76ers at Pacers
THE
STORY: If only the Indiana Pacers could play teams with losing records all the
time. The Pacers looked every bit a playoff contender in trouncing the sub-.500
Portland Trail Blazers 92-75 on Tuesday but has not beaten a winning team since
Feb. 3 at Dallas. Indiana will try to change that Wednesday when they host the
Philadelphia 76ers, who have won three straight. The 76ers have already beaten
the Pacers once and are looking for some distance in the East standings.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN, FS Indiana (Pacers), CS Philadelphia (76ers), ESPN3.com
ABOUT THE PACERS (24-16): Indiana, which hasn't topped an Eastern Conference contender since a win over Orlando on Jan.
29,
is in a virtual tie with Philadelphia for the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers entered Tuesday losers of four straight after allowing Chicago, Atlanta, Miami and Orlando to roll over them at an average of 98.3 points. Something changed on the defensive end against the Trail Blazers as Indiana allowed only 30 percent shooting. That kind of defensive effort was a staple of the first six weeks, when the Pacers started 16-6 and allowed only two opponents to reach 100 points.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (25-17): Philadelphia hit a skid similar to the Pacers around the All-Star break, dropping eight of 10 while struggling to find consistent offense. That has not been a problem recently, with the 76ers putting up 104.3 points in the last three contests. Second-year guard Evan Turner has been in the starting lineup the last four games and is starting to find a groove, averaging 22 points and 12 rebounds during the winning streak. As point guard Jrue Holiday has struggled, Andre Iguodala has helped to pick up some of the slack by totaling 26 assists and four turnovers in the last three games.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Iguodala collected 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists in a 96-86 victory over Indiana on Jan. 9.
2. Philadelphia has taken three of the last four in the series.
3. Pacers forward Lou Amundson scored a career-high 21 points on 10-of-11 shooting Tuesday.