The Sixers expect Brand to play as they try to rebound from consecutive meltdowns and get back to .500 with a home game against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night.

Philadelphia (23-24) won 10 of 12 games from Jan. 6-30, pulling one game over .500 for the first time since it was 7-6 on Nov. 23. It made that surge despite missing Brand for eight of those games due to a dislocated right shoulder.

While things appeared to be falling into place for the Sixers when Brand came back Jan. 24, they haven't been able to sustain their success.

Philadelphia blew a 12-point fourth-quarter lead in an 85-83 loss to New Jersey on Saturday night before giving up a seven-point lead in the final 3:27 of a 100-99 loss to Boston on Tuesday night.

After Sixers guard Andre Iguodala broke a 97-all tie with a 16-foot jumper with six seconds remaining, Celtics guard Ray Allen answered with a game-winning 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds left.

"It was a great game," Sixers coach Tony DiLeo said. "I was proud of the guys. They played hard. I'm proud of the way they played. This will test their character a little bit. I know this team. I know how competitive they are and we'll bounce back."

That'll be easier if Brand can get healthy. The two-time All-Star forward, who signed a five-year, $80 million deal to join the Sixers in the offseason, has averaged 5.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in six games off the bench since missing a month with the shoulder injury.

In the clearest sign yet that Brand hasn't fully recovered, he played with a protective covering on the shoulder Tuesday. He was held scoreless in eight-plus minutes in the first half, and didn't play in the second half because his shoulder was stiff.

DiLeo said after the game Brand probably could have played, and he expects him to be available Thursday.

Like the Sixers, the Pacers (19-30) struggled to close out their last game. Indiana led by as many as nine points in the fourth quarter of its 116-111 loss to Minnesota on Tuesday night.

Pacers point guard T.J. Ford, who entered the game shooting 89.3 percent from the free-throw line, missed four free throws in the final period, including two in the last 21 seconds.

"I definitely let the team down," said Ford, who had 14 points and seven assists. "I had an opportunity more than once to tie the game or take the lead. I just wasn't able to come through in the clutch for my team. I have to sleep on that one tonight."

Ford probably slept just fine after his last game against the Sixers on Dec. 20. He scored 25 points and made a game-winning jumper with 3.9 seconds left to give the Pacers a 95-94 victory - their fifth in their last six games in Philadelphia.

In these teams' other meeting this season, the Sixers got 25 points and 10 rebounds from Thaddeus Young to win 94-92 in Indianapolis on Nov. 14.