Pascal Siakam's triple double leads Indiana Pacers past Philadelphia 76ers and snaps losing streak
The Indiana Pacers hosted the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night for the third and final duel between the two teams this season. It was Philadelphia's first game since MVP Joel Embiid scored 70 points on Monday.
The Pacers have always struggled with Embiid, but they were going to hope to slow him down while scoring enough to keep up with the red-hot 76ers. That's easier said than done, though, as they blue and gold found out back in November.
Early in the game, the Pacers did a good job slowing the superstar big man and got a few early stops. That led to success on the offensive end as Indiana jumped out to a 6-0 advantage. They set the tone for the evening in the first few minutes.
Indiana kept pushing and was ahead 15-6 after four minutes of action. They were playing terrific basketball early and forced the 76ers to take the first timeout of the game. It was a dream start for the Pacers.
Newcomer Pascal Siakam was rolling early. He had six points, four rebounds, and two assists before half of the first period was over. The recently-traded forward had the ball in his hands more, and he was taking advantage.
The 76ers surged in the next few minutes as they were able to cut the lead to six at 21-15. Embiid was rolling after a slow start, and Philly's bench was impactful.
But the blue and gold had an answer. After a stoppage, they flew back up to a huge advantage — they pushed the pace on offense and defended with enough force to cause errors. With three minutes to go in the frame, they were up by 13.
The Sixers were the better team to close the period, but not by much. Indiana was ahead after 12 minutes 34-25. Siakam had eight points, six rebounds, and five assists early. Embiid had 13 points at the time.
The second period opened with back-and-forth play from both teams, with the 76ers slowly cutting into the lead. Tyrese Maxey was playing well at the time to guide a mini-comeback.
Bennedict Mathurin turned the tide for the Pacers. He attacked the rim and knocked down shots, which propelled his team's lead back to 14 points. The young guard had 10 points at the time — when he is clicking, he is tough to slow down.
Philly kept fighting and maintained a similar deficit for the next few minutes. Embiid returned to the game with about 7.5 minutes until halftime with the hopes of cutting into that number.
His appearance didn't change much. Embiid was dealing with knee pain at one point, and the Pacers took advantage — they were able to maintain a significant lead. They went up by as much as 17 in the first half with everyone playing well.
The 76ers were better for the final few minutes of the half, but they were still in a big hole. At the break, Indiana was ahead 73-61. They had five players in double figures with Siakam leading at 13 points.
The second half started with fantastic play from the Pacers, who were able to get their lead over 20 in less than two minutes of action. Their speed and efficiency were overwhelming the 76ers.
Philly took a timeout at that point, but they still couldn't stop the Pacers enough to catch up right away. Their lead remained near 20 points for the next several minutes as they tore apart the 76ers fourth-ranked defense.
The same Sixers were struggling on offense as well. They were cold from three, and Embiid had a bunch of points but was far less impactful than he has been in recent games. Even during Philadelphia's best stretches, they weren't putting much of a dent in the deficit.
Indiana kept rolling on the offensive end and was up by 26 points with two minutes to go in the third quarter. Around that time, Siakam reached 20 points and had a double-double. It was his best game in a Pacers uniform so far.
The Pacers were ahead 110-89 through three frames. They were playing excellent basketball. Siakam and Myles Turner both had 20 points for the blue and gold at the time — Embiid had 31.
The fourth quarter started with more good play from Indiana, who maintained their 20-point lead for the first four minutes. Both teams had full bench lineups in, and Indiana's depth has been rock-solid all season.
Isaiah Jackson made several key defensive plays for the home team in that stretch. His rim defense stopped many 76ers shots, which kept momentum on Indiana's side. Even with their offense stalling somewhat, they stayed on top of the scoreboard.
Philly made an important run in the next few minutes, and they cut the lead down to 13 with under five minutes to go. Suddenly, the 76ers had life again. They still had work to do, but their reserves were doing well to keep the game interesting.
The 76ers called a timeout with just over four minutes to go down by 14. That break actually helped Indiana, who extended their lead coming out of the break. At that time, Siakam dished out his 10th assist — it was his first triple-double in a Pacers uniform. He had 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists at the time.
With 2:17 to go, the Pacers were up 18. The game was as good as done. Indiana just needed to run out the clock for an impressive victory against a great Eastern Conference foe.
In the end, the Pacers held on to win 134-122. They needed that victory — it snapped a three-game losing streak. They improved to 25-20 with the result.
Siakam finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. Turner added 20 points and nine rebounds. Andrew Nembhard (19 points) and Aaron Nesmith (16) each played well on both ends.
The Pacers next play tomorrow night when they host the Phoenix Suns.
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