Philadelphia’s backcourt tandem of Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey combined for 58 points, and the 76ers held off the visiting Indiana Pacers 131-124 on Sunday.
Playing without big man Joel Embiid, who sat to manage issues with plantar fasciitis, Philadelphia leaned on its perimeter players to carry the load.
Brown shot 12-of-18 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range, en route to a game-high 31 points. Maxey knocked down five of his 10 3-point attempts and scored 27 points, all but two of which came in the first three quarters.
Maxey connected on the last of his triples just before the end of the third quarter, extending the Philadelphia lead to 10 points.
The Sixers pushed the advantage to as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter of what was a closely contested affair most of the way. Indiana whittled away at the gap in the final period behind an outstanding stretch from Pascal Siakam.
Siakam scored 19 of his game-high-tying 31 points in the fourth quarter through a combination of baskets at the rim, mid-range jumpers and free throws.
Siakam’s efforts gave the Pacers a chance to equalize down the stretch, but Philadelphia reserves Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Dean Wade held Indiana off with six quick points.
Caldwell-Pope’s 3-pointer, followed by Wade’s and-one dunk set up by a feed from LeBron James, effectively put the Pacers away. For James, the assist was one of a game-high 11 as he posted a double-double with 15 points.
Two of James’ points came on one of Maxey’s six assists, a thunderous alley-oop dunk on a fast break.
All five starters scored in double figures for Philadelphia, with Jabari Walker and VJ Edgecombe each adding 11 points to complement Brown, Maxey and James. Wade and Anfernee Simons each finished with 12 points off the bench, and Caldwell-Pope scored nine.
Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 16 points for Indiana. Quenton Jackson chipped in 15 points and eight assists, and Aaron Nesmith and TJ McConnell scored 12 points apiece.
–Field Level Media
