76ers stars too much for shorthanded Pacers even without Joel Embiid
· Yahoo Sports
The Pacers nearly managed a second upset of an Eastern Conference favorite in the same weekend, but Philadelphia's firepower was a little too much and the loaded 76ers beat the Pacers 131-124 at the XFinity Mobile Center in Philadelphia.
The Pacers fell to 5-9 after winning their previous two games. The 76ers improved to 11-3 and sit in second in the East.
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Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 31 points on 12 of 19 shooting. Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 16 points, Quenton Jackson had 15 points and eight assists. T.J. McConnell and Aaron Nesmith had 12 points each. Jaylen Brown led the 76ers with 31 points, point guard Tyrese Maxey had 27 points and six assists, and LeBron James posted 15 points and 11 assists to move up to No. 3 on the NBA's all-time assists list.
Here are three observations.
76ers All-Stars bring too much firepower, even without Joel Embiid
The Pacers caught the 76ers down a man with 2022-23 MVP Joel Embiid sitting out Sunday's game for plantar fascia injury management, but that still meant they had to deal with three All-NBA players, two NBA Finals MVPs, the NBA's all-time leading scorer in Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and LeBron James. Though the Pacers seemed to bring more energy and speed to the game early and did take advantage of the fact that they had their big man and the 76ers didn't, the superstars were too much for the Pacers to contain.
Brown caused the most problems early as he was knocking down shots over Pacers defenders no matter how well he was defended. He scored 20 points in the first half alone on 9 of 13 shooting including 2 of 3 from 3-point range. He had two layups but almost everything else required him to hit a shot over someone. He played just two minutes in the third quarter and didn't attempt a field goal, but played the entire fourth and scored 11 points on 3 of 5 shooting to finish with 31 points on 12 of 18 shooting including 3 of 6 from 3-point range
Maxey, meanwhile, got his buckets on 3-pointers and layups. Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith made him work to get open and it took Maxey a while to find a rhythm, but he was aided by Pacers turnovers that the 76ers turned into offense. Maxey's speed makes him one of the best transition finishers among the NBA's guards and getting downhill opened up other things. He finished with 27 points on 9 of 19 shooting including 3 of 6 from 3-point range and posted six assists and four rebounds.
Meanwhile, James played the sort of the game he's had to grown accustomed to in his 40s which is working more on creating opportunities for others. He took just eight field goal attempts and made five for 15 points, but he dished out 11 assists against just two turnovers. With 12,082 career assists, James passed Jason Kidd for third on the all-time list and sits below only John Stockton (15,806) and Chris Paul (12,552).
With Maxey, Brown and James creating gravity, the 76ers got plenty of good looks from 3-point range and the 3 turned out to be the difference in the game. The Sixers knocked down 18 of their 42 attempts while the Pacers made just 8 of their 32 attempts. The 30-point difference from beyond the arc more than made the difference as the Pacers shot a better percentage from the floor and won the points in the paint battle 62-48.
Quenton Jackson steps up in point guard start
Quenton Jackson has arguably been one of the Pacers' most important players in the season's first month, helping to hold the roster together through an array of injuries that have particularly targeted the Pacers' backcourt. Jackson -- the 28-year-old undrafted journeyman who didn't have a standard contract until late last season -- has been at his best when he's been allowed to play off the ball as a shooting guard because his default settling is aggression bordering on recklessness. However, he's improved his decision making with time in the Pacers' system. His turnover rate is still a little higher than the Pacers would hope -- he entered Sunday's game averaging 1.2 per game and with a 10.7% turnover ratio -- but he's better at getting the ball where it needs to go.
For that reason, the Pacers felt better than they might have even a month ago starting Jackson at point guard with Andrew Nembhard sitting out with left hip soreness and Tyrese Haliburton still out with a hamstring strain. Veteran T.J. McConnell is back in action but still working his way back from a hamstring strain of his own and the Pacers like having him work with the second unit anyway.
Jackson showed no fear as usual and was one of the Pacers' most effective players on both ends. (And he got in a dust-up with James, shoving him back when James hit him with a hard screen in the first half.) Jackson finished with 15 points on 6 of 12 shooting, eight assists against two turnovers and six rebounds.
Kelly Oubre Jr., T.J. McConnell bring energy in Philly returns
Sunday's game represented a return to old stomping grounds for T.J. McConnell and Kelly Oubre Jr. They weren't in Philadelphia together as McConnell was there from 2015-19 and Oubre from 2023-26, but there was clear comfort for both at XFinity Mobile Arena.
The return of McConnell from his hamstring injury and Oubre's slowly increasing comfort with the Pacers' concepts has helped the Pacers collectively find more cohesion after struggling early. Both of them helped the Pacers hold it together early Sunday with Haliburton and Nembhard out and the 76ers getting outstanding performances from their offense.
Oubre gave the Pacers a solid defensive option to guard Brown and James and he particularly slowed James early. He also continued to show an ability to step outside and shoot but also to get easy baskets by moving without the ball and cutting to the rim for easy layups. He finished with 16 points on 6 of 11 shooting, four rebounds and a steal.
McConnell, meanwhile, has brought back direction and pace to the second unit as his minutes have increased since his return last week from his hamstring strain. He had six points and two assists in the first quarter alone to help jump start a 35-point quarter and he finished with 12 points on 6 of 10 shooting and five assists.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 76ers stars too much for shorthanded Pacers even without Joel Embiid