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Apr. 23: Pistons 105, Sixers 88

The AP reports: The Detroit Pistons looked a lot like the team that reached the last five Eastern Conference finals. Rasheed Wallace scored 11 of his 16 points in the first quarter and had plenty of help at both ends of the court in a 105-88 series-evening victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 2 on Wednesday night… Wallace was one of four Pistons scoring in double figures as they took a 17-point halftime lead, while the 76ers had only Andre Miller, who scored 11 of his 14 points in the first half… Richard Hamilton finished with 20 points and seven assists, Tayshaun Prince and Antonio McDyess both added 16 points and rookie Rodney Stuckey had 12 after being held scoreless in his playoff debut… Philadelphia reserves Louis Williams (17), Reggie Evans (13) and Rodney Carney (11) all scored career playoff highs.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Pistons shot 54.9%, the Sixers just 39.5%. Both teams struggled from three-point range but the Sixers were worse at just 1-for-6. The Sixers got 35 free throw attempts but only hit 23, while the Pistons went 11-of-15. The Pistons dished 26 assists, the Sixers just 12.

Apr. 20: Sixers 90, Pistons 86

The AP reports: Andre Miller scored 20 points and Willie Green had a career playoff-high 17, helping the 76ers stun Detroit 90-86 Sunday in Game 1 of their first-round series. Sixers forward Reggie Evans smiled when told the Pistons were shooting the breeze with Flip Murray during breaks in the game… Rasheed Wallace took the blame for the loss—despite having 24 points, nine rebounds and matching a franchise playoff record with seven blocks—but didn’t think blowing a big lead had anything to do with talking to Murray… Andre Iguodala Iguodala made two free throws with 7 seconds left to seal the win… Iguodala finished with a career playoff-high 16 points after a slow start, Evans had a career playoff-high 11 points and 14 rebounds and Thaddeus Young scored 10 for the Sixers in his postseason debut. Billups scored 14, Richard Hamilton had 13 points on 5-of-17 shooting, Maxiell contributed 12 points and a career playoff-high 11 rebounds and Prince added 12.

Apr. 16: Bobcats 115, Sixers 109

The AP reports: Jason Richardson scored 29 points and the Charlotte Bobcats recovered from blowing a big lead to beat Philadelphia 115-109 on Wednesday night, sending the 76ers to the playoffs on a four-game losing streak… Willie Green scored 27 points and Andre Iguodala scored 24 for Philadelphia. They were the only starters to play more than 24 minutes… Richardson was 3-of-7 on 3-pointers to finish with 243 this season, the fourth-most in NBA history. But it was one of few bright spots for the Bobcats, with first-year coach Sam Vincent facing an uncertain future after Charlotte’s fourth straight season out of the playoffs. Emeka Okafor added 24 points and nine rebounds in his final game before becoming a restricted free agent for the Bobcats, who finished 32-50.

Apr. 14: Cavs 91, Sixers 90

The AP reports: The 76ers saw Devin Brown’s shot fall short, heard the buzzer and darted toward the locker room for an apparent victory celebration. Game over? Not so fast. Officials reviewed the final sequence for several minutes before deciding that Sixers center Samuel Dalembert fouled Brown with 0.2 seconds left and brought Philadelphia back to the court for the free throws. Minutes after the game was seemingly over, Brown sank the pressure-packed free throws to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 91-90 win over the Sixers on Monday night and clinch the fourth seed in the East… LeBron James scored 27 points, Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 22 and the Cavaliers clinched home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs… Andre Miller scored 26 points and Lou Williams had 21 for the struggling Sixers, who have lost all the momentum built during a torrid 11-4 March that shot them up the East standings.

Apr. 12: Wizards 109, Sixers 93

The AP reports: Gilbert Arenas finally looked like Agent Zero again, just in time for the Washington Wizards to put the Philadelphia 76ers out of reach. After a week-and-a-half of passive basketball since returning from a knee injury, Arenas took over the game by scoring 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter Saturday night in a 109-93 victory over the 76ers… Arenas was a sub again Saturday, playing 25 minutes, but he was 7-for-14 with seven rebounds and five assists… Antawn Jamison added 25 points and 13 rebounds for the Wizards, who have won four of five. Washington recovered well from a 102-74 loss at Detroit on Friday night. Andre Iguodala had 22 points, seven assists and six rebounds to lead Philadelphia. His 3-pointer with 8:29 to play was the only field goal of the final quarter for the 76ers, who have lost three of four to dampen a strong surge over the second half of the season.

Apr. 11: Pacers 85, Sixers 76

The AP reports: Danny Granger scored 15 of his 30 points in the third quarter as the Pacers kept their slim Eastern Conference playoff hopes alive with an 85-76 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night… “We knew Atlanta was winning,” said Granger, who also had 12 rebounds. “We knew we had to have this one.” … While Andre Miller paced the 76ers with 23 points and Thaddeus Young scored 21, three of the young players who have contributed to Philadelphia’s surprising midseason resurgence struggled with miserable nights from the floor. Willie Green (2-for-14), Lou Williams (2-for-12), and Rodney Carney (1-for-11) combined to hit five of 37 shots.

Apr. 9: Sixers 101, Pistons 94

The AP reports: Having locked up the No. 2 seed in the East, the Pistons once again gave their reserves significant minutes. On the other hand, the game was a meaningful one for the Sixers, who remained in the sixth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, a game ahead of Toronto and a game behind Washington, who both won Wednesday night… Andre Iguodala scored 25 points, hitting a season-high four 3-pointers, and Samuel Dalembert added 20 points and 13 rebounds for Philadelphia. Willie Green scored 15 and Lou Williams had 12 points and 7 assists off the bench… Chauncey Billups had 18 points to lead Detroit, which already has locked up the No. 2 seed in the East and again gave its reserves significant playing time. Tayshaun Prince, Antonio McDyess and Rasheed Wallace all played fewer than 30 minutes and scored in single digits. Richard Hamilton (hip) missed his fifth straight game.

Sam Dalembert can see the future

The Philadelphia Daily News (Phil Jasner) reports: He said the 76ers would make the playoffs. He said they would be in the top five in the East. He said they would finish the regular season with the No. 4 seed. Samuel Dalembert swears he said all of those things. As it turns out, he was closer to the truth than virtually anyone who predicted anything about the Sixers. Dead last? Struggling to win 20 to 25 games? Preparing for one more lonely ride up the New Jersey Turnpike to the lottery? None of the above. Going into tomorrow night’s game against the Detroit Pistons, the Sixers are already holding 39 victories, four more than all of last season. Instead of playing for pride or incentive bonuses or new contracts, they are battling for postseason positioning.

Apr. 5: Hawks 92, Sixers 85

The AP reports: Joe Johnson scored 22 points, Josh Smith added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and the Hawks built a big lead and held off the Philadelphia 76ers 92-85 on Saturday night. Marvin Williams contributed 18 points, Al Horford had 10 points and 12 rebounds, and Mike Bibby had 10 points for the Hawks (36-41), who responded after losing to the Sixers 109-104 on Friday in Atlanta… Andre Iguodala scored 25 points for Philadelphia, which had clinched a playoff berth for the first time in three years with Friday’s win. Andre Miller added 18, Lou Williams and Rodney Carney had 13 apiece and Samuel Dalembert had 10 rebounds for the 76ers (39-38), who had their two-game winning streak snapped. Still, they have won 21 of their last 29 games.