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Iguodala leads Sixers to seventh straight win

Mar 11, 2007 - 6:00 AM INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Coach Maurice Cheeks and the surging Philadelphia 76ers might have to take their name out of the running in the Greg Oden sweepstakes.

Andre Iguodala collected 25 points and five steals and Andre Miller added 16 and five as the Sixers extended their winning streak to seven straight games with a 100-96 triumph over the undermanned Indiana Pacers.

Willie Green scored 18 points and Samuel Dalembert chipped in 12, eight rebounds and five blocks for Philadelphia (25-38), which moved within four games of New York (29-34) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference standings.

"We are just working ourselves into playing basketball," Cheeks said. "There have been some times where we weren't able to come out, but we've been working things out."

"This was not a pretty win but we need to to this, get wins on the road any way we can," 76ers forward Kyle Korver said. "It's a step in the right direction. It's not a huge step but it's still a step."

However, things continue to fall apart for slumping Indiana, which dropped its eighth consecutive game and will be without All-Star Jermaine O'Neal for the next three contests with an injured knee.

Despite their recent struggles, the Pacers (29-32) are holding on to seventh place in the conference standings, just one game ahead of eighth-place New York (29-34).

"We're aware of the standings," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "We're also aware of the need for us to keep improving and battling. It's as tough as it's ever been here right now, since I've been here. The only way to get out of it is to keep working, keep fighting and stick together."

The Pacers are enduring their longest losing streak since dropping 12 in a row from January 26-February 23 in the 1988-89 campaign.

"It's rough. I've never been in a situation like this," Indiana forward Danny Granger said. "Since I've been playing basketball, I've never had a losing streak like this. We just have to keep fighting and get through it."

"If you liked losing, you wouldn't be in the league," Pacers guard Darrell Armstrong said. "The guys who like losing don't usually make it to the league, because they accept it. They accept failure. I don't think losing is contagious in the NBA."

In the fourth quarter, the Sixers held a two-point edge before Iguodala sank a pair of free throws and then scored on a jam from Miller, who added two more foul shots to make it 91-83 with 2:08 remaining.

"I think we did a good job of being aggressive," Iguodala said.

After trading a pair of baskets, Mike Dunleavy hit a 3-pointer off the glass to cut the deficit to 93-88. But on the ensuing possession, Miller responded with a pull-up jumper from the left baseline to keep the Pacers at bay.

Granger and Troy Murphy scored 18 points apiece for Indiana, which shot 51 percent (41-of-80) from the field and surrendered 26 points off 17 turnovers