A lesser team than the Philadelphia 76ers – after losing one of their star players – would have fallen apart at the seams trying to continue their season.  The Sixers recently lost Elton Brand for the season, and as a result, have to do a bit of tinkering to their lineup.  Their opponent for their game on Thursday, the Indiana Pacers, would provide a test to see if losing Brand would hurt them.  They took a positive first step as they defeated Indiana 99-94 at the Wachovia Center.

Thr 76ers outscored the Pacers 92-22 entering the second period; Indiana’s Danny Granger scored 11 points in only 1:05 to cap a whopping 21-2 run which would put the Pacers ahead by 9 in the second quarter.  But Philadelphia would come back at the end of the period with a 12-2 run  to slice their deficit to 56-54 at halftime.

The Sixers began the fourth quarter with an 11-point lead but watched it slowly slip away as Troy Murphy scored on a driving layup and Mike Dunleavy followed that with a 3-pointer which brought Indiana to within two.  Defensive pressure by Philadelphia would be the difference as they would hold on at the end, securing the victory.

Philadelphia was led by Willie Green with 23 points, 4 rebounds, an assist, a steal and a blocked shot while Andre Iguodala added 20 with 8 rebounds, 11 assists and 4 steals; Samuel Dalembert powered in 18 with 20 rebounds and a blocked shot while Andre Miller notched a double-double, scoring 13 with 12 assists.

Indiana was led by Dunleavy with 21 points (including 4 three-pointers), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and a blocked shot while Granger and Jarrett Jack added 18 apiece – with Granger grabbing 2 rebounds, dishing out 2 assists along with 3 blocked shots while Jack drained 3 treys, grabbed 3 rebounds, dished out an assist along with a steal.  Murphy pitched in 15 (including 3 three-pointers) with 14 rebounds, 2 assists with a steal and a blocked shot.  Philadelphia (24-24) plays again on Saturday when they host the Miami Heat while Indiana (19-31) returns home to host the Orlando Magic on Friday night.