With Charles Barkley slowed by a pair of nagging injuries and with the 76ers clinging to a three-point lead over Milwaukee with less than 30 seconds remaining, somebody had had to pick up the offensive slack for Philadelphia.
Manute Bol tossed in a 10-foot hook shot as the 24-second clock expired to up Philadelphia's advantage to 5 points with 17 seconds left, and the Sixers went on to defeat the visiting Milwaukee Bucks, 102-99."He made a big shot, and he can make that shot," Barkley said. "He's not going to be an offensive threat, but we put the ball in his hands and he made a good shot. But we're not going to make a habit of it."
After the 7-foot-7 Bol, who was playing in his first game after sitting out since training camp with an injured hand, extended the Sixers' lead, Armon Gilliam and Johnny Dawkins converted clutch free throws in the closing seconds to secure Philadelphia's fourth straight victory.
Hersey Hawkins led all scorers with 21 points.
Former Sixer Moses Malone led the Bucks with 20 points and Dale Ellis added 18 for Milwaukee.
The Sixers squandered a 23-point first-half before Bol's heroics pulled out the win.
Barkley had 16 first-half points, 10 rebounds and four assists in the half, with 14 of those points coming in the first 12 minutes.
But Barkley suffered bruised ribs in the second quarter which, along with a sprained ankle suffered in the third, severely hampered his effectiveness in the second half.
The Sixers coughed up their huge lead in the third quarter, when they connected on just 2-of-13 shots from the field and made seven turnovers.
Clippers 106, Pacers 97
At Los Angeles, Ron Harper scored 26 points and Danny Manning added 22 to help the Clippers remain undefeated at home. The Clippers went on a 12-2 run to finish the game. Indiana lost its fourth straight. Rik Smits finished with 27 points and Reggie Miller hit for 18, including a 3-pointer that gave the Pacers a 95-94 lead with less than two minutes remaining.