PHILADELPHIA — For seven minutes in the second quarter, the Philadelphia 76ers played without their two stars — Dikembe Mutombo and Allen Iverson. It didn't matter.
While Iverson, the NBA's leading scorer, finished with 37 points, and Mutombo, the league's No. 1 rebounder, hauled in nine rebounds, the reserves had their best game of the season.
Four players scored in double figures and six had more than five rebounds, as the 76ers beat the Indiana Pacers 104-93 Sunday, defeating the team that knocked them out of the playoffs the past two years.
"We played without Allen and Mutombo and we played well," coach Larry Brown said. "I thought that was the key to the game."
Mutombo was kneed in the stomach and left the game with 2:57 gone in the second quarter, returning at the start of the second half. His abdomen was bruised when Austin Croshere hit him with a knee under the Pacers' basket.
Iverson, who also leads the league in steals and minutes, sat on the bench for the final 6:58 of the period after collecting his third foul.
"We're getting ready to go into the playoffs and what better time to come together than that," Iverson said. "It's important for those guys to step up and play big and I'm not surprised when they do."
Tyrone Hill had 15 points and 13 rebounds for his 16th double-double of the season for Philadelphia. Hill took a terrific half-court bounce pass from Iverson for a driving layup to give the 76ers their biggest lead 85-65 with 9:46 left.
Philadelphia outrebounded Indiana 53-30, led by Hill, and Mutombo and Matt Geiger, each with nine. Jumaine Jones had seven rebounds and 11 points, and tied his season-high in minutes with 29.
The loss put Indiana a half-game behind Boston in the race for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The victory was only the third in nine games for the 76ers, who are tied with San Antonio for the best record in the NBA.
"That's a big win for us," Brown said. "The hardest games are against teams who are fighting for the playoffs."
Indiana rallied late in the fourth quarter with nine straight points, sparked by a 3-pointer from Jalen Rose. But the Pacers never got closer than eight, 98-90, with 1:02 left.
HORNETS 80, CELTICS 79: At Charlotte, N.C., Elden Campbell hit a hook shot with nine seconds left, and Baron Davis blocked Boston's final shot to preserve Charlotte's victory.
The Hornets snapped a four-game losing streak and beat Boston for the sixth consecutive time. Charlotte needs one more victory to clinch a playoff spot.
David Wesley led Charlotte with 21 points. Davis added 12 and Campbell had 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Hornets.
Antoine Walker scored 25 for the Celtics, but he missed a critical free throw with 19 seconds to play.
T-WOLVES 99, TRAIL BLAZERS 95: At Portland, Ore., Terrell Brandon had 30 points and 11 assists, and hit two free throws with 5.9 seconds left to seal Minnesota's victory over Portland.
Kevin Garnett added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who had lost six straight road games and nine of 11.
Steve Smith scored 25 to lead the Blazers, who have lost eight of their last 13 overall and five of eight at the Rose Garden. Bonzi Wells added 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Dale Davis had 16 points on 8-for-11 shooting.
KNICKS 79, LAKERS 78: At Los Angeles, Marcus Camby scored seven of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, and also had 15 rebounds to lead New York past Los Angeles.
Kobe Bryant, who missed five games because of an injured left ankle, returned to the Lakers' lineup, but didn't last long, coming out for good late in the first quarter. He went scoreless, missing four shots.
The Knicks didn't score after Latrell Sprewell's jumper with 2:40 left gave them a 79-74 lead, but won anyway.
After the Lakers called two timeouts, Derek Fisher missed a 15-foot jumper with about two seconds remaining, and New York's Kurt Thomas rebounded. Time expired before the Lakers could foul him.
Sprewell scored 19 points and Allan Houston added 16 for the Knicks. O'Neal led the Lakers with 31 points and 11 rebounds.
MAGIC 104, RAPTORS 101: At Toronto, Tracy McGrady scored 24 points in his first game back in Toronto and Orlando beat the Raptors.
McGrady, who left the Raptors as a free agent, was loudly booed throughout the game. Fans brought derogatory signs and chanted even when he didn't have the ball.
Darrell Armstrong added 22 points and Pat Garrity had 20 for the Magic, who tied Toronto for sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
Vince Carter had 28 points and 11 assists for the Raptors, whose four-game winning streak came to an end.