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Brand finally giving 76ers a boost

Nov 14, 2008 - 11:24 AM Philadelphia (3-5) at Indiana (4-3) 7:00 p.m. EST

INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- After a dismal start, Elton Brand is finally beginning to pay off for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Brand and the 76ers try to earn back-to-back wins for the first time on Friday when they visit the Indiana Pacers.

The 29-year-old Brand signed a five-year, $80 million free-agent contract to join Philadelphia from the Los Angeles Clippers during the offseason. However, he eclipsed the 20-point mark once in the first seven games as the 76ers lost five times.

Brand bounced back on Wednesday, pouring in a season-high 25 points and adding eight rebounds and three blocks as Philadelphia snapped a three-game losing streak with a 106-96 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

Brand needs another strong performance against the Pacers, who have won three straight by an average of 12 points.

T.J. Ford led Indiana to a 98-87 triumph over the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday, scoring 18 points, narrowly missing a triple-double with nine assists and eight rebounds. Acquired in the trade that sent Jermaine O'Neal to the Raptors in the offseason, Ford is second on the team, averaging 17 points and leads Indiana with 6.4 assists per game.