Spencer Hawes had 18 points and career highs with 16 rebounds and seven blocked shots to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 98-91 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.
Jrue Holiday added 27 points and 12 assists to help the Sixers win for only the third time in 15 games. While the Sixers are one of the worst road teams in the league, they are 19-17 at home.
The Sixers led by one at the end of the third quarter, then opened the fourth on a 19-4 run to put away the Pacers. Evan Turner and Thaddeus Young each contributed some lead-stretching buckets in the fourth to put all five starters in double figures.
Roy Hibbert had 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers.
The 76ers had enough this time to finish off one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. They had a late lead and the Heat on the ropes until they blew it and lost by four on Wednesday night.
Just like they did against Miami, the Sixers got into an early groove in the quarter to put the upset alert on notice. Dorell Wright hit a three-pointer and Lavoy Allen came off the bench to score his first two baskets to get a big run going. They forced turnovers on consecutive possessions at one point during the spurt and built a 10-point lead.
Somehow, Hawes, the much-maligned center, outplayed Hibbert. Hawes has settled in nicely as a starter after an erratic first 42 games as a reserve. He had a fantastic one-handed rebound right over Hibbert’s head in the third that put the crowd of 18,587 on their feet. Hawes had six blocked shots through the first three quarters and made the Pacers think twice about going inside.
In San Antonio, Texas, Tim Duncan had 30 points and 12 rebounds, while Kawhi Leonard added 24 points and 13 boards as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 119-113.
Manu Ginobili added 14 points and 10 assists, Nando De Colo had 11 points and Tiago Splitter had 10 for San Antonio.
Wayne Ellington had 21 points and fellow reserve Marreese Speights added 19 for Cleveland. Shaun Livingston had 16 points, while Alonzo Gee and Dion Waiters added 15 apiece.
In Portland, Oregon, LaMarcus Aldridge had 31 points and 12 rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers handed the Detroit Pistons their eighth straight loss with a 112-101 victory.
In other games on Saturday, Martell Webster scored 34 points in the Washington Wizards 127-105 win over the Phoenix Suns, Paul Pierce had 14 points, eight assists and six rebounds as the Boston Celtics powered past the Charlotte Bobcats 105-88 and Gordon Hayward scored 17 points in the Utah Jazz’s 90-84 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
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