76ers at Pacers
Surging Indiana continues a home-heavy portion of its schedule with a visit from Philadelphia on Sunday. The Pacers, who have won seven of nine, entered Saturday holding the eighth and final seed in a jumbled Eastern Conference playoff race, percentage points ahead of three other teams and in position to continue its move up the standings. Including Friday's 93-86 victory over a shorthanded Cleveland team, Indiana plays eight of nine games at home with its lone road game at lowly New York.
The Pacers' 7-2 run includes a 106-95 victory at Philadelphia on Feb. 20, when Rodney Stuckey scored 30 points in 27 minutes off the bench to lead Indiana to its fifth win in the last six meetings. That was early in a five-game slide for the 76ers, who snapped the losing streak with an 89-81 win over Washington on Friday. Philadelphia held the slumping Wizards to a season-low 32.3 percent while limiting an opponent to 81 points for the second time in seven games, something it accomplished just three times in the season's first 51 affairs.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, CSN Philadelphia, FSN Indiana
ABOUT THE 76ERS (13-45): As Philadelphia looks toward the future it has to be pleased with the progress of rookie center Nerlens Noel. The 20-year-old stuffed the stat sheet against the Wizards with 14 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals in 34 minutes, recording his first double-double of the month. After scoring in double figures no more than two games in a row through January, Noel - who is averaging 3.8 blocks over a five-game span - has done so in six of the last seven games and is shooting 74.5 percent from the line in February after posting a 52.6 percent mark in the first three months.
ABOUT THE PACERS (24-34): As star forward Paul George works his way back ahead of schedule and focuses on a potential late-season return, it is a reminder that Indiana is finally getting consistently positive news on the injury front after it was ravaged by physical issues early on. George Hill, one of those who was absent earlier in the season, posted his first career triple-double (15 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds) against Cleveland while Stuckey - who had foot and groin issues at one point - had 19 points as Indiana dispatched of a Cavaliers squad that sat stars LeBron James (rest) and Kyrie Irving (shoulder). "We're not going to feel sorry for a team, because nobody felt sorry for us," forward David West - who missed the first 15 games of the season with a sprained ankle - told the Indianapolis Star.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Stuckey is averaging 22.3 points on 56.5 percent shooting in his last three home games.
2. 76ers SG Jason Richardson is 8-of-15 from long range in his last two games.
3. Philadelphia entered Saturday leading the NBA with 9.8 steals per game, while Indiana was 29th (6.1).