After recent disappointments, the Philadelphia 76ers and visiting Indiana Pacers aim to pick up the pieces when they square off Monday.
Philadelphia had won six of its last eight games prior to dropping three of four over the past week.
The team had a pair of two-game series — two road games with the Toronto Raptors, followed by two home games against the Cleveland Cavaliers. That stretch ended with a 117-115 defeat to the Cavs on Friday.
Joel Embiid led the team with 33 points, while Tyrese Maxey added 22 points despite shooting 9 of 23 from the field. The Sixers led by seven points going into the fourth quarter before crumbling down the stretch.
“Obviously, this one wasn’t very good,” Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse said. “I think we were really great early, but I think right now we’ve got to get better.”
As they arrive at the midpoint of the season, the Sixers continue to search for an offensive rhythm. Their starting lineup features three veterans in Maxey, Embiid and Paul George — all of whom have missed significant time over the last season and a half — as well as youngsters VJ Edgecombe and Dominick Barlow.
“They’re finally hitting a stride with spacing and passing,” Nurse said. “Paul could get a little more involved offensively, and more time together will help.”
Edgecombe has been a pleasant surprise for Philadelphia this season, although he has only attempted 22 shots over his last three games.
“I’ve got to do a better job of just getting him the ball more and telling him to be aggressive,” Maxey said.
Indiana essentially played a bench game against the Detroit Pistons on Saturday. Virtually every key player for the Pacers either rested or sat out due to an injury in the 121-78 defeat.
Jarace Walker led the Pacers with 13 points despite making just 4 of 12 shots from the floor. As a team, Indiana shot 35.4%, with poor numbers from 3-point range (8 of 35) and the foul line (14 of 27).
“These guys battled,” said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. “We didn’t shoot it well. We didn’t play well offensively, but they battled all game. … I thought these guys fought hard.”
The first half was particularly ugly. The Pistons outscored the Pacers 31-11 in the first quarter and 59-25 in the first half. That was by far the fewest points in any half by Indiana this season.
“I feel like we definitely got better looks in the second half,” said Walker, who was joined in double figures by Tony Bradley (12 points), Isaiah Jackson (10) and Ethan Thompson (10). “A lot of guys got a lot of opportunities to play, so maybe next game we’ll be more comfortable out there, more together. But a tough night.”
This is the second of four meetings between the teams this season. The Sixers won the first matchup, also at home, 115-105 on Dec. 12, with Embiid scoring 39 points. Edgecombe added 22 points for Philadelphia, which played without Maxey due to illness.
–Field Level Media
