The Philadelphia 76ers (42-22) played the penultimate game of their current five-game road trip against the Indiana Pacers (29-37) while missing two starters. With Tobias Harris and P.J. Tucker on the mend, the Sixers played in a game that featured almost no defense and won 147-143.
Let's break down the Sixers' win over the Pacers.
Sixers player notes:
Joel Embiid: 42 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 11-16 FG shooting
Embiid took it right to the Pacers, drawing fouls with ease and putting Myles Turner in foul trouble early. His ability to make free throws is somewhat flying under the radar compared to his ability to draw them, as he shot 19-19 from the charity stripe. The big fella wasn't super engaged on defense for much of this one and although no one really was, the responsibilities to get his squad right on that end fall to him, especially with Tucker sitting out. In the end, he still did plenty to get Philly in the win column.
James Harden: 14 points, 9 rebounds, 20 assists, 3-11 FG shooting
With how easy it was for him to drive, Harden might as well have gotten escorted to the paint by the Pacers. He notched a double-double with just under four minutes left in the first half and leaned more into playmaking as the game went on. Several of his teammates outscored him and he was more than happy to make that the case.
Tyrese Maxey: 24 points, 0 rebounds, 2 assists, 8-13 FG shooting
Maxey was the main bucket-getter in the Sixers' hot offensive start as he sunk four triples early on, which tied a career-high for threes in a single quarter, and scored on other key buckets throughout the game. He jumped at just about every pump fake someone put on him, though, which played a noticeable part in Philly's defensive woes.
Jalen McDaniels: 20 points, 8 rebounds, 0 assists, 8-13 FG shooting
McDaniels made the most of his first start with the Sixers. He made himself an open target off the ball several times and gave them some good rebounding. His chemistry with Harden, in particular, was working tremendously.
Pacers player notes:
Tyrese Haliburton: 40 points, 3 rebounds, 16 assists, 12-19 FG shooting
Fresh off of hitting the game-winner in a big road win against the Chicago Bulls yesterday, Haliburton dropped eight points and seven assists in the first quarter. He was on fire, scoring on threes and tough runners alike and rarely missing on shots inside the arc while throwing incredible assists. His pushing of the pace set the tone for the game and made each of his teammates better.
Jordan Nwora: 16 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 7-12 FG shooting
Haliburton got his entire supporting cast involved but no one particular guy stepped up to be the main secondary scorer/shot creator. Nwora was second on the team in scoring with plenty of teammates closely behind. Bennedict Mathurin (13 points) scored in the paint consistently, T.J. McConnell (12) pushed the envelope and Buddy Hield (15) and Jalen Smith (14) hit some threes.
Game recap:
1st half
With Tucker (back spasms) and Harris (left calf contusion) both out, De'Antony Melton and McDaniels moved up to the first group. Melton guarded Haliburton while McDaniels guarded Hield. The Pacers had Nwora guard Harden and put Nembhard on Maxey.
McDaniels' activity on the glass helped the Sixers secure second-chance opportunities and he scored seven points of his own. Meanwhile, Haliburton got to wherever he wanted and Nembhard turned two Philly turnovers into a pair of fastbreak layups. Embiid drew two early fouls on Myles Turner and scored his first four points from the foul line before registering a shot attempt.
Maxey's quartet of triples in the first quarter got the Sixers going as they coasted out of the gate. Obviously, it's no surprise that they didn't come with their most fervent energy after spending it in such a huge win on Saturday. They somewhat found themselves playing Indiana's game: getting up shot after shot with little defense. The Swiss cheese defense from both sides resulted in a 39-38 Indy lead at the end of the first quarter.
Harden led the bench unit of Milton-House-Niang-Reed to start the second quarter. Process Sixer legend T.J. McConnell provided an offensive spark in his first few minutes. Georges Niang missed the chance to build on his great game on Saturday by committing three fouls, though he did also contribute five points in his first shift.
The lead jumped back and forth as both teams failed to get consistent defensive stops. Indiana scored on six straight offensive possessions, with each shot coming in the paint. Philly responded with a barrage of threes and transition layups. Haliburton torched Philly, including with a 30-foot buzzer-beater to put the Pacers up 79-78 at the break. Each team shot over 60 percent from the field.
2nd half
With the defensive responsibilities evaporating into thin air, Embiid tried to get them back by providing some stout rim protection. Indiana started pressing a bit more up the court but Embiid put their defensive anchor back on the bench by making Turner commit his fourth foul. Melton having four fouls himself didn't help matters, though. Shake Milton, who stepped in to play a few more minutes, shot the ball well and threw an insane pass to Maxey as he fell out of bounds that led to three points.
McDaniels' off-ball movement made him a key safety net for the trio of Embiid, Harden and Maxey, who carried the load for Philly. Contrastingly, Haliburton was an elite one-man show surrounded by a bunch of guys who could score in different ways. Danuel House Jr. made one of his patented step-back triples to snap a brief Indiana run but Hield came through with his third triple of the third quarter.
The Sixers went up by six at one point in the third quarter before the Pacers quickly took the lead back. Each team showed bodies at both Embiid and Haliburton but it didn't work. Embiid went through or over whoever stood in his way while Haliburton, at the very last second of his drives, contorted his body to face his teammates and throw them an accurate pass. The game was tied at 114 entering the fourth quarter.
An 11-4 run made possible by rare defensive plays (a Paul Reed block and a McDaniels steal) put the Sixers in front to start the final frame. McDaniels also did his hyper-fouling thing again with three infractions in two minutes. Milton gave Philly the first double-digit lead of the game as Indiana faltered with Haliburton on the bench.
Haliburton came into the game just as Embiid did. Turner tried to throw down an MJ dunk over Embiid and he came down hard on the Sixers superstar's head but he stayed in the game. Doc Rivers played a four-guard lineup around him in the fourth quarter but the offense went cold. Haliburton, McConnell and the Pacers applied some pressure and managed to crawl back into it.
Melton came through with some big plays: a steal and fastbreak that led to free throws, a corner triple, a tight catch on a bad inbound pass and an offensive board. Indiana tried to come back but it wasn't enough. This time, Philadelphia came out on the right end of a ridiculously high-scoring game.
Random thoughts:
- Danuel House Jr. had a great game highlighted by one of the greatest almost-made shots of all time. He shot very efficiently and dropped a few spectacular dimes.
- Bill Kennedy's delivery of replay calls is simply terrific.
The Sixers will finish their road trip with yet another back-to-back as they play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.
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