Three takeaways from Indiana Pacers In-Season Tournament win over Philadelphia 76ers
The Indiana Pacers got their best win of the season on Tuesday night, taking down the Philadelphia 76ers on the road during In-Season Tournament play. Despite Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey combining for 66 points, the Pacers got it done.
"[We're] just coming out here playing with energy," Pacers forward Obi Toppin said during an interview at halftime of the Bally Sports Indiana broadcast of the game. He had an excellent night.
It was a great performance for the Pacers. Everyone who played contributed, and they adjusted well from their loss in Philly on Sunday night. Despite losing Jalen Smith mid-game, they were still deep enough, and talented enough, to take down the previously 8-1 Sixers.
The win pushed the Pacers to 7-4, and they are 2-0 during In-Season Tournament play. Indiana currently sits on top of Group A with two games remaining during the Group Stage round.
The blue and gold will hope to build off of the victory in their upcoming stretch of games, and they have a four-day gap beforehand to regroup and practice a bit. That should only add to the momentum they gathered on Tuesday.
The takeaways from Indiana's big win are all positives for a team trending in a positive direction.
Tyrese Haliburton is on fire
Haliburton, the Pacers star guard, just wrapped up perhaps his best-ever two-game stretch. In a pair of outings against the 76ers, the 23-year old finished with 58 points, 32 assists, and zero turnovers while shooting 62.5% from the field.
He was brilliant in every way. He could score, shoot, and set up his teammates all night, and the Pacers outscored the 76ers by 23 with Haliburton on the floor across the two games. It was an unbelievable stretch of play.
On Tuesday, Haliburton finished with 33 points, seven rebounds, and 15 assists. He made seven threes and led the offense. The Sixers adjusted in an attempt to slow him down, but it didn't work. He is playing at an All-NBA level this season, and it's been huge for the Pacers.
"Put the ball in his hands and good things [are] gonna happen," Toppin said of Haliburton during the Bally Sports Indiana broadcast of the game.
The Pacers adjustments won them the game
On Sunday, Philadelphia grabbed 23 offensive rebounds and got 87 points from Embiid and Maxey. At the same time, despite not entering the game until the second quarter, T.J. McConnell had a big impact for the Pacers.
Those three things highlighted the key adjustments for Indiana. If they cleaned up those three items, they would have a chance to win on Tuesday. For a young team, adjustments and attention to detail would be key.
They were ready for it. Last night, Philadelphia finished the game with just five offensive rebounds. Maxey and Embiid were great but scored 21 fewer combined points — Bruce Brown defended Maxey well. McConnell got in the game earlier, which helped the blue and gold avoid playing from behind.
In tandem, those things all helped the Pacers play much better than they did two nights before. McConnell finished with 11 points, and Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse noted that Indiana defended Maxey differently. Those adjustments, combined with a focus on the glass, helped the blue and gold get a big win.
"We knew the discrepancies that we had in the last game, 50/50 balls, rebounding," assistant coach Jenny Boucek said of what the Pacers were doing better during a halftime interview on the Bally Sports Indiana broadcast. She said the Pacers were playing their style of game, and that helped them take down Philadelphia
Obi Toppin had his best game of the season
The Pacers have needed someone to step up alongside Haliburton to win games this season. On Tuesday, everybody played well, but Toppin raised his level to a new height to help earn a victory for his team.
Toppin finished with 27 points, a season-high figure, as well as six rebounds in the win. He made 12 of his 15 shots. All night, Toppin's cutting made life difficult for the 76ers on defense, and his finishing around the basket was superb.
He combined that output with a great defensive game. Toppin, as well as Aaron Nesmith, had the task of slowing Embiid for a few minutes with Indiana's centers in foul trouble. They were up for it and hindered the former MVP.
Toppin got it done on both ends when the Pacers needed him most. He was excellent, and the Pacers don't win that game without his contributions.
The Pacers now have four days off before their next game as they host the Orlando Magic on Sunday. They'll look to get a winning streak going then behind Haliburton, Toppin, and overall solid play.
- Indiana Pacers and center Daniel Theis agree to contract buyout. CLICK HERE.
- Ben Sheppard scores first NBA points in front of family in Boston, off to a solid start for the Indiana Pacers. CLICK HERE.
- Bennedict Mathurin shows that he can be the player that the Indiana Pacers want. CLICK HERE.
- Indiana Pacers take down Philadelphia 76ers on the road for In-Season Tournament victory. CLICK HERE.
- Follow AllPacers on Facebook: All Pacers SI
- Follow AllPacers on Twitter: @SIPacers
