Chris Mullin was making just his second start of the season, but it was the finish for the 36-year-old that was really sweet.
Mullin scored nine of his season-high 21 points in the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer with 1:52 left that pushed the lead to four points, as the Pacers fought back from a 10-point deficit to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers, 92-90.
Mullin's vintage performance ended the 76ers' hopes of catching the New York Knicks for third place in the Eastern Conference, and left them just one-half game ahead of the fifth-place Charlotte Hornets, who hold the tiebreaker after winning the season series, 3-1. The 76ers (48-33) had won three straight coming into the game.
"We had a great opportunity to get home-court advantage, we controlled our own destiny and we didn't get it done," guard Eric Snow said. "We have to win our game tomorrow (in Chicago) and home. Who knows, Charlotte may give us one. If not, we'll go on the road and win."
With the Pacers (55-26) already having clinched their first Eastern Conference title, their aging starting backcourt, Reggie Miller and Mark Jackson, were given the night off. Mullin and Jalen Rose got the nod in their place. It was Rose's 28th start of the season.
"We have a lot of guys on this team who can play and play well," Indiana forward Austin Croshere said. "With two starters and big point scorers sitting out, the other guys wanted to prove that they can play as well, and we did that tonight."
The only thing Mullin has to prove is that he can still produce the way he did in his best years with Golden State. For six straight seasons, from 1987-88 to 1992-93, Mullin averaged more than 20 points a game. But injuries have slowed him considerably in recent years.
The Sixers led 78-68 after three quarters, but Mullin unleashed three 3-pointers and the Pacers' defense held Philadelphia without a basket for a 10:48 span. The Sixers missed 13 straight shots, and when Mullin hit an open 3-pointer from the left corner, Indiana led 89-85 with 1:52 to play.
Toni Kukoc drilled a 3-pointer over Mullin with 42 seconds to play, but Rose hit two free throws with 27 seconds left, putting the Pacers up 91-88.
Rose fouled Snow and the Sixers guard hit both free throws with 20 seconds left, and Philadelphia's chances seemed to improve when Travis Best hit just one of two with 18 seconds to go, leaving the Pacers ahead 92-90.
Snow drove into the paint and flipped a pass out to Kukoc, alone 12 feet from the basket, but the Croatian missed the jumper and the ball skipped out of bounds as time expired.
"Our defense was real good," Indiana coach Larry Bird said. "Down the stretch, we had trouble scoring for a while but our defense kept us in it. We made some plays."
The Sixers looked like the team with nothing at stake early in the game, but Kukoc energized them with his passing in the second quarter and Allen Iverson provided the spark in the third, when Philadelphia built a 10-point lead.
The Sixers opened the quarter with a 10-2 run, powered by George Lynch's six points, and when Theo Ratlif dunked with 8:49 to go, the Sixers were up, 56-54.
Iverson scored 10 points over the final 5:41 of the third, beginning with his layup that gave Philadelphia a 60-59 edge. Despite the sore elbow that kept him from looking for his outside shot Saturday night, Iverson hit a pair of 3-pointers as the Sixers built a 78-68 lead heading into the final 12 minutes.
The Pacers' big starting lineup helped them go on a 9-0 run to take a 29-15 lead late in the first quarter. Austin Croshere dunked back the rebound of Rik Smits' missed jumper and Smits hit a 12-footer before Mullin made back-to-back steals, nailing an open 3-pointer off the first and going in for a layup that gave the Pacers the 14-point lead with 56 seconds left.
Rose finished with 20 points and nine assists, and Smits had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers, who admitted they were looking for payback for a 111-101 loss they suffered to the Sixers at Conseco Fieldhouse on March 26.
"We have a great record in what we call `payback' games," Rose said. "It was a great win for our team."
"Chris Mullin gave us a big lift," Bird said. "Rik Smits has been about as good as I've seen him in a long time. We had a total effort from everybody. We played hard and that's good to see, especially when you really don't have much to play for."
Iverson led Philadelphia with 24 points, Lynch scored 16, Tyrone Hill grabbed 14 rebounds and Snow dished out 12 assists.
"I understand that to win a championship, you have to win on somebody else's home court anyway," Iverson said. "I always turn a negative into a positive, and the positive is that we'll have some experience with playing on the road if we do have the fifth seed."
