SPORTSTICKER NBA PLAYOFF PREVIEW (INDIANA-PHILADELPHIA) Indiana at Philadelphia 8:00 pm EDT PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- The Philadelphia 76ers proved they could push the Indiana Pacers to the limit in the first two games of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. Tonight they hope to prove they can beat them. Allen Iverson scored 13 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, but the Sixers came up just short for the second straight game in an 85-82 loss to the Pacers on Wednesday. Indiana, a heavy favorite entering the series, won the first game, 94-90 on Monday. Sixers coach Larry Brown, who coached the Pacers for four years before signing a five-year, $25 million deal with Philadelphia, was happy with his team's performance in the first two games. "Was that a great game or what?" Brown said after rookie Larry Hughes and Iverson both missed potential tying 3-pointers in the final seconds Wednesday. "I'm so proud of my team. I commented to the referee late in the game ... He told me, `Your team's got a big heart.'" Rik Smits scored 25 points for the Pacers, who remained unbeaten in the playoffs with their 12th straight postseason home win. Indiana has opened double-digit leads in each of the first two games only to watch them shrivel under the Sixers surges. "It's very disturbing that we blew big leads two nights in a row but it was great to get two wins," Smits said. "We seem to be able to play well the first half and somehow the tone changes and we're able to let things slip away." The Pacers are looking to return to the conference finals after suffering a heartbreaking seven-game defeat to Chicago last season. The Sixers hope to get there for the first time since 1985. Philadelphia won both of its home games in a four-game ousting of Orlando in the first round. Game Four will be in Philadelphia Sunday afternoon.  