How the Pacers can beat LeBron and Embiid-less 76ers

Indiana is on a 2-game winning streak and playing their best basketball of the season. They’re looking for a third win against one of the best teams in the NBA — the Philadelphia 76ers.

These two teams faced each other on October 28, and the 76ers got the 114-109 victory. Tyrese Maxey took over in the fourth quarter scoring 17 of his 27 points and and the offense of Philadelphia came to life to erase a 13-point Pacers lead.

A lot has changed for the Pacers since that game, as they are healthier and playing a better brand of basketball.

Here are three ways Indiana can beat the 76ers.

1. Taking Advantage of No Joel Embiid (or Adem Bona)

Oct 24, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) looks on against the Milwaukee Bucks during the fourth quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

During the Pacers first matchup against the 76ers, Joel Embiid scored 21 points on 9-14 shooting from inside the arc in 39 minutes. He was extremely efficient inside the arc and the Pacers were without Ivica Zubac.

Fast forward 18 days later and the roles are reversed: Embiid is out and Zubac is healthy. Philly's center rotation won't just miss Embiid --who is out with right plantar fascia management-- but backup Adem Bona has also been ruled out with a cervical spine sprain. LeBron James or Dean Wade are the most likely players to get the nod to start at center and this could go one of two ways.

We just saw the New York Knicks play Zubac off the court late in the fourth with their floor-spacing big, Karl-Anthony Towns. Big Zu was still able to do some damage in his 26 minutes of play with 12 points and 13 rebounds, but this version of the 76ers could make his matchup more difficult.

On the flip side, this could be the perfect opportunity for the Pacers to relentlessly attack the center-less 76ers by getting Zubac looks around the basket early and often. Indiana dominated the paint against New York on Friday and that was a huge reason why they won the game and got to the foul line. If the Pacers can get Big Zu the ball in the restricted area to add easy points and/or put the weakened 76ers team into foul trouble, this is a huge advantage in their favor.

7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall is on a two-way contract with Philly and is the only traditional big man they roster. In 2 games this season, Fall has played a total of four minutes. It is clear that the 76ers perfer to play without him regularly in the rotation, but they might not have any other options if Indiana uses Zubac to dominate the small-ball matchup.

2. Limiting Philadelphia's Fast Break Opportunities

koj lbj — Oct 28, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward LeBron James (23) dribbles the ball while Indiana Pacers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (10) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Despite how talented the 76ers are, they rank 20th in half-court offense. The ball can stick in their half-court sets and it turns into a lot of isolation basketball versus sharp ball movement to generate good looks. LeBron is their best passer on the team and he is constantly looking to hit the open man he has the ball in his hands.

In the last two games, Indiana's defense has only allowed one quarter where the team scored over 30 points. It has been sharper, more physical, they have defended well without fouling and there has been a huge emphasis on rebounding the basketball.

If Indiana can find a way to keep the 76ers off the offensive glass, defend the three-point line tighter to avoid clean looks, and force them to make tough drives that will be a huge advantage in this game. The Pacers also need to be sharper on allowing backdoor cuts. New York abused Indiana with this in their game Friday night, allowing to many easy looks at the rim.

3. A Healthy Status for Nembhard and Nesmith

The Indiana Pacers submitted their injury report for Sunday's game at around 4:00 on Saturday, and Andrew Nembhard was not originally on the list. Fast forward a few hours, and the Pacers social media accounts shared that he was questionable to play due to a sore left hip.

In addition to Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith hurt his hand on the second-to-last play of the game against New York on Friday, and exited with an injury. He is questionable for this matchup against the Knicks and is looking to stack another game of efficient shooting and terrific defense.

With Indiana already shorthanded in the back court, not having Nembhard would put a lot of pressure on T.J. McConnell, Quenton Jackson and Braden Smith to lead the charge. This would also take away Indiana's best point-of-attack defender and Tyrese Maxey will be licking his chops with a significantly weaker group of defenders standing in his way.

Nov 11, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Aaron Nesmith (23) in the first half against the Washington Wizards at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Lastly, Nesmith seemed to really hurt his hand after he slipped on the overdramatic designs of the NBA Cup court.

With a faster game expected to be played with the 76ers lacking centers, not having one of the stronger point-of-attack defenders in the league could hurt the Pacers. Oubre and Slawson have gotten better over the early portion of the season, but they need all the reinforcements they can when dealing with their guard-and-wing depth.

If Indiana can slow-down Philly's big 3 of James-Maxey-Brown, this would make life a lot easier for the Pacers. While there is no chance that they can contain all three of them, they would struggle in multiple ways if Nembhard and Nesmith both miss.

You can follow me on X @AlexGoldenNBA and listen to my daily podcast, Setting The Pace, wherever you get your podcasts.

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