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3 observations after Embiid leaves after a hit to the face, Sixers lose to Pacers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Joel Embiid played only half and the Sixers failed to record an eighth victory on Friday night.
They fell to 7-16 this season with a 121-107 loss to the Pacers at the Wells Fargo Center.
Embiid suffered a sinus fracture after taking an unintentional punch to the face from Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin, a Sixers official said Friday night. He will be evaluated further this weekend.
The Sixers opened the game without Caleb Martin (right shoulder impingement) and Adem Bona (left knee tendinopathy). Both players have resumed work on the court and are considered day-to-day. Kyle Lowry was eliminated late due to lower back spasms.
Tyrese Maxey scored a team-high 22 points. Paul George added 15 and Kelly Oubre Jr. recorded a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers 11-15 with 32 points and 11 assists. Pascal Siakam scored 23 points and eight rebounds.
Next up for the Sixers is a road game Monday night against the Hornets. Here are observations on their loss to Indiana:
The Pacers take advantage of the Sixers’ carelessness
Embiid’s passing was an advantage at first.
The superstar big man tallied four assists in the first quarter. Oubre cut behind the Indiana defense on the first play of the game and was served up a layup by Embiid. The Sixers had some nice inside-out moments thanks to post-ups from several players, including a pass from Embiid that set up George for an open three-pointer.
The Pacers responded to a 9-2 deficit with a 14-0 run. The Sixers’ turnovers played a key role, allowing Indiana to attack in transition. Mathurin knocked the ball away from an unsuspecting George, leading to Haliburton’s second consecutive three-pointer. In the first half he made four triples.
Maxey fumbled early in the second quarter when the Pacers blitzed him in the pick-and-roll shortly after crossing half court. Seconds later, TJ McConnell threw a successful alley-oop to Obi Toppin and Indiana took a 37-24 lead. At that point, the Sixers had eight turnovers to the Pacers’ one.
Indiana applied effective pressure on Maxey, who he scored 45 points on October 27 in an overtime win against the Pacers. Before Friday, his most turnovers of the season were four. He had five turnovers in the first half.
It didn’t help that the Sixers came up empty on several decent looks. Embiid missed a layup over Myles Turner and started 0 for 4 from the floor. He had started 0 for 7 in the Sixers victory on Sunday over the Bulls.
Only half of Embiid
Eric Gordon was the only Sixer available who was not in the team’s 10-man rotation.
While the team’s second unit had some defensive lapses, the junior trio of Jared McCain, KJ Martin and Ricky Council IV combined to score 16 points in the first half.
Once he returned for his second period, Embiid was determined to attack Turner on the inside. He drew Turner’s third foul with 4:49 left in the second quarter.
All attention was focused on Embiid’s health at the end of the second. He was hit in the face by Mathurin’s arm as the Indiana guard went for a potential offensive rebound. Embiid finally stood up and walked back to the Sixers locker room with a towel over his face. He did not return to the ground.
The sinus fracture is another injury in a long list for Embiid, who has twice worn a face mask during the playoffs after returning from orbital fractures.
McCain started the third quarter and had an injury scare when he fell hard on a drive and appeared to hit his head on the court. According to a Sixers official, McCain was evaluated for a concussion and cleared to return.
The comeback attempt fades
The Sixers fell behind by as many as 18 points in the third quarter.
However, they got back into the game at the end of the third period. Oubre, Council and Andre Drummond played hard and did good physical work on the boards.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse used George and four bench players to start the fourth quarter. George became more aggressive, hitting a floater and a jumper that cut the Pacers’ lead to 92-87.
In the end, the Sixers seemed to run out of energy and Indiana made enough timely shots, including two Siakam jumpers in a row. Haliburton scored an and-one on McCain and then stopped on the bench to celebrate with his teammates. The Pacers’ lead continued to expand and they achieved victory.
For the Sixers, the main thing that matters is another Embiid injury.