Indiana Pacers take down Philadelphia 76ers on the road for In-Season Tournament victory
The Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers squared off in In-Season Tournament action on Tuesday night, the second straight game between the two teams. They battled on Sunday night, with the Sixers walking away victorious.
It was going to be important for the blue and gold to start strong and slow down Philly's stars. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey scored 87 points on Sunday night, so the Pacers were going to need to be better defensively.
On the first 76ers possession, they went to a pick-and-roll featuring the two stars. But the Pacers got a stop, and they ended up scoring first. Their start on Tuesday was much better than it was on Sunday.
After just over three minutes, the Pacers led 12-6. Given how poorly they played in the first quarter two nights prior, they had to be thrilled with that start. On their next possession, Obi Toppin dunked in transition to give Indiana an eight-point lead, and the 76ers took an early timeout.
Tobias Harris scored Philly's first eight points, and just after his fourth make, Myles Turner committed his second foul on Embiid. After just over four minutes, the Pacers had to make a substitution in response. Jalen Smith checked in early.
Smith, though, had foul trouble also. Three minutes later, he had to check out for Isaiah Jackson in the frontcourt. It was going to be a long night for Indiana if their frontcourt couldn't stop Embiid.
The former MVP started to dominate after Indiana made subs. Through just under seven minutes, Embiid had eight points, four rebounds, and three assists. That helped Philly reclaim the lead at 22-21.
The Pacers responded with a 10-2 run, led by star guard Tyrese Haliburton. He made several early threes to keep the Pacers ahead. After one quarter, Indiana led 36-30. Haliburton already had 12 points and four assists while Embiid had 14 points and four rebounds.
Maxey hit a three-point shot to open the second quarter, a scary sight for the Pacers after his strong outing on Sunday. The Pacers had answers, but the Sixers lineups with Maxey running the show remained lethal. Philly cut the lead down to two before Haliburton returned to the game.
Indiana scored a few quick points, but their momentum was halted when Marcus Morris slammed into Smith and knocked him to the floor. Smith was injured and had to head back to the locker room, so the Pacers center depth took a hit. They were without Daniel Theis, and Turner as well as Isaiah Jackson were dealing with foul trouble.
Obi Toppin had to fill in as the Pacers center for a few minutes, and he was having a solid night up to that point. The blue and gold kept rolling on offense in the early moments with Toppin at the five.
That group kept rolling. Toppin and Aaron Nesmith double teamed Embiid before he even caught the ball, and that plan worked for the blue and gold. They led 63-54 at halftime, and Haliburton had 20 points at the break. Embiid had 18.
The second half opened with news that Smith was being transported to the hospital for evaluation for his head injury. That meant the Pacers were down a few big men, and Turner and Jackson were going to have to be great.
On the court, the Pacers started the third quarter with a strong offensive surge. After two minutes, they led by 13 points. But the 76ers answered with a 6-0 run, and Indiana took a timeout.
That helped the Pacers stabilize, and they maintained a similar lead for the next few minutes. But during that stretch, Turner committed another foul and Bruce Brown limped out of the game with an injury. Indiana's depth was drying up, but they were still scoring enough to keep a lead.
The blue and gold took a 10-point lead with 4:12 to go in the third quarter, but the Sixers responded with a 7-0 run in just 68 seconds. Indiana took a timeout to regroup late in the frame.
Coming out of the timeout, Philly had more force. But it didn't help them take a lead. Indiana led 95-94 after three periods, but they lost momentum late in the third quarter.
To begin the last quarter, the teams went back and forth. Harris had to leave the game to have a concussion looked at, but he returned a few moments later and the Sixers trailing by three.
Maxey, who had been struggling to that point, hit a huge stepback three to tie the game up with just over nine minutes to play. On the next Philadelphia possession, the emerging star guard hit two free throws to give his team the lead for the first time since the opening quarter. Indiana couldn't afford to let him get going.
After a long stoppage while the officials reviewed an earlier play, the Pacers went on an 11-2 run to take the lead at 117-111. They needed that stretch desperately. The blue and gold had been losing momentum for much of the second half.
With four minutes to go, Indiana led 117-116. It was going to be a close finish. The Pacers offense was going to have to carry them.
Myles Turner stepped up, scoring a few vital points on the next few possessions. The Pacers needed him to be great late, and he was. That gave Indiana a cushion heading into winning time.
Tyrese Haliburton extended the lead and hit a dagger three with 1:03 to go. It gave the Pacers a 9-point lead, and after some clutch foul shots, they held on to win 132-126.
It was the best win of the season for Indiana, who improved to 7-4. They now sit on top of Eastern Conference Group A in the In-Season Tournament. Haliburton finished with 33 points and 15 assists. Toppin had 27 points and six rebounds.
Embiid and Maxey were both great, but the Pacers got it done. They next play on Sunday when they host the Orlando Magic.
- Exclusive: Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner donates gift cards to kids, talks about the Indiana Pacers season. CLICK HERE.
- Isaiah Jackson's block on Victor Wembanyama was the highlight of a productive week for the Pacers' patient young center. CLICK HERE.
- Bennedict Mathurin shows that he can be the player that the Indiana Pacers want. CLICK HERE.
- Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid were too much for the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night. CLICK HERE.
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