Sixers-Pacers Pregame Outline
Game #12: Philadelphia 76ers @ Indiana Pacers (8:00PM)
Location: Bankers Life FieldHouse, Indiana
Watch: NBC Sports Philly
Disappointing, that is the only word I can think of, to describe the Sixers 122-97 road loss to the Nets on Sunday. The Sixers looked abysmal for a majority of Sundays contest and shot a lack luster 20% from beyond the arc. The Sixers have struggled mightily on the road this season as they have yet to win a game and tonight things won’t get much easier.
The Sixers (6-5) go into Indiana (7-4) to take on a Pacers team that features one of the best players in the east, Victor Oladipo. Oladipo is coming off a 28 point performance against the Houston Rockets that saw him shoot 11-21 from the field and 4-11 from 3.
Tonight, the Sixers are going to need to see drastic improvement from their three point shooters. The Sixers are down 3% from three point range compared to last season. Last years Sixers shot 36.9% from beyond three, and in many games was the reason they dominated teams. Dario Saric’s very slow start to the season has hurt the Sixers from the beginning. I’m starting to believe Dario might work his way to the bench, if he doesn’t figure out how to get it going soon. His shots so far have looked incredibly flat and he hasn’t been great on defense.
Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid have been tremendous through 11 games. If this Sixers team wants to be a contender in the East, they need to play well every night. When Ben Simmons isn’t turning the ball over, he has the ability to take over games with his driving and passing ability. The Pacers matchup with Simmons will most likely be a familiar face in Thaddeus Young. Young played for the Sixers from 2007-2014, but has seen a significant drop off in scoring over the last few seasons.
Joel Embiid will draw Myles Turner as a matchup tonight. Joel is coming off his second worst point total of the year with 16 in Brooklyn Sunday night. I am certainly not worried, because in his three previous games Joel posted totals of 39, 41, and 31, and currently sits 2nd in the NBA in points per game with 28.4. Joel has been considered an MVP candidate through 11 games, but this Sixers team needs him to be dominant every night for them to contend.
If the Sixers can improve their 3 point shooting, and expose obvious mismatches, I don’t see why they can’t come out of Indiana with their first road win of the season. Consistency has been a big problem with the Sixers so far, so they need to figure out their identity and work through their star players.
