The Philadelphia 76ers are in Indianapolis on Tuesday night to take on the Pacers, looking to get a winning streak going. The Sixers are coming off a huge 135-108 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night, while the Pacers are in the midst of a three-game losing streak, including a 134-130 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night.
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (31-26) at Indiana Pacers (15-43)
When: 7:00 p.m. EST
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind.
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA League Pass
The Sixers were enduring a painful four-game losing streak when they went to Minnesota on Sunday night and put on a show. Tyrese Maxey finished with 39 points and eight assists on 16-28 shooting, but more importantly, he was 4-7 on his three-point attempts. Rookie, VJ Edgecombe had 24 points and seven rebounds while shooting 6-7 from long-distance. The two guards, arguably the two best players throughout the season, put together a great game when the team needed it most.
Head coach Nick Nurse lit a fire under his team against the Wolves, and it showed in their defense and transition play. Kelly Oubre Jr. finished with 18 points, and while his shooting wasn't on for most of the night, his four steals led the team, which had 14 steals.
That defense led to a 21-5 differential in points off turnovers, which helped the Sixers pull away. The team was also better prepared for the second half, as they won the third quarter 26-20, which is huge for a team that's had issues all season long, and helped them relax in the fourth quarter instead of fighting back.
Having Maxey and Edgecombe, combined with Quentin Grimes, who finished with 19 points, shoot 15-22 from three-point range, helped the Sixers shoot 56.8% from beyond the arc. If they're going to make a push for the playoffs, they'll need their three top guards to work as well as they did against the Wolves.
For Indiana, the season seemed lost in the Finals last year when their star, Tyrese Haliburton, tore his Achilles tendon and was lost for this season. Things haven't gotten any better since then, as they currently have 13 players listed on their injury report. Leading scorer Paskal Siakam is doubtful for tonight's game, with TJ McConnell and Andrew Nembhard listed as questionable, and Aaron Nesmith is out. That leaves Jarace Walker as the team's top option.
After a 50-win season, the loss of Haliburton and the NBA Finals left the team in a tough position, yet there had to be some belief that it would still be competitive this season, just not at the level it was last year. At this point in the season, the team is just being battered with injuries and doesn't look like they'll be getting much better.
For a team that reached the Finals just last season, the Pacers have an offense ranked in the bottom three in the league, while their defense and three-point shooting both rank 21st. It's hard to imagine, for people outside of Philadelphia, that one man can change so much for a team, but the loss of Haliburton has sunk the Pacers, at least for this season.
As the Pacers sit at the very bottom of the Eastern Conference, the Sixers shouldn't have a very hard time getting a victory, especially since, after missing five games, Joel Embiid could return for tonight's game. Coach Nick Nurse will look to have the guard trio of Maxey, Edgecombe, and Grimes ready to fire away and get the team moving.
The defense, especially against a battered Pacers team, can build on what they did against a good Wolves team. Clogging passing lanes and the paint, working the boards on both ends, and getting into transition and scoring off turnovers will be key to putting away the Pacers early.
The hope is that the team doesn't play down to the Pacers' level and instead keeps its foot on the gas as they march towards the playoffs and a higher seeding in the conference. If they're able to maintain the level of play from Sunday night's game, this one will be out of control rather quickly. More highlights from Maxey and Edgecombe are certainly in the works, but seeing players like Oubre Jr. and Grimes start to come around is huge for the team as they approach the playoffs.
Sixers 128 - Pacers 123
