Getty Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers is fouled by Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center on March 01, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Philadelphia 76ers have not gotten off to the start they hoped and dropped all three matchups to begin the season. The most notable loss was at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday as the team is in the middle of a rebuild and was on the second night of a back-to-back. Regardless, the team must move on and turn their attention to tonight’s matchup with the Indiana Pacers. Philadelphia will catch a break as the Pacers announced that Myles Turner and Daniel Theis will each be missing the matchup which is a major hit to the team’s big-man depth. This should open the door to Joel Embiid continuing to take a step forward and return to his superstar level of play and impacts the Sixers’ chances of winning positively.
Pacers Players to Watch
The two injuries to the Indiana big men are the biggest storyline to watch heading into this matchup. Turner suffered an unfortunate injury during the team’s shootaround before opening night. The big man landed on a ball boy who was standing under the basket and rolled his ankle. The injury turned out to be worse than initially expected and this will be the fourth straight game he will miss. Theis, whom Sixers fans should remember from his battles with Embiid while playing for the Celtics, will also be held out which leaves Goga Bitadze and Jalen Smith as the primary big-man options.
While the Sixers enter the matchup as 11.5-point favorites, this is not one the Sixers can afford to take lightly. The Pacers have an impressive young backcourt duo headlined by Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin. Each player is averaging over 24 points per game through the first three matchups. Haliburton was traded to Indiana last season and had been rumored to be one of the players involved in negotiations for a Ben Simmons trade, but the Sixers ultimately landed James Harden. Mathurin is an impressive rookie out of Arizona with a polished scoring package and athleticism that will give the Sixers problems.
Through the first three games, the Pacers are averaging 121.7 points per game which ranks 4th in the NBA. The Sixers have struggled to keep pace with opposing teams thus far and Indiana’s fast-paced tempo could be an issue. The Sixers’ transition defense has been a point of weakness and this will be a matchup to keep an eye on during the matchup.
Looking Ahead at the Sixers Schedule:
The 0-3 start is far from ideal, but the Sixers have plenty of time to right the ship. With 79 games to go and a relatively easy schedule over the next few weeks, the team has a great opportunity to climb right back into the mix for Eastern Conference threats. Following the home matchup tonight against the Pacers, the Sixers will travel to Toronto for back-to-back matchups with the Raptors. They then will prepare to face the Bulls and the Wizards in back-to-back matchups to close the month.
However, the changes that need to be made have little to do with their opponent as the Sixers’ play is the bigger storyline. They have struggled on both sides of the ball and currently rank 24th in the NBA in both offensive and defensive ratings. Embiid took a step toward his return to high-level play with his 40-point performance on the Spurs, but still has a ways to go with his overall fitness.
“We’re not ready yet, honestly. We’re just not. We’re not ready to win yet. You can feel that. We got a lot of work to do.”
Doc Rivers kept it real after the Sixers lost to the Spurs at home
The Sixers must take a one-game-at-a-time approach and begin this with the matchup against the Pacers. Doc Rivers recently states that the team is “not ready to win yet” and this must change sooner rather than later if they are to have a chance at accomplishing their goals this season.