Allen Iverson has no problem passing up a
potential winning shot when he knows the ball is going to Kyle
Korver.

Korver made a go-ahead jumper with 6.5 seconds left, and Iverson
returned from a three-game absence to score 27 points in the
Philadelphia 76ers' 89-88 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday
night.

"You see a guy in his second year who's able to hit a big shot
like that, it says a lot about him as a player," Iverson said.
"It says a lot about his confidence and the confidence the
coaching staff and we have in him."

Korver hit five 3-pointers and shot 6-for-9 overall to finish
with 17 points. He has 126 3-pointers, fifth on the Sixers'
single-season list. He sank at least four 3s for the 14th time this
season.

"I sometimes feel like I'm in a real groove and that's how I
felt tonight," Korver said. "I felt like I shouldn't have missed
many shots."

Kenny Thomas scored 12 for the Sixers, who opened a four-game
homestand.

Stephen Jackson scored 25 points and Jermaine O'Neal had 21
points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers, who lost their fifth
straight.

The Sixers sure are getting used to these dramatic wins against
the Pacers. In November, Iverson beat them with the first
buzzer-beating shot of his nine-year career on a 14-footer in
overtime.

"I was thinking maybe I could get another game-winner against
that team," Iverson said.

Indiana led 88-87 when Thomas made a nice little hook pass to
Samuel Dalembert under the basket. Dalembert, though, had his dunk
blocked by O'Neal, the Pacers recovered and Jackson was fouled.

Jackson, playing his fourth game since returning from a 30-game
suspension for his role in the brawl in Detroit, missed both free
throws with 15.1 seconds left.

Iverson, who had missed three straight games with a shoulder
injury, dribbled down the lane, ran into O'Neal and kicked it out
to Korver, who was coming off a screen. With no one in front of
him, the mop-topped guard sank a 20-footer from the left side and
moved the Sixers (21-23) into first place by a half-game over
Boston in the Atlantic Division.

"Our main goal is to win the Atlantic Division. We don't care
about records," Iverson said.

Jackson's missed free throws were his only misses in seven
attempts, leaving him inconsolable in the locker room.

"If I hit the free throws, we win the game. I take full
blame," Jackson said. "If they say it wasn't my fault, they're
wrong. I apologized to my teammates."

Each team had plenty of chances, but neither gave the other much
room in the fourth. There were 17 lead changes and 11 ties in the
game.

The Sixers' 81-78 lead was erased on a 3-pointer by Fred Jones
with 4:48 left. Jones then gave the Pacers an 88-85 lead with 1:29
left when he made all three free throws after he was fouled by
Iverson on a 3-point attempt.

Iverson, the NBA's leading scorer, cut it to 88-87 on a couple
of free throws, and the Pacers never scored again.

"Every game is important for every team fighting for the
playoffs right now," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "This is
just another missed opportunity."

Indiana closed the third with a 21-8 run to wipe out a 10-point
deficit. Reggie Miller hit a 3-pointer to tie the score and O'Neal
put the Pacers ahead 63-62 on a 17-footer from the left side.

O'Neal also had three blocked shots and the Pacers finished with
nine overall.

Game notes
Pacers PG Jamaal Tinsley left in the second quarter with a
sprained left foot and did not return. ... Jones finished with 12
points. ... Sixers F Glenn Robinson, who has not played this season
and made few appearances with the team, was in the locker room
before the game. ... Actor Jamie Kennedy ("Malibu's Most Wanted")
was at the game. ... The Sixers have played nine more road games
than home games this season, but that starts to even out in
February. They play eight of their 11 games at home and two of the
road trips are to New York and New Jersey. ... Corliss Williamson,
Iverson and O'Neal were whistled for technical fouls.