TONIGHT IN THE NBA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Indiana at Philadelphia 12:30 pm EDT Eastern Conference semifinals Indiana leads, 3-0 ---------------------------------------------------------------- PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- The Philadelphia 76ers hope to avoid being swept in a seven-game series for the first time in franchise history today when they host the Indiana Pacers in Game Four of the Eastern Conference semifinals. After playing the Pacers tough in Games One and Two at Market Square Arena, the Sixers disappointed the revved up crowd at the First Union Center by fading down the stretch in a 97-86 loss on Friday. Allen Iverson scored 32 points but was just 2-of-10 in the final period as Indiana pulled away. The Sixers, making their first postseason appearance since 1991, were ousted in three straight games by New York in a first-round series in 1989. No team has ever won a best-of-seven series after losing the first three games. Indiana is looking for its first four-game sweep since moving over from the American Basketball Association in 1976. The Pacers are seeking their fourth trip to the conference finals this decade and the player that helped them to the previous three has led them to the brink again. Reggie Miller scored 29 points in Game Three, including 13 in the first quarter, to help contain the hostile crowd. "With all the hoopla in this city, we wanted to get into the game as quickly as possible," Miller said. "They play well here. We watched them manhandle Orlando in their first series, so we wanted to get into it early." Chris Mullin scored 15 points for the Pacers, who remained the only unbeaten team in the playoffs at 6-0 Game Five, if necessary, will be at Indiana on Wednesday. Atlanta at New York 3:00 pm EDT Eastern Conference semifinals New York leads, 2-0 ---------------------------------------------------------------- NEW YORK (Ticker) -- The New York Knicks look to put a stranglehold on their Eastern Conference semifinal series this afternoon when they host the Atlanta Hawks in Game Three at Madison Square Garden. Latrell Sprewell scored 31 points for the second straight game as the Knicks rolled to a 77-70 victory at the Georgia Dome on Thursday to take a commanding 2-0 series lead. New York is 18-2 all-time when winning the first two games of a playoff series. The Knicks have not blown a 2-0 advantage since 1993 when Chicago stormed back to win the final four games of the conference finals. The Hawks have dropped the first two games of a postseason series 14 previous times and have never recovered from that deficit. Steve Smith, the Hawks' leading scorer during the regular season and usually a thorn in the Knicks' side, was stone cold from the floor in Game Two. He scored nine points on 2-of-16 shooting as Atlanta shot 30 percent. "There's only one way (to go) -- up," Smith said. "We can shoot better than this. You have to let it go and know it's a seven-game series and look at the tape and see what you did wrong. Both teams played defense. You see the score, it's pretty much a Knicks-Atlanta game. Unfortunately for us, they played a little bit better." Sprewell played more than "a little bit better" than his backcourt mate Allan Houston in Game Two. Houston, who had a game-high 34 points in New York's 100-92 win in Game One, was 1-of-8 and scored just two points on Thursday. But Sprewell more than compensated for Houston's poor night, sinking half of his 16 shots and going 15-of-19 at the line. "We got a win, that's all that matters," Houston said. "I wasn't hitting shots, so I was doing whatever I could to do something out there." Patrick Ewing scored 12 points and Marcus Camby gave New York a spark off the bench with 11 and 13 rebounds. Ewing, hampered by an aching Achilles tendon and a strained rib, logged 37 minutes but was limping noticeably throughout the contest. Ewing's fellow Georgetown alumnus, Dikembe Mutombo, had eight points and 17 rebounds for the Hawks, who posted an 80-71 victory in their only visit to the Garden this season on March 22. Game Four will be here on Monday. San Antonio at LA Lakers 5:30 pm EDT Western Conference semifinals San Antonio leads, 3-0 ---------------------------------------------------------------- INGLEWOOD, California (Ticker) -- The San Antonio Spurs look to complete the first four-game playoff sweep in franchise history today when they face the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Four of the Western Conference semfinals. The Spurs have outgutted, outsmarted and outhustled the Lakers in taking a commanding 3-0 lead in this series, calling into question once again whether Los Angeles is just a big collection of misguided talent. The Lakers hope to avoid being swept out of the postseason for a second straight season as well as saving some face in front of the Great Western Forum faithful. The Lakers were outclassed in four games by Utah last season and have not given any indication that they can be the first NBA ever to overcome a 3-0 series deficit. With David Robinson hampered by foul trouble, Tim Duncan took control. Duncan scored 37 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lift the Spurs to a 103-91 victory on Saturday. Jaren Jackson collected 22 points and Avery Johnson added eight. They combined to make a series of clutch shots down the stretch as San Antonio scored the game's final 13 points. The Spurs, who came into existence as an American Basketball Association team in 1973, have swept two best-of-five series but have never won the first four games of a seven-game set. "I want to finish the series (today)," Duncan said. "We've played three games where we've had to give it out to the end. We're finding ways to get it done because we keep playing defense." Shaquille O'Neal had 22 points and 15 rebounds but did not have a basket in the final nine-plus minutes for the Lakers. O'Neal, who came to the Lakers to be the centerpiece of a team that was supposed to return to the top of the league, is on the verge of being swept out of the playoffs for the fifth time in six years -- dating to his days in Orlando. "Personally, I'm not going to mail it in," O'Neal said. "We just have to come in and play with a lot of dignity, play with a lot of pride, just play. I don't want to mail it in." The Spurs have exhibited great depth in the series as their reserves have outscored the Los Angeles bench by a 59-22 count. Game Five, if necessary, will be at San Antonio on Tuesday. Utah at Portland Sunday 8:30 pm EDT Western Conference semifinals Portland leads, 2-1 ---------------------------------------------------------------- PORTLAND, Oregon (Ticker) -- The Portland Trail Blazers try to push the defending two-time Western Conference champion Utah Jazz to the brink of elimination tonight in their Western Conference semifinal series. The Trail Blazers took a 2-1 lead in the series with a resounding 97-87 victory on Saturday, opening a 21-point lead in the first half. After going blow-for-blow before prevailing down the stretch in a tight Game Two, the Blazers simply muscled their way to an easy win on Saturday. Brian Grant had 16 points and 15 rebounds, Rasheed Wallace added 20 points and Arvydas Sabaonis added 15 and eight as Portland dominated the interior and used a 19-0 run spanning the first and second quarters to put Utah away early. Karl Malone had 25 points and 14 rebounds, but most of them came after his team was out of contention. The Jazz had 12 turnovers against 11 baskets in the first half and showed their frustration with a handful of technical and hard fouls. "The Blazers kicked our rear ends right from the beginning," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "Portland had all the energy. We just showed up. I can't accept. That's the worst thing in pro basketball, when you don't even show up to play." Even if they do "show up", the Jazz have a couple of things working against them entering Game Four. They have dropped eight of their last 10 games at the Rose Garden and the Blazers have never lost a series after taking a 2-1 lead. "We just have to play with more sense of urgency," Malone said. "We hate to lose anytime and we went through a stretch when it was embarrassing." Portland coach Mike Dunleavy, who received his NBA Coach of the Year award from Comissioner David Stern prior to Saturday's game, has entrusted his point-guard duties to the solid combination of Damon Stoudamire and Greg Anthony. The two combined for 21 points on Saturday as well as limiting John Stockton to 17 combined points over the last two games. Game Five is in Utah on Tuesday.  