Shorthanded Sixers Battle Pacers in 106-98 Defeat

By Sean Kennedy

With Huge Shot Hawes, Thad Young, and Tony Wroten all inactive and going up against the team with the best record in the NBA, it would have been easy for the Sixers to roll over in Indiana. Instead, the Sixers fought back time and time again, nearly taking down the class of the Eastern Conference in a spirited effort.

Hawes was out after putting the team on his back Friday night (he also tweaked his knee in that game, making his efforts against the Bucks all the more prodigious). In his absence, the Pacers repeatedly worked it inside to Roy Hibbert, who finished with a season-high 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 blocks. However, it wasn’t all bad for the Sixers front line, as the team out-rebounded the Pacers behind a 23-8 advantage in offensive boards.

The main star for Philadelphia on the evening was the baby-faced rookie from Syracuse, Michael Carter-Williams. MCW came up some highlight-reel plays, gliding in for a silky dunk on a fast break, and finishing an emphatic left-handed slam on a putback attempt. He also came through whenever the team needed him most, finishing with a career-high 29 points, along with seven steals. When it looked like the Pacers would pull away in the first half, he scored Philadelphia’s first 7 points of second quarter. He later made the three-pointer to put the Sixers back in front in the fourth quarter.

Unfortunately for the Sixers, after they went up by four points in the final frame, they went four minutes without making a field goal, allowing the Pacers to grab one more lead that there was no coming back from. It wasn’t the way Sixers fans probably wanted the night to end, but there was no faulting the heart or effort from this young Sixers squad on Saturday night.

Box Score

Notable Observations:

• I hope potential trade suitors only look at the 21 points Evan Turner accrued, because this game was a display of a lot of the off-putting aspects of his game. He finished just 8-26 from the field, turned the ball over 6 times, and let his temper get the best of him once again. In the first half, Turner over-dribbled in the lane, with the ball going out of bounds off his foot. The fact that the ref correctly whistled it Pacers ball was such an injustice to Turner that he felt the need to argue, earning himself a technical foul. Those temper tantrums are all too frequent for Evan Turner and I won’t shed a tear when he’s gone for that reason.
• Daniel Orton recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Orton’s offensive game remains remains limited but he was able to bully his way to the basket when the smaller Luis Scola was guarding him. He certainly had trouble with Hibbert defensively but there aren’t too many all-star centers floating around the league.

Tanking Implications: 

This performance was incredibly encouraging from the Sixers. Aside from Turner, the squad on the floor was entirely comprised of the young guys and they came through with a great effort. A few rookies like Hollis Thompson contributed to the cause, but most importantly, MCW had another performance to back up the idea of his being a franchise point guard. Any game like that can be viewed as a positive, regardless of the outcome. 5/5 tanks