State 96
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