The Philadelphia 76ers outlasted the Indiana Pacers at home Friday night by the score of 121-110. Ben Simmons paced the 76ers attack with 14 points, 11 assists, and 11 rebounds. While Simmons struggled early, it was the shooting of J.J. Redick who paced the team early. Redick would go on to finish the game with 31 points on 11-19 shooting, including 8-12 from beyond the arc.
The Sixers led by two after the first quarter then took a commanding 11-point lead in the half.
The Pacers may have struggled in the first half but the third quarter was where they would make their move. Victor Oladipo led the Pacers with 31 points on 12-20 shooting, but it wasn’t enough to beat Redick and Co. Joel Embiid, still healthy and on a minutes restriction, managed to score 18 points on 7-15 shooting from the floor.
This was an impressive win for the Philadelphia 76ers as all five starters scored in double figures as the team shot 46-92 (50 percent) from the floor. As great as Simmons, Embiid, and J.J. Redick were, the play of Robert Covington (22 points) and Dario Saric (15 points) were just as important.
With their fourth straight win, the Philadelphia 76ers improved to 5-4 on the season and 2-2 at home.
Lost in the win was the return of backup center Richaun Holmes. Holmes has not played this season until tonight due to an injury, and with his return, the Sixers are finally getting their core group of guys back into the fold. The Pacers are not the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Washington Wizards, but they’re led by a group of savvy veteran players such as Darin Collison (1-9 shooting), Thaddeus Young (15 points), and Lance Stephenson (six points).
. @JJRedick with @NBCSPhilly ‘s @MSullivanFrench after another win in front of the home crowd. pic.twitter.com/nSS6W1tezx
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 4, 2017
The Pacers entered Friday’s game 5-3 after riding a three-game winning streak with impressive wins over the San Antonio Spurs and Cleveland Cavs. Not to be outdone, the Sixers’ winning streak consisted of wins over the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, and Atlanta Hawks.
The Sixers will put their winning streak on the line Tuesday, Nov 7, on the road against the Utah Jazz. That will begin a stretch of five straight road games for this young Sixers team. With a few days of rest before their next game, the Philadelphia 76ers will have adequate time to help get Holmes acclimated.
[Featured Image by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images]
