Saturday night’s game between the Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers featured very little defense, yet it was several huge defensive plays from Ben Simmons that propelled the Sixers to a hard-fought 119-116 win.
The Sixers built a nine-point lead after the first quarter and saw that margin grow to as much as 15, but another shaky second quarter saw that advantage evaporate with the teams going into the break tied at 65.
The score remained tied at the end of the third quarter, setting the stage for a dramatic final stage.
T.J. Warren hit three free throws to put the Pacers up by one with 41.4 seconds left. A Tobias Harris turnover on the ensuing possession had the Sixers in a tough spot, and then Ben Simmons decided the Sixers were going to win this game and used his defense to ensure it would happen.
Simmons erased Harris’ turnover with a steal at the other end and then found Harris for a dunk in transition to put the Sixers back up one. Following a Pacers timeout, Simmons then stole the inbounds pass, again finding Harris who was fouled. Harris connected on both free throws to extend the Sixer lead to three. The teams traded pairs of free throws courtesy of intentional fouls, and then, fittingly, Simmons intercepted Indiana’s final desperation pass to seal the victory.
It was a stunning display from Simmons, who showed aggression throughout the night. He struggled from the field, connecting on just 4-of-13 attempts, but he was a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line. He finished with 15 points, 13 assists, six rebounds, four steals, and a block while playing 38 minutes.
Joel Embiid was fantastic again, pouring in 32 points to go with 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block. He was an impressive 15-of-15 from the charity stripe and his passing was very good.
Tobias Harris had an incredibly uneven final few minutes, making a few crucial mistakes but also converting some big buckets for the Sixers. He finished with 22 points, four rebounds, and two assists.
Al Horford had an efficient 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, adding three rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Furkan Korkmaz got the start in place of Josh Richardson, scoring 12 points.
The Sixers got balanced contributions off the bench, with nine points from James Ennis III, five from Raul Neto, five from Matisse Thybulle, and four from Mike Scott.
As we mentioned, the defense wasn’t as good as we’d like to see from the Sixers, as the Pacers shot 55.3% from the field and 50% from 3. However, the Sixers did force 19 turnovers and shot well themselves (49.4% from the field, 47.8% from 3).
This game had all the makings of one that the Sixers would let slip away and it is encouraging that they were able to gut it out and make the plays down the stretch to grind out the victory. The way Simmons changed the game defensively was a sight to behold and was another great sign for the team.
The Sixers improved to a perfect 9-0 at home and 14-6 on the season. They’ll be back in action on Monday when they host the Utah Jazz.