76ers vs. Pacers Preview and Game Thread

Mar 18, 2023 - 10:00 PM

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The Indiana Pacers (31-38) make a rare March appearance at the Fieldhouse on Saturday night when they host the Philadephia 76ers (47-2).

After a 2-1 road trip thru Detroit and Milwaukee, the Pacers face a sizzling Sixers team at home before heading out to play their next four games on the road. Philly arrives at GF riding a seven-game win streak as they simultaneously try to catch Boston for the second spot in the East while also pumping up Joel Embiid’s MVP credentials.

That’s not a great scenario for the Pacers who inadvertently helped the Embiid case with a surprising win over Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in their last outing, complete with a Myles Turner poster dunk over Giannis that sealed the dub (any dunks earlier in the game were irrelevant). Tyrese Haliburton did not play against the Bucks, hence why the win was surprising and the Pacers star guard will also be out against Philly.

As for Turner, his impact will be critical considering his history of struggling against Embiid. Of course, the whole league struggles against a healthy Embiid, so Turner could turn some heads by flipping that script this time around.

This will be the fourth and final matchup between the two teams this season with the Sixers holding a 3-0 advantage thus far. The most recent game, played at the Fieldhouse, was a doozy, the Sixers holding on to win 147-143. Haliburton was otherworldly in that game, finishing with 39 points and 16 assists. Unfortunately, Embiid had 42 points and Harden dished out 20 assists to push things in Philly’s favor.

DraftKings Odds: 76ers-6.5, O/U 232 (latest DraftKings odds here)

When: 7:00 p.m. ET

Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN

TV: Bally Sports Indiana/Bally Sports + app

Radio: 93.5 FM/107.5 FM

Projected Starting Lineups:

Pacers: Andrew Nembhard, Buddy Hield, Aaron Nesmith, Jordan Nwora, Myles Turner

76ers: James Harden, Tyrese Mazey, Tobias Harris, PJ Tucker, Joel Embiid

Injuries

IND: Kendall Brown - out (right tibia stress fracture), Chris Duarte - out (sore left ankle), Tyrese Haliburton - out (right ankle sprain), Bennedict Mathurin - out (right ankle sprain)

PHI: Jalen McDaniels - questionable (right hip contusion), P.J. Tucker - questionable (sore left ankle)

Please share your thoughts and observations on the game in the comments.