November 14, 2023
The Sixers hosted the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night for the second time in three days, with this contest being part of the NBA's In-Season Tournament. Philly dropped the game 132-126, snapping an eight-game win streak. Here is what stood out in the contest between the two teams that are 1-0 in Eastern Conference Group A:
• It was a rough start for the Sixers defensively, who allowed Indiana's pace and shooting to bother them en route to 14 points in just the first three and a half minutes of the game. Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton continues to be a thorn in the Sixers' side due to his ability to thrive as both a scorer and creator for others. He and Obi Toppin led an early Indiana surge.
• Tobias Harris, though, kept the Sixers afloat early with some timely scoring. He poured in eight points to open the game while Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey combined to miss their first four shots. Harris entered the night coming off a 19-point performance in which he shot 9-20 from the field, marking his least efficient performance of the season.
• Embiid missed his first couple of looks, but quickly got into a rhythm. He forced Pacers starting center Myles Turner into foul trouble in fewer than five minutes. Two minutes later, Turner's backup, Jalen Smith, had to hit the bench with two fouls as well. Indiana's third-string center, Isaiah Jackson, naturally, finished the period with two fouls. Embiid's ability to wipe out an entire center rotation is absurd. He finished the first quarter with 14 points, four rebounds and three assists.
• Haliburton went nuclear in the first quarter, scoring 12 points and making all four of his shots -- each coming from beyond the arc. Nic Batum defended him on Sunday night, but missed Tuesday's game. Covington opened the game defending him, with De'Anthony Melton and Patrick Beverley getting cracks at him later in the first quarter.
• Much like he did on Sunday night, Maxey got things going early in the second quarter when Embiid began his rest. Maxey hit another nasty step-back three, a move that has become a crucial part of his offensive package. He burst to the rim for a few nifty layups.
• The Sixers continued to give Indiana's bigs issues with fouling even when Embiid rested in the second quarter. However, they failed to take advantage of a golden opportunity. The Pacers were forced to put much smaller players like Aaron Nesmith and Obi Toppin on Embiid, and the Sixers had a chance to take over the game. Instead, they looked sloppy and like they had no idea how to take advantage of such advantageous circumstances.
• The Sixers entered halftime trailing by nine points. The biggest reason: three-point shooting differential. Indiana knocked down 11 triples before intermission, the same amount of threes that the Sixers attempted. The Sixers only made three of those, giving the Pacers a +24 advantage from beyond the arc.
• The Sixers went to a three-guard lineup in the third quarter featuring Maxey, De'Anthony Melton and Patrick Beverley, the first time they've done so since opening night. They didn't stick with it for too long, but it gave them decent production for a few minutes against a very small Indiana lineup. Look for the Sixers to potentially give this another try before Kelly Oubre Jr. returns from injury.
• Melton has struggled offensively for much of the season, particularly from beyond the arc. Perhaps this was a breakout game for him, as he was able to get hot and give the Sixers some very timely scoring from both beyond the arc and the paint, as well as the free throw line. It was his best all-around scoring game of the season so far, despite a less than phenomenal defensive performance. Melton ended up pouring in 30 points, a huge offensive game by his standards. Unfortunately for the Sixers, he did have to grapple with foul trouble.
• Sixers head coach Nick Nurse opted to go with Marcus Morris Sr. in the rotation tonight. Morris Sr.'s minutes were once again subpar -- he knocked down one jumper, but was otherwise silent offensively and was taken advantage of on the defensive end of the floor. Early season experimentation is good and fine, but this one might have to end rather soon.
• Harris had a scary-looking neck injury after a brutal collision with Indiana's Bruce Brown. He was forced to check out of the game due to concussion protocols, but moments later checked back in and instantly bullied his way into a bucket, getting the crowd as loud as it had been all night. Harris' durability as a Sixer has been very impressive.
• Here's a crazy thing: after Harris got up, he could not shoot free throws because he was placed in concussion protocol. But, because it was a head-related injury and not a normal one, Harris was allowed to reenter the game despite not shooting. Indiana chose KJ Martin to shoot the free throws, and he missed both. About 15 minutes of real time later, the referees realized that the Sixers should have been the ones to choose the shooter, not the Pacers. So Maxey was given two free throws and he made both. A wild occurrence!
• Turner, despite dealing with foul trouble all night, was able to make a huge impact late for Indiana as a scorer, both inside and from beyond the arc. The Sixers, meanwhile, looked completely out of sorts offensively down the stretch, triggering some boos from the crowd. Haliburton knocked down the dagger three with about a minute left that incited the fans to head for the exits.
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