76ers vs. Pacers: Who is the Sixers' Fifth Starter?

The 76ers will have a tweaked starting lineup against the Pacers on Sunday.

The Philadelphia 76ers are back on the court Sunday night for a matchup against the Indiana Pacers. 

The matchup marks the first of two in a mini-series, as the Pacers will stick around the City of Brotherly Love and play another game at the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday. 

Sunday’s game will be the Sixers’ first this season without their starting forward, Kelly Oubre. Hours after the Sixers wrapped up a Saturday afternoon practice session in Camden, New Jersey, Oubre was struck by a motor vehicle in Center City near his residence.

Oubre was in stable condition and eventually released from a local hospital on Saturday night, according to a statement from the Sixers. As expected, the Sixers ruled him out for Sunday’s game against Indiana, as Oubre will work on recovering from a fractured rib.

Lately, Oubre has served as one of five starters for the Sixers. Although the team rolled out a starting lineup of Tyrese Maxey, De’Anthony Melton, Tobias Harris, Joel Embiid, and PJ Tucker to begin the year, Tucker found himself moved in the blockbuster trade between the Sixers and the Los Angeles Clippers, which left a void in Philly’s starting lineup.

Oubre benefitted from a promotion and started the previous five games for the Sixers. The athletic wing was thriving in his role with the Sixers but will have to shift his focus on his recovery from the incident.

The Sixers will now roll out a new starting lineup against the Pacers on Sunday night.

Nic Batum will get the call-up for Philadelphia after getting off to a hot start for the Sixers. Since getting traded away by the Clippers, Batum averaged 23 minutes off the bench for the Sixers. He’s shot an impressive 70 percent from the field while averaging six points per game. 

While he’s only played with the starting group for 12 possessions, the lineup posted a plus-16 on the floor, with an effective field goal percentage of 61, and holding opposing offenses to just 37 percent in the effective field goal percentage category.