76ers Blowout Pacers For Their First Win Of The Season

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – Elton Brand had game-highs of 25 points and 12 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers got in the win column for the first time this season behind a 101-75 drubbing of the Indiana Pacers.

Doug Collins was unable to see the conclusion of his first win as Sixers head coach, having stayed in the locker room after halftime due to symptoms of vertigo that caused him to miss time during the preseason.

Associate coach Michael Curry guided the team to the finish, witnessing six players hit double-digits as the Sixers snapped a four-game slide to start the year, which included a tough overtime loss to Washington on Tuesday.

Thaddeus Young netted 16 points, Evan Turner contributed 12, while Andre Iguodala, Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams each had 11 in the resounding win.

Danny Granger was a woeful 2-of-14 from the field for seven points for the Pacers, who bested the Sixers in Indianapolis on Saturday. Darren Collison led Indiana with 11 points in defeat.

The Sixers jumped out to a healthy halftime lead by shooting 53.7 percent in the first 24 minutes and holding Indiana to 28.9 percent.

The hosts went on a 17-4 flurry over the final 4 1/2 minutes of the opening quarter, and Holiday had seven points during the run, including a steal in the backcourt that led to a slam.

The 31-16 margin ballooned to 57-31 at the break thanks to another late 14-4 Sixers spurt, which Turner finished with a jumper.

Indiana got as close as 15 on two occasions in the third, the last coming on a Josh McRoberts bucket with 3 1/2 minutes left that cut it to 69-54.

Williams’ three-pointer at the end of the frame had Philly on top, 78-58, and the Sixers held a significant advantage throughout the final stanza.

After teams made more free throws than they attempted in three of their first four games this season, the Sixers shot 21-for-25 from the foul line while the Pacers made 12-of-17…Holiday also had four steals and five assists…McRoberts logged 10 points for Indiana, which ended up shooting 31.5 percent for the game, compared to 46.9 percent for Philadelphia…Indiana had won four of its previous five games in Philly…It was Collins’ first win as a head coach since April 11, 2003 while with Washington.

Sixers Coach Doug Collins Leaves Game With Symptoms Of Vertigo

It’s not often that a team announces that the return of a coach is questionable… but that’s what the Sixers did when head coach Doug Collins left the bench tonight with symptoms of vertigo. As Sixerville points out, Collins missed two preseason games due to vertigo from a concussion he sustained over the summer.

Collins suffered broken ribs and a concussion in a fall on Memorial Day and has been suffering from dizzyness and headaches. He left the team in Cincinnati during the preseason and missed that game along with a game the next night in Philadelphia.

Here’s a definition of vertigo from Emedicine.com

Vertigo is the feeling that you or your environment is moving or spinning. It differs from dizziness in that vertigo describes an illusion of movement. When you feel as if you yourself are moving, it’s called subjective vertigo, and the perception that your surroundings are moving is called objective vertigo.

Sixers Still Looking For First Win As Pacers Come To Town

(Sports Network) - Indiana and Philadelphia meet for the second time in less than a week Wednesday when the Pacers visit the City of Brotherly Love to take on the hard-luck 76ers at Wells Fargo Center.

The Pacers topped the Sixers in Indianapolis last Saturday when Danny Granger pumped in 22 points and Roy Hibbert added 14 points, pulled down 13 rebounds and handed out five assists in Indiana's 99-86 home-opening win.

Mike Dunleavy chipped in 16 points and nine boards, while Darren Collison supplied 15 points for the Pacers, who have won two in a row following a season-opening loss.

"We wanted to play not only hard but well for our fans tonight," Collison said. "We played team ball on both ends of the court. Our chemistry on this team appears to be very good. I think this is good for a team this young to be sitting 2-1 after the first week. We just need to continue to work."

Lou Williams came off the bench to score 18 points, all in the first half, and Elton Brand added 12 points and 10 boards for the Sixers in that one.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, was back in action on Tuesday and lost a heartbreaker in the nation's capital.

Rookie star John Wall finished just shy of a triple-double with 29 points, 13 assists and nine steals, and Andray Blatche added 23 points, including the game-deciding free throws with 7.1 seconds left in overtime as the Washington Wizards outlasted the Sixers, 116-115.

After Williams hit two free throws to give the Sixers a 106-103 lead with 3.1 seconds remaining in regulation, Washington head coach Flip Saunders called a timeout to draw one last play.

The timeout allowed Washington to advance the ball to midcourt, and on the inbound, Wall passed the ball to Cartier Martin at the top of the key, Martin, who only made two shots in the game, hit an off balance three over Andre Iguodala to send the game to overtime.

The Sixers took their only lead of the extra period as Iguodala hit his second of two free throws with 3:15 remaining to put the Sixers ahead, 107-106.

Wall hit two from the line with under three minutes remaining to put Washington in front, and the Wizards held the lead until 14.5 ticks remaining when Brand hit on a 14 foot running bank shot to put the Sixers up, 115-114.

On the following play, Blatche blew by Brand toward the basket, and Brand was forced to grab Blatche to prevent an uncontested go-ahead layup. Blatche was able to hit both of his free throw attempts to give Washington the lead.

Iguodala attempted a 16-foot jumper as time expired, but the shot was off the mark.

Williams posted a game-best 30 points, including 15-of-17 from the line, to lead the Sixers, who have dropped their first four games of the year and have lost 10 of their last 13 visits to Washington.

Brand added 21 points and nine rebounds while Jrue Holiday finished with 14 points and 13 assists in defeat.

"Losing teams have bad habits," said Sixers head coach Doug Collins. "They're not broken overnight, and when they really get broken is when the players start getting upset with each other about the bad plays. That's when you really start getting accountability."

Indiana has won in four of its last five trips to Philly.