Indiana Pacers 121 – Philadelphia 76ers 107 (Dec. 13th, 2024) Game Recap

1. First Quarter

For the fifth time in the last six games, Indiana’s starting lineup featured Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner. After the four-day layoff, there was some rust that the Pacers needed to knock off. Philadelphia opened the first three minutes of the game by outscoring Indiana 9-2. Haliburton would jump start Indiana’s offense by hitting back-to-back threes to take a 13-9 advantage with 6:25 left. The Pacers ended up going from trailing by seven to leading by eight following an Obi Toppin triple with 3:47 left in the quarter. That would be the largest lead for the Pacers in the opening quarter until Siakam ended it with a three-point play to make it 31-23 after twelve minutes of play. Haliburton led all scorers with 12 points. Philly’s leading scorer was Jared McCain off the bench with 5 points. Indiana went 6/14 from deep in the quarter with Haliburton going 4/7 alone.

2. Second Quarter

The momentum Indiana had going into the second quarter would continue at the start of it. Topping would score four of the first six points for Indiana to push the Pacers lead to a first half high thirteen points. Philly would score seven unanswered points to make it a 37-31 contest after a K.J. Martin layup. Indiana would answer by going back up by ten points following a Jarace Walker triple after four minutes of play. Nick Nurse’s team would go on a 7-0 run to make it a one possession game when Joel Embiid converted two foul shots to make it 43-40. The Pacers would have a response to the 76ers run. Toppin started the run with a layup and then he converted a dunk on the following possession. He would play a part of the final two scores in the run with another dunk and then found Siakam for a dunk. Indiana went from leading 43-40 to 56-43 with 2:45 left in the half. Indiana would maintain its double digit lead the rest of the way. After twenty-four minutes, Indiana led 61-50. Haliburton led all players in scoring with 19 points and assists with 7. Siakam and Toppin were second in scoring for the Pacers with 11 points. Philly’s leading scorers were Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey with 12 points.

3. Third Quarter

At the end of the first half, Embiid was smacked in the face inadvertently by Mathurin and was declared out for the rest of the game for further testing. Like the second quarter, Indiana scored the first four points of the third quarter to take a game high fifteen-point lead following layups from Mathurin and Siakam. Philly would cut its deficit to nine points with eight minutes remaining in the quarter following a Maxey three-pointer. Indiana would double its lead after a 9-0 run courtesy baskets four points from Siakam, three points from Haliburton, and two points from Toppin. With 6:11 left in the quarter, Indiana led 80-62 with all the momentum. Despite being without Embiid, the 76ers continued to fight. They closed the quarter by outscoring Indiana 21-10. One key basket during that final 6:11 was a three from Johny Furphy to end the quarter, because Andre Drummond had a tip dunk with 35 seconds left to make it 87-81. Haliburton led all scorers in the quarter with 10 points and in the game with 29 points. He additionally had a double-double recorded going into the fourth with 10 assists. Philly’s leading scorer was Maxey with 21 points after a nine-point quarter.

4. Fourth Quarter

Even though the 76ers had the momentum, the Pacers did a great job at holding them off from making any serious threats to tying the game or taking the lead. The closest Philadelphia got in the fourth quarter was five points on three occasions. After a K.J. Martin three with 7:16 left in the contest, Indiana’s lead was 100-94. Rick Carlisle called a timeout to get Haliburton back in the game and to regroup. On the first possession for the Pacers out of the timeout, Haliburton found Turner cutting down the lane for a dunk. In a blink, Indiana was back up ten points following a Toppin fadeaway jumper with 5:27 left in the game. Philly had one last small surge left and the 76ers made it 105-98 after two Paul George free throws. However, Indiana would put Philadelphia away by going on a 12-0 run. The nail in the coffin came when Siakam came up with a steal, passed it to Nembhard, and then he found Mathurin in transition for a dunk to put the exclamation mark on the game. The final score was Indiana 121, Philadelphia 107.

5. Top Performers

Tyrese Haliburton (32p, 11a, 3r), Pascal Siakam (23p, 8r, 3a), Obi Toppin (20p, 8r, 3a), Bennedict Mathurin (13p, 7r, 4a), and T.J. McConnell (11p, 4a). For Philadelphia, Tyrese Maxey (22p, 3r, 2s), Paul George (15p, 5r), Ricky Council IV (14p, 9r), KJ Martin (13p, 3r), Joel Embiid (12p, 4r, 5a), and Kelly Oubre Jr. (12p, 13r, 3a). For tonight’s full box score, click here.

6. Notes

• Indiana Pacers are now 1-1 versus the Philadelphia 76ers (next game on 1/18/25)
• Indiana Pacers are now 4-11 on the road
  • Have won back-to-back games on the road now
• Indiana recorded 35 assists on its 47 made baskets (74.5%)
  • Indiana’s 35 assists tied a season high
• Indiana forced 15 turnovers, but only scored 16 points off those turnovers
• Tyrese Haliburton scored 30+ points for the 4th time this season
• Tyrese Haliburton’s 12 points in the first quarter are the most he has scored to start a game this season
• Tyrese Haliburton’s 7 threes are the second most in a game this season
• Tyrese Haliburton recorded his 9th double-double of the season
  • 10th game with 10+ assists
• Obi Toppin has now recorded at least 10 points in six straight games
• Obi Toppin recorded his 2nd game with at least 20 points
• Tyrese Maxey scored 20+ points for the 12th time this season
• Kelly Oubre Jr. has now recorded a double-double in three straight games

7. Next Up

After a day off, the Indiana Pacers will make an appearance at Gainbridge Fieldhouse before playing in five road games in the next six games. The opponent on Sunday will be the New Orleans Pelicans. Mark Boyle and Eddie Gill will have the play-by-play at 5pm following the pregame show with Pat Boylan at 4:30pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan.