Shorthanded Sixers fizzle in fourth quarter at Indiana Pacers for fifth consecutive loss
Unorthodox lineups and the loss of starters due to injury have the Sixers reeling in the midst of a road trip.
INDIANAPOLIS — Ricky Council IV shook free for a driving dunk, slicing what had been a double-digit Pacers’ fourth-quarter lead to six with about three minutes to go. Then the 76ers got two consecutive defensive stops, but could not capitalize on the opposite end when Council missed an open three-pointer and Tyrese Maxey misfired on a short jumper.
Opportunity lost. And the fifth consecutive game — lost.
A Myles Turner jumper and Ben Sheppard three-pointer sparked the Pacers’ final surge to finish off a 115-102 victory over the still-shorthanded Sixers on Saturday night inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“Just needed one of those to go, but they didn’t,” coach Nick Nurse said after the game. " … Hung in there really good on a lot of things.”
The Sixers (15-25) continued to play without superstar center Joel Embiid, whose knee swelled up following a workout earlier in the week after a sprained knee kept him sidelined for the previous six games. All-Star Paul George (groin) also missed Saturday’s game played in the city where he began his prolific NBA career. And big man Guerschon Yabusele, who had been the only Sixer to play in all 39 games entering Saturday, also sat out with knee swelling.
That left the Sixers with a starting lineup including Council (18 points, nine rebounds, and three steals), Eric Gordon, and a back-from-injury Andre Drummond alongside regulars Maxey (28 points) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (18 points and eight rebounds). Other personnel groupings peppered in rookies Justin Edwards, Adem Bona, and two-way guard Jeff Dowtin Jr.
There was even a second-quarter stretch when big men Drummond and Bona shared the floor. The rookie was the surprise offensive contributor for the Sixers, going 5-of-5 from the floor for 12 first-half points, while also pulling down six rebounds and igniting the bench with three rim-rocking dunks.
» READ MORE: We’ve seen the best of the Sixers with Joel Embiid. What a mess. What a shame. | Mike Sielski
Those unorthodox lineups largely hung around until late in the third quarter, when the Pacers (24-19) finished the period on a 10-4 spurt to lead, 89-80, entering the fourth. That Indiana advantage stretched to 101-85 on a bucket by Pascal Siakam (21 points, eight rebounds, five assists) with less than nine minutes to play. Then after the Sixers got within 106-100 on Council’s dunk, the Pacers finished the game on a 9-2 run to secure the victory.
Indiana built multiple 11-point advantages in the second quarter, including when All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton (nine points, nine assists) found Siakam for a dunk that made the score 59-48 with just 2 minutes, and 12 seconds remaining before the break. But the Sixers closed the half on a 15-4 run — including two Maxey finishes on a fast break and a Bona dunk in the final minute — to trim the gap to 61-59.
The Sixers then scored the first seven points of the third quarter, capped by a Drummond transition dunk to give them a 66-61 lead. But Indiana answered, retaking the lead at 70-68 lead on an Andrew Nembhard corner three-pointer and extending it to 79-71 on two Turner free throws at the 5:28 mark.
The Sixers hope to find a reprieve as they continue this three-game road trip on Sunday at the Milwaukee Bucks (7 p.m., NBCSP) and then play the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday (10 p.m., NBCSP).