By Todd Taylor
INDIANAPOLIS — At this point in the NBA season many would argue that winning is counterproductive for the Indiana Pacers.
The team is a virtual lock to miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season and each remaining victory could lead to fewer balls in the upcoming draft lottery.
Win they did against visiting Philadelphia Tuesday, defeating the 76ers 107-96 without leading scorer Danny Granger – who was suspended for his role in an altercation during a loss to the Phoenix Suns Saturday.
Indiana had dropped 11 of its previous 13 contests coming into Tuesday’s game and the victory ended a four-game losing streak.
“It feels damn good to get a win because they’re rare around here,” Pacers center Roy Hibbert said. “We’re not really playing for anything anymore so we have nothing to lose. We’re just going to play together and play hard.”
The Pacers didn’t learn they would be without Granger until Tuesday morning, forcing them to adjust on the fly.
Fielding its 23rd starting lineup this season, all five Indiana starters scored within the game’s first five minutes. Four starters finished in double figures.
“Our guys are pretty comfortable no matter who we have on the court,” Pacers coach Jim O’Brien said. “When we take care of the basketball we feel we can score plenty of points.”
Dahntay Jones led the way, pouring in a season-high 25 points off the bench.
“Guys were just moving the ball well and I was on the receiving end of different plays,” Jones said. “It wasn’t one person’s show tonight it was more of a team effort. We didn’t look for one guy to make plays for us. We made plays for each and everybody.”
Indiana had 32 assists in the game, well above its season average of 20.3, and committed just 10 turnovers. The Pacers had only two turnovers in the second half.
“My favorite statistic was our assist to turnover ratio,” O’Brien said. “32 and 10 is so important for us.”
Brandon Rush and Roy Hibbert showed flashes of what the Pacers envisioned when they acquired the pair in the 2008 draft. Rush had 24 points and nine rebounds while Hibbert flirted with a triple double, finishing with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists.
“The confidence Brandon and Roy are developing is something we are very pleased with,” O’Brien said.
Indiana led 54-52 at the half and never trailed the rest of the way. The Pacers held the 76ers to just 15 third-quarter points and led by as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter.
Jrue Holiday led Philadelphia (23-40) with 21 points. Andre Iguodala was held to just five points on 2-of-8 shooting.
The Pacers improved to 21-43 with the victory, but still hold the league’s fourth worst record which would guarantee the team its highest draft pick since 1989 if the season ended today.
Indiana travels to face Boston at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
todd.taylor@flyergroup.com
