The Philadelphia 76ers should not need any extra motivation for games at this point in the season. They have their own issues that they need to work out from game-to-game and without big man Joel Embiid, they have a lot to prove.
The Indiana Pacers sit just a half-game back of the Sixers for the 5 seed in the standings and they embarrassed Philadelphia in their previous matchup on New Year’s Eve when they led by as many as 36 in a win over the Sixers. Just like in that matchup, Indiana will be facing an Embiid-less team that struggles on the road. The Sixers will need to step up in a big way on Monday to get a win.
With that said, it’s now time for the guide to this one:
How to watch Sixers vs. Pacers
- Date: Monday, January 13
- Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
- Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia+
Injury Report
- Sixers: OUT: Joel Embiid(left hand torn radial collateral ligament)
- Pacers: OUT: Victor Oladipo(right knee rehab), QUESTIONABLE: Domantas Sabonis(sore left knee), Malcolm Brogdon(strep throat)
Storylines
Harris trying to figure out road woes
After the Sixers dropped a fifth straight road game on Saturday to the Dallas Mavericks, Tobias Harris tried his best to figure out why the Sixers struggle so much on the road. This team has the talent to be one of the best teams in the league and seriously compete for a title, but their 7-13 road record throws a lot of that off.
“I think today’s game, we had great energy and great spirit in the first half,” said Tobias Harris. “Second half, we let up a little bit and they were able to take hold of the game. We just didn’t have enough to come out and pull out the victory. It is what it is but at the same time, we just have to figure out a way on the road to get wins and to put that behind us.”
Brown likes shot selection
In Saturday’s loss to Dallas, the Sixers shot just 9-for-37 from deep. A percentage like that would suggest a team try something else to try and put the ball in the basket. However, due to the types of looks they were receiving, coach Brett Brown was fine with his team’s shot selection. Basketball can be a make or miss game sometimes and the Sixers just missed some good looks.
“We just got into a scoring drought,” Brown continued. “I was happy with our looks. It wasn’t their man, it wasn’t their zone. I thought we had some pretty good looks, but we just had a really difficult time of making shots, converting them.”
Prediction
This is another matchup where the Sixers are the more talented team on paper. Despite missing Embiid, they are a more talented team than the Pacers and they should be able to dig deep and get a win they really need on Monday. Indiana could be missing their rising star big man in Sabonis and that could hinder their efforts in this one. However, the road issue is a real thing and it’s hard to trust the Sixers in this one.
Pick: Hesitantly, picking the Pacers
Sixers vs. Pacers season series
Game 1 November 30: 119-116 Sixers
Game 2 December 31: 115-97 Pacers
Game 3 January 13:
Game 4 March 14:
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