The Philadelphia 76ers are in Indianapolis to take on the Pacers on Saturday as the team is dealing with another extended period without Joel Embiid. The Sixers are in the midst of a four game losing streak and are just 3-7 over their last ten games. The team has battled injuries and poor shooting for the entire season and in the middle of the toughest part of their schedule, things aren’t looking any better for them. Meanwhile, the Pacers are 8-2 over their last ten and are coming off a win over the Pistons on Thursday night.
Sixers game information
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (15-24) at Indiana Pacers (23-19)
When: 7:00 pm EST
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis IN
How To Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA League Pass, Bally Sports South/Midwest/Indiana
Latest on the Sixers
With the news coming out that All-Star center Joel Embiid is now out for at least the next 7-10 days with swelling in his left knee, the Sixers are in the midst of a tough stretch of games and can’t afford to be missing many players. Yet, here we are with, in addition to Embiid, KJ Martin and Jared McCain for the long term as well as Caleb Martin and Kyle Lowry for tonights game. Andre Drummond, Geurschon Yabusele, and Paul George are also all listed as questionable for the game against the Pacers.
Not much has gone right for a Sixers team that expected to be challenging the Celtics for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. They took the Knicks to overtime on Wednesday night before losing 125-119 on the strength of Tyrese Maxey and Paul George combining for 59 points, 9 rebounds and 12 assists. It just wasn’t enough to hold off the Knicks but the Sixers were able to get some positives out of the game.
Kelly Oubre Jr. had a bounce back game with 16 points and 10 rebounds on 7-11 shooting after a few rough games for the forward. Eric Gordon has shown some life as of late, averaging 11.8 points per game over his last five games.
Justin Edwards has started to show why he was considered to be a top pick in the draft just two years ago as he’s averaged 17.5 points per game over his last two games. He’s done so while shooting 59.1% from the floor and 46.2% on his three-point attempts while showing energy and defensive skill in the minutes he’s been given.
Latest on the Pacers
The Pacers are 7-1 since the start of the new year with their only loss coming this past Tuesday to the NBA leading Cleveland Cavaliers. They returned on Thursday to handle the Pistons, 111-100, shooting 46.1% from the floor and 43.3% on their three-point attempts. The Pacers are one of the top three point shooting teams in the league and will look to continue this against a Sixers team that can’t seem to stop teams from connecting from beyond the arc.
Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton are leading a Pacers squad that has seven players scoring in double figures on a nightly basis. Siakam is averaging 20.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists on the season to lead the team in scoring. Halliburton is right behind him with 18.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game, where he’s tied for 4th in the league in assists per game. The Pacers still have Benedict Mathurin who’s averaging 16.5 points and 6 rebounds per game as well as Myles Turner averaging 15.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
While Indiana doesn’t have a great defense, the team is 11th in offensive rating and shoots well, which has been a problem for teams like the Sixers who can’t seem to stop opposing teams. The Pacers, against an injured Sixers outfit, will look to move the ball and get points from as many players as possible as they aim to take advantage of a mismatch.
What to watch for tonight
With the Sixers, it’s become more of a question of who you should watch for on any given day. They have featured a continually changing starting lineup and rotation which doesn’t bode well for any team looking to win and stay consistent. To head coach Nick Nurse’s credit, he’s begun utilizing players like Ricky Council IV and Justin Edwards, two younger players that can move and score with more minutes on the floor. The coach has had to adapt to Embiid not being on the floor as well as key reserve center Andre Drummond dealing with own injury issues.
What you’ll get tonight is plenty of Tyrese Maxey. He is third in the league, averaging 37.7 minutes per game and he’s had a tough go of it this season shooting just 42% form the floor and 33.1% on his three-pointers, which are well below his career averages. While Maxey is scoring at the highest rate of his career, his shooting and shot choices have come in to question this season.
With the amount of injuries, especially with Caleb Martin missing time, the Sixers have leaned on rookie Justin Edwards the past two games and the young Philly native has responded well. He’s shooting well, providing defense at multiple positions and looks to get more comfortable on the court and with the speed of the NBA game with each outing.
Edwards, if he continues his upward trend, would be a huge steal for the Sixers after going undrafted this past season and is getting to show the talent that made him a top high school recruit.
Prediction
Pacers 113 – Sixers 102
Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images
