Pacers forward David West took over the paint in the third quarter, aggressively attacking the basket. He scored 12 points in the third quarter and leads all scorers with 20 points so far in the contest.

Orlando guard Jason Richardson leads the Magic with 15 points, while forward Ryan Anderson has made the most of rare open looks and added 11 points.

Orlando and Indiana had traded momentum during the first half before the Pacers once again took over the third quarter. The Pacers outscored the Magic 27-17 in the third quarter Saturday. Indiana has dominated the third period in Games 2, 3 and 4.

The Pacers held a 46-44 lead over the Magic at halftime.

Orlando endured a troubling scoring drought, helping the Pacers claim an 11-point lead in the second quarter.

Magic guard Jameer Nelson hit a layup with 4:15 left in the first quarter and the Magic didn’t score another field goal until Glen Davis scored inside with 7:31 left in the second quarter, ending an 8:45 stretch without a field goal.

Nelson has struggled most of the game, hitting 2-of-11 field goal attempts during the first three quarters of the game.

Orlando led the Pacers by six points early, but the momentum of the game changed when Nelson picked up his second foul late in the first quarter and headed to the bench. Orlando struggled to take care of the basketball, opening the door to an Indiana rally.
Reserve point guard Chris Duhon turned the ball over twice and the Magic offense was clearly out of sorts late in the first quarter, helping the Pacers claim a 22-19 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Pacers kept up pressure defense and piling on points.

However, the Magic kept pounding the ball inside and drawing fouls on the Pacers. Orlando hit 17-of-21 freethrows in the first half.

Before the contest, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said he planned to give forward Glen Davis a bit more rest to help him be more explosive while on the floor.

Van Gundy followed through with his plans, playing reserve Daniel Orton for the final 2:37 of the second quarter. Orton hit two freethrows and picked up two fouls.

The teams have been equally competitive on the boards, finishing with 21 rebounds apiece during the first half.

Orlando and Indiana players both insisted they needed a win Saturday.

“It’s a must win,” Magic forward Glen Davis said. “We’ve got to have this game.”

Pacers guard Paul George said the contest was just as important for Indiana.

“This is a must win as much for them as it’s a must win for us,” George said. “We definitely want to play as best we can, take care of business and close the series out as quick as possible. They’re a dangerous team. We need to stay on task and take care of business.”

Check back for live updates throughout the game.

Pacers forward David West took over the paint in the third quarter, aggressively attacking the basket. He scored 12 points in the third quarter and leads all scorers with 20 points so far in the contest.

Orlando guard Jason Richardson leads the Magic with 15 points, while forward Ryan Anderson has made the most of rare open looks and added 11 points.

Orlando and Indiana had traded momentum during the first half before the Pacers once again took over the third quarter. The Pacers outscored the Magic 27-17 in the third quarter Saturday. Indiana has dominated the third period in Games 2, 3 and 4.

The Pacers held a 46-44 lead over the Magic at halftime.

Orlando endured a troubling scoring drought, helping the Pacers claim an 11-point lead in the second quarter.

Magic guard Jameer Nelson hit a layup with 4:15 left in the first quarter and the Magic didn’t score another field goal until Glen Davis scored inside with 7:31 left in the second quarter, ending an 8:45 stretch without a field goal.

Nelson has struggled most of the game, hitting 2-of-11 field goal attempts during the first three quarters of the game.

Orlando led the Pacers by six points early, but the momentum of the game changed when Nelson picked up his second foul late in the first quarter and headed to the bench. Orlando struggled to take care of the basketball, opening the door to an Indiana rally.
Reserve point guard Chris Duhon turned the ball over twice and the Magic offense was clearly out of sorts late in the first quarter, helping the Pacers claim a 22-19 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Pacers kept up pressure defense and piling on points.

However, the Magic kept pounding the ball inside and drawing fouls on the Pacers. Orlando hit 17-of-21 freethrows in the first half.

Before the contest, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said he planned to give forward Glen Davis a bit more rest to help him be more explosive while on the floor.

Van Gundy followed through with his plans, playing reserve Daniel Orton for the final 2:37 of the second quarter. Orton hit two freethrows and picked up two fouls.

The teams have been equally competitive on the boards, finishing with 21 rebounds apiece during the first half.

Orlando and Indiana players both insisted they needed a win Saturday.

“It’s a must win,” Magic forward Glen Davis said. “We’ve got to have this game.”

Pacers guard Paul George said the contest was just as important for Indiana.

“This is a must win as much for them as it’s a must win for us,” George said. “We definitely want to play as best we can, take care of business and close the series out as quick as possible. They’re a dangerous team. We need to stay on task and take care of business.”

Check back for live updates throughout the game.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Indiana Pacers are in their best position in years to nudge their way back into the second round of the playoffs.

They finally returned to the postseason in 2011 after a four-year drought only to be eliminated in the opening round. Now, with a 2-1 series lead over the Orlando Magic, they could advance for the first time since 2005.

“It would be a big step,” Indiana coach Frank Vogel said. “We talked last year when we got into the playoffs that it was a big step for us to get back to the playoffs. And that this year our goal is to take an even bigger step. So that’s definitely the goal.”

It’s also why such talk is being done only in a few whispers inside the Pacers’ locker room. Even if it appears they could find themselves in a second-round pairing with Miami.

“We really keep a short-sighted mindset,” Vogel said. “We’re not looking at what Miami’s doing or any other series. We’re not looking at how many games we need to win. We have a Game 4 mindset. We put it on the board in the closed session. That’s our only goal right now.”

The Pacers have almost completely shut down the Magic’s offensive attack at times during two straight victories. But even with Orlando missing All-Star center Dwight Howard, the Pacers know the Magic can still put up points in bunches.

After watching his team get decimated on the boards and in transition the past two games, Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said he would make “subtle” changes to his rotation, though he will stick with the same starting lineup.

“We’re through 69 games; we’re not going to change everything we do,” Van Gundy said.

By Tom Lewis

– Newsdesk contributor

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May 5, 2012 – After two full days off, the Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic resume their first-round NBA playoff series on Saturday afternoon at the Amway Center.

The Pacers lead the series 2-1 thanks to a strong defensive effort that has kept the Magic three-point shooters in check and longing for star big man Dwight Howard in the post to help open things up. Back surgery has Howard out of this series as the Pacers seem content to let Glen “Big Baby” Davis to his share of shots while guarding the three-point arc where Orlando can really do some damage.

The Pacers look to keep leading scorer Danny Granger rolling after he broke out from a mini-slump to make five three-pointers in Game 3 and score 26 points. A win by the Pacers will give them a firm grasp on the series as they would head home for Game 5 needing just one win to win the series.

Match Up: No. 3 Indiana Pacers vs. No. 6 Orlando Magic

Location: Amway Center; Orlando, Florida

Time: 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time

TV: ESPN

For more on the Indiana Pacers, check out Indy Cornrows. More on the Orlando Magic can be found over at Orlando Pinstriped Post. For more on the NBA in general as the playoffs continue, head to SB Nation’s NBA hub at sbnation.com/NBA.

Read More: Dwight Howard (C – ORL), Danny Granger (F – IND), Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic

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What do the Orlando Magic need to do to win Game 3 against the Indiana Pacers?

Here are five areas:

1. Sustain the intensity Ever since Dwight Howard went down with a herniated disk, Stan Van Gundy has said his team has almost no margin for error. Van Gundy is correct. The Magic can’t afford to play with less energy than the Pacers in this series; the Pacers simply have more size, more athleticism and more depth.

In this series, the Magic have done just fine when they’ve matched the Pacers’ energy. But that turned in Game 2′s crucial third quarter, when Indiana beat Orlando to every loose ball, corralling 15 of the first 16 rebounds of the period and scored 13 second-chance points to Orlando’s two.

The Magic must sustain their intensity, and they need to draw energy from their home crowd. (Of course, that begs the question whether the typically disengaged home crowd, particularly the fans in the lower bowl, can provide much noise, but that’s another issue entirely.)

2. Help on West The Magic’s halfcourt defense has been surprisingly solid so far in this series, but one area of concern revolves around the Pacers’ rugged power forward, David West.

West enjoys a distinct advantage when he posts up against Ryan Anderson. The Magic are going to have to give Anderson some help here, perhaps with point guards and wings ducking in on post-ups.

3. Ball movement Pacers coach Frank Vogel has told his players repeatedly that they cannot allow uncontested 3s. If the Magic make contested 3s, fine, but Vogel has emphasized the importance of guarding the 3-point line and closing out quickly. Orlando players will have to maintain their ball movement, finding open perimeter shooters on the weak side, in order to provide an extra split second to square up for 3s.

4. Get back The Pacers want to push the ball at every opportunity in transition, and they did that to devastating effect in Game 2, scoring 22 fastbreak points to the Magic’s two.

The Magic must do a much better job of getting back on defense, especially when their perimeter shooters miss long shots. In order to get back quickly, the Magic may need to be more selective in their attempts to secure offensive rebounds.

5. Sharpen the pick-and-roll Indiana’s height has caused significant problems, especially when Jameer Nelson has attempted to attack the rim. According to Synergy Sports Technology, the Magic went just 2-for-17 in Game 2 on shot attempts by the ball handler off pick-and-rolls.

Those misses weren’t all by Nelson, of course, but the diminutive point guard obviously faces a challenge when he penetrates into the lane and finds 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert there, as Van Gundy noted after Monday’s defeat. Somehow, Magic coaches are going to have to find a way to give Nelson and his teammates some more space on the inside.

Follow Josh Robbins on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins and e-mail him at [email protected] Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

What do the Orlando Magic need to do to win Game 3 against the Indiana Pacers?

Here are five areas:

1. Sustain the intensity Ever since Dwight Howard went down with a herniated disk, Stan Van Gundy has said his team has almost no margin for error. Van Gundy is correct. The Magic can’t afford to play with less energy than the Pacers in this series; the Pacers simply have more size, more athleticism and more depth.

In this series, the Magic have done just fine when they’ve matched the Pacers’ energy. But that turned in Game 2′s crucial third quarter, when Indiana beat Orlando to every loose ball, corralling 15 of the first 16 rebounds of the period and scored 13 second-chance points to Orlando’s two.

The Magic must sustain their intensity, and they need to draw energy from their home crowd. (Of course, that begs the question whether the typically disengaged home crowd, particularly the fans in the lower bowl, can provide much noise, but that’s another issue entirely.)

2. Help on West The Magic’s halfcourt defense has been surprisingly solid so far in this series, but one area of concern revolves around the Pacers’ rugged power forward, David West.

West enjoys a distinct advantage when he posts up against Ryan Anderson. The Magic are going to have to give Anderson some help here, perhaps with point guards and wings ducking in on post-ups.

3. Ball movement Pacers coach Frank Vogel has told his players repeatedly that they cannot allow uncontested 3s. If the Magic make contested 3s, fine, but Vogel has emphasized the importance of guarding the 3-point line and closing out quickly. Orlando players will have to maintain their ball movement, finding open perimeter shooters on the weak side, in order to provide an extra split second to square up for 3s.

4. Get back The Pacers want to push the ball at every opportunity in transition, and they did that to devastating effect in Game 2, scoring 22 fastbreak points to the Magic’s two.

The Magic must do a much better job of getting back on defense, especially when their perimeter shooters miss long shots. In order to get back quickly, the Magic may need to be more selective in their attempts to secure offensive rebounds.

5. Sharpen the pick-and-roll Indiana’s height has caused significant problems, especially when Jameer Nelson has attempted to attack the rim. According to Synergy Sports Technology, the Magic went just 2-for-17 in Game 2 on shot attempts by the ball handler off pick-and-rolls.

Those misses weren’t all by Nelson, of course, but the diminutive point guard obviously faces a challenge when he penetrates into the lane and finds 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert there, as Van Gundy noted after Monday’s defeat. Somehow, Magic coaches are going to have to find a way to give Nelson and his teammates some more space on the inside.

Follow Josh Robbins on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins and e-mail him at [email protected] Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

What do the Orlando Magic need to do to win Game 3 against the Indiana Pacers?

Here are five areas:

1. Sustain the intensity
Ever since Dwight Howard went down with a herniated disk, Stan Van Gundy has said his team has almost no margin for error. Van Gundy is correct. The Magic can’t afford to play with less energy than the Pacers in this series; the Pacers simply have more size, more athleticism and more depth.

In this series, the Magic have done just fine when they’ve matched the Pacers’ energy. But that turned in Game 2’s crucial third quarter, when Indiana beat Orlando to every loose ball, corralling 15 of the first 16 rebounds of the period and scored 13 second-chance points to Orlando’s two.

The Magic must sustain their intensity, and they need to draw energy from their home crowd. (Of course, that begs the question whether the typically disengaged home crowd, particularly the fans in the lower bowl, can provide much noise, but that’s another issue entirely.)

2. Help on West
The Magic’s halfcourt defense has been surprisingly solid so far in this series, but one area of concern revolves around the Pacers’ rugged power forward, David West.

West enjoys a distinct advantage when he posts up against Ryan Anderson. The Magic are going to have to give Anderson some help here, perhaps with point guards and wings ducking in on post-ups.

3. Ball movement
Pacers coach Frank Vogel has told his players repeatedly that they cannot allow uncontested 3s. If the Magic make contested 3s, fine, but Vogel has emphasized the importance of guarding the 3-point line and closing out quickly. Orlando players will have to maintain their ball movement, finding open perimeter shooters on the weak side, in order to provide an extra split second to square up for 3s.

4. Get back
The Pacers want to push the ball at every opportunity in transition, and they did that to devastating effect in Game 2, scoring 22 fastbreak points to the Magic’s two.

The Magic must do a much better job of getting back on defense, especially when their perimeter shooters miss long shots. In order to get back quickly, the Magic may need to be more selective in their attempts to secure offensive rebounds.

5. Sharpen the pick-and-roll
Indiana’s height has caused significant problems, especially when Jameer Nelson has attempted to attack the rim. According to Synergy Sports Technology, the Magic went just 2-for-17 in Game 2 on shot attempts by the ball handler off pick-and-rolls.

Those misses weren’t all by Nelson, of course, but the diminutive point guard obviously faces a challenge when he penetrates into the lane and finds 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert there, as Van Gundy noted after Monday’s defeat. Somehow, Magic coaches are going to have to find a way to give Nelson and his teammates some more space on the inside.

Follow Josh Robbins on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins and e-mail him at [email protected]. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

ORLANDO, FLA. Through two games of their opening-round playoff series, the Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic have both had moments to laud and lament.

Minus Dwight Howard, the Magic owned the underdog tag and successfully stole home-court advantage with a win in Game 1. Then the Pacers were able to brush off a woeful finish in that loss, regroup, and use all their personnel advantages down the stretch to blow past the Magic in Game 2 on Monday.

The question now is who has established their early post-season identity more as the series shifts to Orlando on Wednesday for Game 3?

“Obviously we want to go back home and play off the momentum of the crowd and just play better than we did (Monday),” Magic forward Ryan Anderson said after the 93-78 Game 2 loss. “We know that we can play better than this and play harder than this.”

While Anderson and the Magic are certainly hoping to get an energy boost from an Amway Center crowd still reeling after last season’s first-round exit, conditioning will certainly be a factor for both teams with just one day to rest.

Indiana trailed at the half for the second straight game before getting that boost in the second half that coach Frank Vogel said would be a necessity in this series. It came at a cost, though, with Pacers starters Danny Granger and David West both logging over 40 minutes. They averaged 33 and 29 minutes per game, respectively, during the regular season.

Both teams took it easy Tuesday, with the Magic taking the day off and the Pacers holding only a light practice in Indianapolis before boarding a plane to Florida.

After five games against each other this season, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of mystery left to uncover.

The strategy is the same as it was when the series began: The Magic need to shoot the ball well and run the floor to negate the Pacers’ size advantage. Meanwhile, Indiana wants to resist the urge to get in a shootout with Orlando, while pounding the ball inside and running the Magic off the 3-point stripe.

Game 2 was mission accomplished for the Pacers, holding the Magic to just 8 for 25 from beyond the arc, and frustrating them inside with a 50-28 edge in points in the paint. Indiana also outrebounded Orlando 46-38.

“It’s all about who wants it more,” Pacers guard Paul George said. “We look at it as a 50-50 ball and the man that wants that ball more is going to go after and go get it. We wanted to make sure we got as many 50-50 balls as we can.”

Granger had 18 points, but struggled to shoot the ball, going 7 for 21 from the field and just 1 for 10 from 3. The bigger numbers, though, were what he did defending Orlando’s Hedo Turkoglu. He was held to just 10 points, two assists and one rebound.

Anderson, who the Magic are depending on to produce offensively with Howard out for the season following back surgery, went just 3 for 9 from the field. It followed an equally quiet five-point effort in Game 1 for the candidate for the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award.

Granger said their effort underneath starts with how West is playing.

“They don’t have an answer for David West in this series,” Granger said. “We knew our bigs would be a huge advantage for us. We’ve just been riding that. When David gets going, it’s hard to stop him.”

West hasn’t been in the playoffs since 2009 with New Orleans, but Vogel said West’s experience is a huge factor in his play to this point. For his career West is averaging 16 points and seven rebounds in the post-season.

“He’s providing our team with the necessary swagger to get a playoff win,” Vogel said. “He’s just dialled in. He is a playoff-tested veteran.”

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said it’s not so much the players who are scoring the Pacers’ points, but how they are doing it.

“We can’t give up 22 fast-break points, 25 second-chance points and have 16 turnovers,” he said. “I mean, it gets back to very basic things and we’re not going to have a chance to win if we do that.”

The promising news in the Magic closing the rebounding and second-chance scoring gap is that with 18 points and 10 rebounds, Glen “Big Baby” Davis maintained his consistency in Game 2 playing as an undersized centre.

New roles or situation aside, Davis said there continues to be a no-excuse mentality throughout the Magic locker-room.

“It’s the playoffs, we got to go. We have to find it and regroup,” Davis said. “We’re going home and we’re just tired … I think we have to find our niche out there and get guys the ball at the right time.”

AP Sports Writer Cliff Brunt in Indianapolis contributed to this report.

The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – For the third time this season, the Pacers are denying that Larry Bird is leaving the team.

CBS Sports is reporting Bird has notified Indiana Pacers owner Herb Simon to begin preparing for his departure at the end of the season. But Pacers officials told 24-Hour News 8 Friday, “No decision has been made, end of story.”

CBS Sports reports Bird, president of basketball operations for the Pacers, is said to have told people he is “100 percent” certain he’s leaving the Pacers after this season.

Media reports last surfaced in March about Bird leaving the team. At that time, Bird gave the exact same statement about whether he’d leave.

The news comes as the Pacers are set to begin the playoffs at home Saturday night and after a successful 42-24 regular season for the team.

Bird took the leadership role at the Pacers after coaching the team. He’s been with the Pacers since 2003.

Read More: David West (F – IND), Danny Granger (F – IND), George Hill (G – IND), Brandon Jennings (G – MIL), Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks at Indiana Pacers, Apr 19, 2012 7:00 PM EDT

Riding a six-game winning streak, the Indiana Pacers are the NBA’s hottest team and have all but locked up the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Milwaukee Bucks have lost two in a row and are hanging on for dear life in the playoff picture, two and a half games behind the No. 8 spot with only four games remaining following their test against the red-hot Pacers. At the half on Thursday night, the Pacers are leading by six, 56-50.

The Pacers jumped out to a 16-6 lead in the first quarter and led 34-29 after one, but an 11-0 run to start the second gave the Bucks a six-point lead. The Pacers responded with an 8-2 run and the teams traded leads until the Pacers ended the half on an 8-0 run.

George Hill and Danny Granger lead the Pacers with 14 apiece. David West has 10 points and nine rebounds. The Bucks are being led by Brandon Jennings’ 14 points.

For more on the Indiana Pacers, check out Indy Cornrows. You can also head over to SB Nation’s main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA, or check out SB Nation’s YouTube channel:

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Pacers approached Monday night’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves as though they were facing the Chicago Bulls or the Miami Heat.

The Pacers rolled to a 25-point lead in the first 9 minutes and beat the Timberwolves 111-88 for their fifth consecutive win.

This young team is starting to get it.

“We came out with the killer instinct tonight,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “That set the tone for us. That’s what we want to go into the playoffs with.”

David West had 22 points and 10 rebounds, Danny Granger scored 19 points, Paul George had 18 and Roy Hibbert added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers, who solidified their grip on the No. 3 position in the Eastern Conference standings.

Indiana has won eight of nine games, but none of the other wins started this well. The Pacers generally have been stronger in the second half than in the first, but this time, they did the right things from the opening tip.

“I think the biggest thing is that we continue to build good habits,” West said. “We’re coming out and trying to make the right play every single time. I think that’s imperative for us. We continue the momentum we’re starting to build and hopefully, we’ll be playing some of our best ball a week-and-a-half from now.”

Indiana scored at least 100 points for the 10th time in 11 games.

“We’ve been trusting the pass,” George said. “Everybody’s been willing to share the ball, and we’ve been moving.”

Jose Barea had 14 points and nine assists and reserves Michael Beasley and Derrick Williams added 13 points each for Minnesota, which lost its 10th in a row. Kevin Love, one of the league’s top scorers and rebounders, sat out for the third consecutive game with a mild concussion and a neck strain.

Minnesota coach Rick Adelman said Love’s injury was no excuse.

“You have to come out and compete, and we didn’t compete,” he said. “It’s a glaring problem. We know we have injuries, but we’re better than that.”

The Pacers rolled to a 22-4 lead as Minnesota missed 10 of its first 11 shots.

“They came out with a lot of energy,” Minnesota forward Anthony Randolph said. “They are getting ready for playoff basketball. It was just a tough loss.”

Indiana made three consecutive 3-pointers to take a 55-23 lead in the second quarter. Later in the period, Indiana got six offensive rebounds on one possession before an emphatic right-handed putback dunk by George Hill put the Pacers up 59-27.

The Pacers led 64-30 at halftime as Indiana made 8 of 14 3-pointers and outrebounded Minnesota 33-23. Minnesota shot just 27.5 percent in posting its lowest-scoring half of the season.

“It’s inexcusable to play the way we did in the first half,” Adelman said. “They were tougher than we were. It’s as simple as that. They’re going to be physical and come at us, and we have to be ready to play.”

Indiana maintained its lead in the third quarter behind 12 points from West. The Pacers shot 50 percent in the third quarter in taking a 93-63 lead.

A flurry by Minnesota cut Indiana’s lead to 95-77 with 6:54 remaining, causing Vogel to call a timeout. The Pacers made just one of their first nine shots in the fourth quarter. The Timberwolves cut Indiana’s lead to 14 points before a 3-pointer by A.J. Price pushed the Pacers’ lead to 98-81 and helped the increasingly restless crowd relax.

Even with the shaky fourth quarter, West liked what he saw.

“This is the time of year where you’ve got to be coming together,” he said. “We’re fine-tuning some things we want to do offensively. Obviously, trying to be a collective unit defensively. And then, just play with a certain level of aggression, especially when you’re dealing with teams that don’t have anything to play for this time of year, like the Timberwolves.”

The Pacers are 2½ games ahead of Orlando and Atlanta for third place with five games remaining. A top three seed would give Indiana homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

“Everything we do is geared toward winning in the playoffs,” Vogel said. “And the first step is getting homecourt advantage.”

Notes: Former Pacers C Brad Miller entered the game in the first quarter for the Timberwolves and got a loud cheer. … Indiana Mr. Basketball Gary Harris attended the game. He will play at Michigan State. … Indiana PG Darren Collison played after missing the past four games with a sore groin. He went scoreless and committed three fouls in 19 minutes as a reserve. … Minnesota shot 22.7 percent in the first quarter. … Granger scored at least 18 points for the 12th straight game. … It was West’s second game this season with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. … Minnesota has allowed at least 111 points in six of the 10 losses.

__

Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/cliffbruntap

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By David Vranicar

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Apr 17, 2012 – The Indiana Pacers will make their final regular-season road trip of the season Tuesday night when they take on the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Pacers, 39-22, head to Philly in prime position to garner the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. While they have little chance of catching the No. 2 Miami Heat, who are 4.5 games ahead, the Pacers have a three-game cushion over Nos. 4, 5 and 6 — the Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic, respectively — who are all knotted at 36-25.

The Pacers will be aided by the fact that their last four games are all at home, starting Thursday against Milwaukee.

The 76ers, 31-29, occupied the No. 3 spot in the East for much of the season but have been floundering down the stretch, falling to No. 8. The Sixers are just 3-7 over their last 10 games and 6-12 dating back to a mid-March defeat against the Pacers.

The Sixers hold a two-game lead over the No. 9 Milwaukee Bucks, who are 29-31.

Tuesday’s game tips at 7 ET and will air on Fox Sports Indiana.

For more on the Indiana Pacers, check out Indy Cornrows. You can also head over to SB Nation’s main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA, or check out SB Nation’s YouTube channel:

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