Dec 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) shoots the bal in front of Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Joel Embiid left the game and did not return after taking a hit to the right side of the face late in the first half. The Pacers got whatever shot they wanted as the Sixers' two-game winning streak came to an end.
Here's what I saw.
- Fresh off a few days of practice, the Sixers put together an impressive stretch of halfcourt defense ahead of the game's first timeout. They put the schematic focus of the week's sessions to good use, switching everything to deny dribble penetration. All yellow jerseys were accounted for. All Sixers knew where to be. When the Sixers were set, Indiana was not getting to the basket. Philadelphia reduced them to jumpers from Myles Turner - an outcome that you'll live with even though he's a capable shooter.
- Kudos to Andre Drummond and Ricky Council IV, who pumped life into the building and woke the Sixers up after the Pacers took an 18-point lead late in the third quarter. Drummond gets credit for being a force on the glass, keeping possessions alive for Philadelphia or limiting Indiana to one shot on their end. Council gets credit for doing what Ricky does - full speed ahead, don't stop until they foul you or you cause an earthquake with a building-shaking dunk. He was a thorn in the Pacers' side, getting to loose balls and slamming on the gas in transition. They had a ton of trouble keeping up with him, and it got the Sixers some relatively easy opportunities to score.
- There's a reason I specifically mentioned halfcourt defense in the first bullet of the 'Likes'. The transition defense was horrendous. With six turnovers and two offensive rebounds on 11 missed shots, there was a lot of transition offense for Indiana. It wasn't the first attack in transition that did the damage. It was the swing passes that stemmed from having favorable numbers that hurt Philadelphia. As good an example as any was Tyrese Haliburton taking a blow torch to the nets, scorching the nylon for four triples on seven attempts in the first quarter. Philadelphia completely lost the plot with Haliburton in the first quarter, helping ignite a Pacers offense that didn't really have anything going otherwise.
- On the topic of Haliburton, cannot recommend going zone less than when he's on the floor. Just gifting him looks from three.
- Between the offense and the transition defense, the Sixers being their own worst enemy was the theme that persisted. The mistakes they made on offense were nonsensical at times. You won't draw my strongest criticism with the occasional bad pass. But, the live-ball turnovers on dribbling was total nonsense basketball. Paul George fell victim to the rear poke-away trying to navigate a ball screen in space early in the game. Embiid tried to play point guard with the Sixers fighting to get off the ground in the second quarter and immediately lost the ball on a crossover. It's magnified when Embiid is the culprit, the bulky knee brace limiting his mobility to get up the floor to defend in time.
- Embiid left the game after taking an impact to the right side of his face late in the second quarter and did not return. The Sixers say he will undergo further testing. I've never seen an athlete with his health luck (or lack thereof).
- Nice of George to show up in the fourth quarter. Too little too late, though. You could see him pressing to make things happen for the Sixers early in the fourth quarter. To his credit, he made some difficult shots. But, the Sixers could've used his assertiveness and control much earlier in the second half.
- Hard to win when you don't even compete in the math battle. 25 attempts from three to Indiana's 38. Not going to cut it.
The Sixers (7-16) will visit the Charlotte Hornets (7-17) on Monday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., Eastern time. You can watch the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
