Source: Andy Lyons / Getty
(INDIANAPOLIS, IN) – Pascal Siakam records his sixth career triple-double to lead the Indiana Pacers (25-20) to a 134-122 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers (29-14).
FIRST QUARTER:
Rick Carlisle’s team came out prepared and set the tempo early. Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam pushed the Pacers ahead quickly 11-2 within the three minutes of the game. Myles Turner set the tone early against Joel Embiid defensively with a steal and a block on the first two possessions. Indiana would push their lead to a quarter high 13 points following a T.J. McConnell layup to make it 28-15. They would not let Tyrese Maxey get it going either in the first quarter. After one, the Pacers led 34-25. Embiid led all scorers with 13 points, but it took him 11 shots to get those points. Indiana’s leader was Siakam with 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.
SECOND QUARTER:
The second quarter was incredibly identical to the first quarter. Indiana’s defense was making life difficult for Maxey and Embiid with two starters in Tobias Harris and De’Anthony Melton sidelined. In fact, the 76ers only cut the Pacers lead to single digits six times. It started to feel like this could be a blowout win for the Pacers because they went up by 17 points following an Aaron Nesmith triple, making it 67-50 with 2:19 remaining. Maxey would close the quarter strong with five points to make it 73-61 Indiana at intermission. Nesmith led the Pacers with 11 points in the quarter followed by Bennedict Mathurin with 10 points (scored the first 8 for Indiana in the quarter). Leading all scorers at the break was Embiid with 19 points. Indiana had five players in double figures. Siakam led them with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 0 turnovers.
THIRD QUARTER:
There have been instances where Indiana has started second halves slow, but they started the second half exactly like they started the first half. They exploded for ten quick points from Nesmith, Nembhard, Turner, and Siakam. At the time it was a game high 22-point lead with 10:08 left in the third. About six minutes later, that lead was a game high 27 points. Indiana maintained a 20-point lead during that stretch. Embiid scored nearly half of Philly’s 28 points in the quarter with 13. His challenger in Turner scored 10 in the period, leading Indiana. After 36 minutes of basketball, Indiana was up 110-89. Embiid’s total was up to 31 points and Siakam was at 20 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, and 0 turnovers. Turner tied Siakam with 20 points and was a rebound shy of a double-double.
FOURTH QUARTER:
With the game essentially at hand, Philadelphia’s Nick Nurse elected to not play a single starter in the final quarter of play. For Indiana, Turner was the only starter that did not play the final quarter. Siakam played just under five minutes to help prevent any comeback for the 76ers and to get his first triple double since November 2022. The bench unit for Indiana did struggle with taking care of the basketball and putting it through the hoop. There was a moment where the door was cracked for Philly to make it a game again. With 4:56 remaining, KJ Martin converted a layup to make it 123-109. Nesmith and Nembhard buried threes to quickly halt any momentum the 76ers were generating. In the final minutes of the game, Philly continued pressing Indiana the entire length of the court to make the game look closer than it appeared. Indiana’s three-game losing streak ends with a 134-122 victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Pascal Siakam (26p, 13r, 10a), Myles Turner (20p, 9r, 2b), Andrew Nembhard (19p and 8a), and Aaron Nesmith (16p, 8r, 3a). For Philadelphia, Joel Embiid (31p, 7r, 3a) and Tyrese Maxey (22p, 2a, 1r). For tonight’s full box score, click here.
NOTES: Pascal Siakam’s triple-double was the first one since November 2022 and the second career triple-double against the 76ers. Joel Embiid’s streak of consecutive games scoring 30+ was extended to 22. The win marked the first wire to wire win of the season for the Pacers.
NEXT UP: The third game of the four-game homestand is tonight against the Phoenix Suns. On Sunday, the Suns defeated the Pacers 117-110. Tip-off is scheduled for 7pm with the Kroger Pregame show with Pat Boylan starting at 6:30pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan.
