The red-hot Pacers
The Indiana Pacers started the season losing three in a row but have since recovered well. They’ve won 11 of their last 14 games and are currently riding a five game winning streak. At 12-6, Indy is hovering around the fourth, fifth, and sixth spots in the Eastern Conference standings.
Saturday’s 105-104 win was gutsy, as they came back from a spoiled double-digit deficit in the second half and also spoiled Trae Young’s 49-point outburst.
Similar to what they did in the last three months of the 2018-19 season, the Pacers are surviving the absence of All-Star guard Victor Oladipo, who’s been out with a quad injury for almost 11 months and still has no timetable for a return.
The offense is underrated despite a balanced attack that feature four guys currently averaging 17 or more points per game – Malcolm Brogdon (18.8), Domantas Sabonis (18.8), TJ Warren (17.3), and Jeremy Lamb (17.3). Myles Turner (12.6 PPG) isn’t in that group as he mostly anchors the team’s fourth-ranked defense (103.8 PAPG), but he can be reliable when called upon.
The Pacers always show toughness but consider that they are only 3-4 on the road this season.
Still a force in the East
The 13-6 Philadelphia 76ers head to the game having won six of their last seven games. They beat the Knicks on Saturday, 101-95, and have now held opponents to under 96 points thrice in their last four outings. Like the Pacers, they also rallied from trailing a double-digit lead in the second half.
Joel Embiid has recovered from that embarrassing scoreless performance against the Toronto Raptors this past Tuesday – coincidentally the Sixers’ lone defeat in the aforementioned 6-1 stretch they’re currently in. The Philly big man is now averaging 30 points and 16.5 rebounds in his last two.
The other Sixers star, Ben Simmons, has dipped his scoring (from 16.9 PPG last season to 12.8 this season), but it has allowed more opportunities for others. Tobias Harris (17.8 PPG) is backing up Embiid in producing buckets, Josh Richardson (16.1 PPG) is hitting his breakout average from last season, and Al Horford (14.4 PPG) is putting up the best his best scoring season in four years.
The Sixers have not lost at home this season (8-0) and they are outscoring visitors by 11.8 points per game.
PREDICTION:
The Sixers may sit out Richardson again due to a hamstring injury, but regardless, we expect them to continue their run at home, 109-101.
