Indiana Pacers vs Philadelphia 76ers: Predictions, Odds and Roster Notes

What: Indiana Pacers at Philadelphia 76ers

Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA

When: Sunday, March 10th at 3:30 PM EST

How (TV/Radio): ABC | 1070 The Fan/107.5 FM, 97.5 The Fanatic

Indiana Pacers (Away)

Head Coach: Nate McMillan {All-Time 610-550 | SEA, POR, IND}

The Indiana Pacers have the slimmest of leads over the Philadelphia 76ers going into this game. With a record of 42-24, the Pacers are third in the Eastern Conference and are only a single game ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers in fourth. This match has massive implications.

In recent games the Indiana Pacers have struggled. Despite Oladipo going down for the season, the Pacers have “kept pace”. Unfortunately in their last ten outings, the Indiana Pacers are only 5-5. They’ve alternated wins and losses against a string of teams that the Pacers, considering their quality, should be dispatching with relative ease.

The Indiana Pacers will face off against a Philadelphia 76ers squad that are ecstatic to take their place in their place int he conference. Joel Embiid has missed several recent games, but is expected to return for this the most crucial game of their season. On top of them the Pacers need to limit Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, and Tobias Harris. Easier said than done, but the Pacers own one of the best defences in the league.

Philadelphia 76ers (Home)

Head Coach: Brett Brown {All-Time 168-308 | PHI}

Ben Simmon’s Philadelphia 76ers haven’t been doing themselves any favours as they have squandered many opportunities to overtake the Indiana Pacers in the standings. With a record of 41-25, the Sixers are ranked fourth in the Eastern Conference. Just behind the Indiana Pacers who are in third place.

The Philadelphia 76ers haven’t had the easiest schedule in recent matches, but a team of their quality should have taken greater advantage of their schedule as of late. They are 5-5 in their last ten and dropped games to the Kings, Blazers, and Bulls. All very attainable fixtures.

This Indiana Pacers team might be the truest example of a cohesive unit in the NBA. Credit Nate McMillan and staff for what they’ve built, the Indiana Pacers have been playing just as well with Oladipo out. Philadelphia will have to limit the Pacers top-four three-point shooting as well as take care of the ball against the NBA’s third best ball-hawking team. If Ben Simmons can’t handle the pressure, it is curtains for the Sixers.

What’s At Stake?

Two classic NBA franchises go head-to-head when the Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers come to blows. The Sixers lead the all-time series 99-79 over the Indiana Pacers.

A win for the Indiana Pacers would place them two whole games ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers and keep them third in the Eastern Conference.

A win for the Philadelphia 76ers would bring them level with the Indiana Pacers, but award them third in the East as they would win the season series.

Questions to answer

Can Indiana improve on their last game?

Are the Sixers a run-and-gun team?

We are going to compare the Indiana Pacers and the Philadelphia 76ers in an attempt to see who has the advantage in this matchup.

Indiana Can’t Carry Over Their Last Performance

In Indiana’s last match they faced off against the Eastern Conference leading Milwaukee Bucks. While the Bucks are a talented team, the Pacers showed the fortitude to keep up with the Wisconsin based club. Unfortunately, too many errors piled up and the Pacers left with a loss.

The Pacers struggled to finish all night long. They converted on 14 three-point attempts but disappointingly had to attempt a season high 37. A large part of that shooting increase was from the Bucks’ interior defence which limited the Pacers to only 28 points in the paint.

Indiana was so far out of their comfort zone that centre Myles Turner even attempted a shocking 11 three-pointers in the match. Their second unit was also outmatched, having scored only 30 points all night. They struggled without Domantas Sabonis and it is up in the air whether or not he will dress. What is certain is that the Pacers can’t be pushed out of the paint so easily against the Sixers. Embiid is coming back from injury, it is important that the Pacers establish themselves early and often.

The Sixers Have Experimented With Lineups

With Joel Embiid out of the lineup for a significant amount of time, the Sixers were forced to try a number of different things to make up for his production. One simple and common way by which the Sixers changed the pace, was by playing a run-n-gun style of game.

With Embiid in the game the Sixers are a decidedly slower team. He’s spry for a centre but certainly keep pace with Simmons, Butler, Harris, and Redick. It forces a slow build up from the Sixers when the fast break fails and Embiid has to recover. Without him in the game, the team actually thrived with Simmons taking the lead role.

Surrounded by two elite shooters in Tobias Harris and JJ Redick, Ben Simmons can play his simplest and most effective game. As a primary drive-and-dish point guard, Simmons’ singular height at the position makes him unstoppable. The Sixers can’t rely on the health of Embiid going in, so in a move of caution don’t be surprised to see Brett Brown call for a speedier offence once again.

Indiana Pacers Roster Notes

F Alize Johnson – 7 Mar 2019 – Out (Foot) – The Pacers have listed Johnson as OUT for Thursday’s game (Mar. 7) against the Bucks.

G Victor Oladipo – 28 Jan 2019 – Out For Season (Ruptured Right Quadricep Tendon) – The Pacers announced Oladipo had a successful surgery on Monday (Jan 28) to repair a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee and is expected to make a full recovery.

F-C Domantas Sabonis – 7 Mar 2019 – Out (Ankle) – The Pacers have listed Sabonis as OUT for Thursday’s game (Mar. 7) against the Bucks.

Philadelphia 76ers Roster Notes

C Joel Embiid – 8 Mar 2019 – Day To Day (Left Knee Soreness) – There is optimism that Embiid will be able to make his return on Sunday (Mar 10) against the Pacers according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

G Furkan Korkmaz – 26 Feb 2019 – Out (Torn Right Meniscus) – The 76ers announced that Korkmaz had surgery on his right knee. He will be re-evaluated in four weeks.

C Boban Marjanovic – 8 Mar 2019 – Day To Day (Right Bone Bruise and Sprain) – Marjanovic did not play in Friday’s game (Mar. 8) against the Rockets.

Head-to-Head: Myles Turner (IND) vs Joel Embiid (PHI)

Two teams with a plethora of offensive options will go head-to-head with their stars at the pivot leading the way. Myles Turner is the lynchpin of the Indiana Pacers defence, as he is able to capably contest players on the inside and outside. Joel Embiid can do the same for the Sixers, but seeing as he is returning from injury we will see how his body holds up.

Myles Turner

Center | 6-11, 250lb (211cm, 113kg) | Texas | Exp. 3 Years

13.2 PPG | 1.6 APG | 7.0 RPG | 0.8 SPG | 2.9 BPG | 1.4 TOV | .494 FG% | .401 3P%

Myles Turner is coming off of a massive performance in a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. He posted 22 points, 17 rebounds, 3 blocks, and converted on 4 three-point field-goals. Turner adjusted his game against the Bucks and while it paid dividends for him, the Pacers still struggled overall. Expect Turner to challenge Embiid on the inside and the outside, as he looks to take Philly’s defensive anchor out of the game.

Joel Embiid

Center | 7-0, 250lb (213cm, 113kg) | Kansas | Exp. 2 Years

27.3 PPG | 3.5 APG | 13.5 RPG | 0.6 SPG | 1.9 BPG | 3.6 TOV | .482 FG% | .295 3P%

All signs point to Joel Embiid returning for this match against the Indiana Pacers. Frankly speaking, the Sixers need him to succeed. Outside of JJ Redick, no player on the Sixers does one thing tremendously well. Embiid is an unstoppable force in the paint. The jury is out on his conditioning after being out for so long, but Embiid has always played a savvy offensive game that does well to control his pace. Expect the Sixers to reward their big man early and often, in an attempt to take down the Pacers.

Indiana Pacers at Philadelphia 76ers Predictions and Odds

The odds makers have the Philadelphia 76ers favoured over the Indiana Pacers by 5.5, with an over/under of 109.