76ers 98, Pacers 91
Spencer Hawes collected 18 points, a career-high 16 rebounds, eight assists and seven blocks and Philadelphia used a big fourth quarter to take down visiting Indiana.
Jrue Holiday had 27 points and 12 assists and Dorell Wright scored 13 off the bench for the 76ers, who won for the third time in the last nine games and improved to 19-17 at home.
Roy Hibbert recorded 25 points and 10 rebounds, Paul George added 18 and 14 and David West scored 18 points as the Pacers lost their second straight game. Indiana had not dropped back-to-back contests since Feb. 8 and 11.
The Pacers held a 72-71 lead heading into the fourth quarter but did not make a field goal in the first four minutes of the period as Philadelphia surged ahead with a 19-3 burst. Wright scored five points and Evan Turner added six in the spurt.
Hawes’ jumper with 4:31 left gave the 76ers a 92-78 lead before Indiana began to make a run. George’s 3-pointer with 33 seconds to play cut it to 96-91 before Philadelphia closed it out at the free-throw line.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Indiana, which leads the Eastern Conference in scoring defense, has allowed an average of 98.3 points in dropping three of its last four games. … The Pacers fell 11 games behind the Miami Heat for first place in the East and saw their lead over second-place New York decrease to a half-game. … Holiday has gone over 20 points in two straight games after failing to reach the mark in any of the previous six contests.