It looked a lot like Philadelphia was playing Indiana last night, but with 4 of 5 starters resting in anticipation of the playoffs, the Pacers team that took the court did not resemble the group that finished third in the Eastern Conference this season. Some key Sixers starters played just token minutes as Jrue Holiday (9 minutes), Spencer Hawes (4 minutes), and Thad Young (21 minutes) helped Philadelphia jump out to an 11-0 lead over the Indiana replacement players. The Sixers bench took over from there, building a 22-point halftime lead before coasting in the second half to a 105-95 victory.
The Sixers decided to use this faux-exhibition game as a chance to once again see what Evan Turner could do running the show. The results were mixed as Turner finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, but continued to struggle with his outside shot, finishing just 7-18 from the field. Even fans have seen enough evidence at this point to know that Turner doesn’t have the needed athleticism to get open shots at the rim, or the shooting touch to be consistently accurate perimeter player. Philadelphia needs to realize his limitations as a role player going forward.
Dorell Wright continued his late-season push at a nice free agent contract, finishing with 23 points on 8-15 shooting (4-8 behind the arc), and 5 assists. Good luck as the seventh man who a contender, Dorell; I wish the Sixers had used you more when there was still hope for the season. All of the extra available minutes also allowed Arnett Moultrie to record career-highs in minutes (29), points (tied at 14), and rebounds (12). Moultrie continues to show great athleticism and a deft scoring touch finishing around the rim, which is promising going forward; he does need to work on his defensive game but that could be said for most rookies. For Indiana, Gerald Green took the opportunity to hoist up 23 shots, making 14 on his way to a game-high 34 points (6-12 from three point range).
For the tanking advocates out there, the win kept the Sixers in a tie with Toronto and a coin flip will determine who picks 11th and 12th. Portland lost 13 straight games to end the season and move into the 10th spot. The NBA draft lottery will take place on May 21.
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