The Philadelphia 76ers were looking to keep their winning ways going on Saturday when they paid a visit to the Indiana Pacers. Philadelphia entered the contest winners of seven straight games and was looking to sweep not only this three-game road trip, but also the season series with the Pacers.
They also entered the night short-handed as James Harden and PJ Tucker were held out due to injuries. Considering it was the second night of a back-to-back for the Sixers, it made sense.
Luckily for the Sixers, they were able to have their star big man as well as their rising star guard. Joel Embiid had 31 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists to lead Philadelphia to another easy 141-121 win over the Pacers while Tyrese Maxey added 31 points and seven assists.
Tobias Harris chipped in with 24 points and five rebounds with four assists, De’Anthony Melton added 14 points, five rebounds, five assists, and six steals, and Georges Niang added 10 off the bench. Paul Reed also had 10, Shake Milton had nine and five assists, and Jalen McDaniels had seven.
Here are the player grades following the win:
Considering Harden was out for this one, they needed Maxey to step up and be the second guy next to Embiid. He was aggressive from the get-go as he was able to get into the paint with his aggressiveness and he was knocking down deep triples. His offensive ability in this one was impressive. Indiana sent a lot of pressure toward him, but instead of wilting, he went straight to the basket and he was aggressive. He also took advantage of some lazy defense by knocking down shots when they backed off. He was terrific all-around in this one to give the Sixers a big boost.
This was a very good Melton game. He was a pest on the perimeter defensively and he was aggressive with his offense in the early going. His ability to force turnovers on the defensive end and also take advantage of his open opportunities on offense gave the Sixers a big spark off the bench in this one. Philadelphia needed it. Overall, he was phenomenal and Philadelphia needed this effort with them being so short-handed.
Drawing the start with Philadelphia missing Tucker, the Sixers received some nice production out of House Jr. He played well defensively and he knocked down a triple on the offensive end. He has been playing very well since he re-entered the rotation in early March and is making his case to earn some playoff…
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