Well-rested Sixers looking for third straight win vs. struggling Pacers

The Philadelphia 76ers are back! Hope you enjoyed the break.

The Sixers have been enjoying some much-needed rest as “punishment” for not making it out of the group stage of the NBA Cup. On Friday night, they return to work and host the Indiana Pacers at the Wells Fargo Center. Neither squad has played since last Sunday – the Pacers fell to the Charlotte Hornets and the Sixers defeated the Chicago Bulls for their fourth win in their last five contests.

Every W feels great after starting the season as poorly as the Sixers did, but possibly an even bigger win for the team on Sunday was how well Joel Embiid performed in his first game in over two weeks. For the first time in a long, long time, Embiid looked like himselfled Philadelphia with 31 points on 13-of-28 field goal shooting, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocks.

With the excitement of the performance, however, came a big question: after playing 33 minutes Sunday, how would Embiid’s knee react? Well, for once it looks like the best case scenario is actually unfolding! Embiid was a full participant in team practice on both Wednesday and Thursday and was not on the squad’s injury report Thursday night. The Sixers’ Big 3 of Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey are all set to take on the Pacers.

Philadelphia will be without Caleb Martin (shoulder strain) and Adem Bona (knee tendinopathy). The Pacers have a few injuries of their own with Aaron Nesmith, Isaiah Jackson, James Wiseman and Ben Sheppard all out.

This is a matchup that the Sixers will want to take advantage of to keep their foot on the gas as they turn around the start of their season. Philadelphia already has a win over Indiana this campaign, topping the Pacers 118-114 in overtime on Oct. 27, led by a 45-point bomb from Maxey. That said, both teams’ starting lineups will look drastically different on Friday they did that nightso I wouldn’t use that game to set any expectations.

Overall, the Pacers have struggled to recreate the success that brought them to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Indiana is currently 10th in the East at 10-15, with 11 losses coming on the road, and has lost five of their last six contests, four of which came at the hands of sub-.500 teams.

Pascal Siakam leads the Pacers with an average of 19.7 points, shooting 52.5% from the floor and a career-best 41.1% from beyond the arc with 4.3 triples attempted per game. match. Behind him is 22-year-old Bennedict Mathurin, who has stepped into a bigger starting role because of all the injuries for Indiana, averaging 17.8 points per game. match. Six-foot-11 center Myles Turner (the only healthy center on the roster) is averaging 15.3 points per game. game as well as 7.1 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per match.

Guard Tyrese Haliburton is also up at 17.5 points per game, but has struggled early this season by his standards, especially compared to last season. Through the first 15 games of 2024-25, Haliburton averaged 15.3 points and shot just 37.5% from the floor and 28.4% from long range — both career-worst percentages. Hali has seemingly started to turn a corner in the last 10 contests, averaging 20.7 points on 48.3% field goal shooting and 40.0% three-point shooting, but it hasn’t been enough to turn the tide for the Pacers yet ‘ fortunes. .

(The Pacers also have former Sixer TJ McConnell, who just scored a career-high 30 points on 14-for-19 field goal shooting Sunday against the Hornets — I’m mentally preparing for him to have an even better game against the Sixers on some way, because of course he wants to.)

With the squad pretty much the healthiest it’s been all season, the Sixers have an opportunity to pick up their third straight win when they face a Pacers team with plenty of issues of their own.

Philadelphia and Indiana give notice at 7 p.m. ET.

Game details

WHO: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Indiana Pacers

When: 19:00 ET

Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA

Clock: NBC Sports Philadelphia

Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic

Follow: @LibertyBallers