PHILADELPHIA – Danny Granger had 30 points and 12 rebounds, and the Indiana Pacers kept their slim Eastern Conference playoff hopes alive with an 85-76 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.

Indiana won its fourth straight, and entered Friday trailing No. 8 Atlanta, which played New York, by two games in the race for the final playoff berth. The Pacers have three games to go, and even though they hold the tiebreaker against the Hawks, they still likely need to win their final three games to have a chance at the postseason.

Philadelphia dropped into a tie for the No. 6 seed in the conference with Toronto, which beat New Jersey, following one of its worst shooting performance of the season.

The 76ers made just 35 percent of their field goal attempts (33-for-95) and shot a season-worst 43 percent from the foul line (9-for-21). They missed 11 of 12 shots from beyond the 3-point arc and misfired on 12 of their first 14 shots in the fourth quarter, when Indiana put the game away with a 15-4 run.

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. Andre Miller, who scored 23 points, and Thaddeus Young, who added 21, were the only 76ers players in double figures.

Indiana took advantage of some dismal first-half shooting by the 76ers to lead 43-37 at the break. Philadelphia shot 31.3 percent from the floor (15-for-48) and didn’t fare much better from the free throw line, where it shot just 6-for-14.

The Pacers seemingly scored at will on the interior, holding a 28-10 advantage in the paint. Miller kept the 76ers close with 11 first-half points, including a 10-foot turnaround jumper right before the buzzer.

Granger made sure the Pacers maintained their six-point margin in the third quarter, scoring 15 points and repeatedly keeping Philadelphia at bay. He hit a 3-pointer early in the quarter as Indiana went up 48-37, hit a big bucket when the 76ers pulled to 58-56, and scored five quick points late in the period after Philadelphia got to 62-59.

Notes: Indiana swept the season series 3-0 The Pacers tied their longest winning streak of the year and have won 10 of 13 Philadelphia set a Wachovia Center record for worst team free throw shooting in a game.

AP-ES-04-11-08 2138EDT