Well, the fourth time seems to be the charm. The Sixers finally got in the win column when they beat the Indiana Pacers 120-106 on Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center. James Harden had another impressive performance, just missing a triple-double with 29-9-11. Joel Embiid had 26 points and a season-high three blocks and Tobias Harris had a great night with 18 and eight boards.
Here are some quick responses from Victory.
First quarter
- The Sixers’ emphasis on speed was evident early on after Doc Rivers said he needed to be better. The ball wasn’t as sticky as it had been in previous games, every Sixer on the court could feel his touch on every ball. He made 13 three-pointers on the season, which reflected in the team’s shot selection.
- Another talking point of this early Sixers season has been the lack of bench production. Some shots finally started falling for the Pack as the Sixers bench outscored Indy 18-4 in the first, a big reason why Philly led by 10 after one.
Second quarter
- Some more rotation changes from Doc Rivers as Shake Milton checks into the regular season for the first time this season. Shaq didn’t have much action, picking up one rebound and one assist in four minutes. After Embiid picked up his third foul, Paul Reed was able to run in the first half.
- Tonight, Joel Embiid was the best he’s seen this season in terms of decision-making. Indiana was aggressive sending double and triple teams and his big guy did a great job of seeing what the defense threw at him and allowing his teammates to get open. Tobias Harris had a respectably good half — his 10 first-half points all came from beyond the arc or rim.
- The Sixers’ bench entered tonight averaging over 11 points per game. De’Anthony Melton had 11 points in the first half on really effective shooting (3-4 FG, 2-3 3PM). His hot streak helped the Sixers push their lead to 18 midway through the second quarter.
Third quarter
- Philly had another third quarter break. As the Pacers find some momentum offensively. Indiana scored 30 points in the third, its highest-scoring quarter of the night. The Sixers weathered the storm with a 10-point quarter from Embiid, and the Pacers were never able to cut the lead back to single digits.
- Another bench player who may be finding his footing is George Niang. Niang is 5-9 from downtown after shooting just 1-4 from three in the first two games of the season.
Fourth quarter
- The Pacers’ second half hot streak continued into the fourth – and this time they were able to cut the lead to single digits. Despite going to Paul Reed over Harrell in the fourth quarter (Embiid was also in significant foul trouble) again in the fourth quarter, the Sixers held Embiid back to an eight-point game.
- Another great offensive performance from James Harden tonight. He filled the stat sheet with nearly a triple and continued his night on poor Benedict Maturin.
- Early in the fourth, things started to get really pretty, but this was the moment the Sixers put Indiana away.
