Philadelphia - The Sixers finally got a win but Doug Collins wasn't there to see it.
Elton Brand had game-highs of 25 points and 12 rebounds as Philadelphia routed the Indiana Pacers 101-75 in front of 12,277 at the Wells Fargo Center.
Collins was unable to see the conclusion of his first win as Sixers head coach, however, after suffering another bout of vertigo at halftime. The veteran coach stayed in the locker room after intermission and let lead assistant Michael Curry handle things the rest of the way.
"I had another one of my bouts," Collins explained after the game. "I can't take my medicine on days of games because it makes me so tired and so we had the two back-to-backs and I got about three hours of sleep last night.
"The doctor feels very good. he's been able to monitor my medicine and stuff. I'll be back Friday. I got up at halftime and I had that dizzy feeling and I told Michael to grab my arm so I wouldn't fall. The brother he has been to me in my lifetime, he took me in to the doctor and got my medicine. It's all good."
Curry witnessed six players hit double-digits as the Sixers snapped a four-game slide to start the year, which included a tough overtime loss to Washington on Tuesday.
"Michael has been a head coach. Michael has been like my extension," Collins said. "One of the reasons I came here is because he came with him. He takes care of all the defense and does so much for me."
Thaddeus Young netted 16 points, Evan Turner contributed 12, while Andre Iguodala, Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams each had 11 in the resounding win.
Danny Granger was a woeful 2-of-14 from the field for seven points for the Pacers, who bested the Sixers in Indianapolis on Saturday. Darren Collison led Indiana with 11 points in defeat.
"Sometimes you're the pounder, sometimes you're the poundee," Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said. "We were the poundee tonight. They outplayed us in every category. Brand was a very tough opponent for us. We couldn't stop him and we couldn't make shots."
The Sixers jumped out to a healthy halftime lead by shooting 53.7 percent in the first 24 minutes and holding Indiana to 28.9 percent.
The hosts went on a 17-4 flurry over the final 4 1/2 minutes of the opening quarter, and Holiday had seven points during the run, including a steal in the backcourt that led to a slam.
The 31-16 margin ballooned to 57-31 at the break thanks to another late 14-4 Sixers spurt, which Turner finished with a jumper.
Indiana got as close as 15 on two occasions in the third, the last coming on a Josh McRoberts bucket with 3 1/2 minutes left that cut it to 69-54.
Williams' three-pointer at the end of the frame had Philly on top, 78-58, and the Sixers held a significant advantage throughout the final stanza.
Six Shots:
After teams made more free throws than they attempted in three of their first four games this season, the Sixers shot 21-for-25 from the foul line while the Pacers made 12-of-17...Holiday also had four steals and five assists...Indiana shooting 31.5 percent for the game, compared to 46.9 percent for Philadelphia...Indiana had won four of its previous five games in Philly...It was Collins' first win as a head coach since April 11, 2003 while with Washington.
Scout's Eye (Breaking down the Sixers):
F - Andres Nocioni - The Argentine has brought energy and defense to the starting lineup since replacing Jason Kapono but he had his second straight poor performance at the offensive end. Nocioni is best off the bench giving that nightly lift when the starters are a step slow. It would be nice if Thaddeus Young or Evan Turner could seize the starting job and enable Nocioni to come off the bench full-time.
F - Elton Brand - Brand seems to have regained his shooting touch and was really good tonight but he still lacks his old lift and explosion. Losing weight has helped and the veteran certainly knows what to do but his body doesn't always listen.
C - Spencer Hawes - Hawes easily has his best game as a Sixer against Indiana, connecting on
his first three shots and netting a season-high seven points by midway through the first quarter. He doesn't offer enough on the boards or at the defense end, however, but Curry was quick to note that he missed 16 practices in the preseason due to a balky back. As his conditioning improves, he should be able to offer more but Collins seems to have him penciled in as a guy that gives you six to eight minutes at the start of the first and third quarters.
G - Andre Iguodala - Iggy can be a frustrating player to watch because of his inconsistency at the offensive end but he is something special defensively when motivated. Iguodala didn't even take a shot in the first quarter and was content to check his USA Basketball teammate Danny Granger. When focused,
Iguodala is one of the top five perimeter defenders in basketball. He set the tone for the Pacers' poor offensive night by holding Granger to 1-of-5 shooting in the first. The All-Star and his team never recovered.
G - Jrue Holiday - The second-year point guard seems to finally be getting his sea legs after an awful start and outplayed his former UCLA teammate Darren Collison early. That said, more consistency is needed, especially with the jumper.
G/F - Evan Turner - The rookie was Collins' first sub tonight and played with more confidence, helping the club on the boards and as a playmaker. Usually when players are as talented as Turner they bring a certain swagger to the dance and I've yet to see that.
F - Thaddeus Young - The vaunted touch around the basket is back but Young needs to do more on the boards and at the defensive end to see a spike in minutes.
G - Lou Williams - LouWill is the one player flourishing under Collins early. The head coach has shown a ton of confidence in Williams' scoring ability and he has delivered for the most part. You would like to see the Atlanta native cut down on some of the bad shots and wild play but understand when he's on the floor and the shot clock is winding down, he has been Collins' bailout guy.
F/C - Marreese Speights - Speights has been the biggest disappointment in a host of disappointments early but finally showed signs of life tonight. Collins wants him to improve his conditioning and stop worrying so much about the offensive end. He did that against Indiana, hanging at the defensive end with the talented Roy Hibbert and giving Philadelphia 11 rebounds in limited minutes. Curry noted after the game that's what the Florida product needs to do if he wants more playing time.
F - Jason Kapono - Kapono offers some spacing thanks to his pure shooting skills and little else. Strictly a situational player at this point.
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