In the past few weeks, the Philadelphia 76ers have gotten two things they really needed — wins and rest.
The improving Sixers are hoping for another strong performance on Friday when they play the struggling Indiana Pacers at home.
This season, all three of Philadelphia’s stars — Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey — have missed a lot of games because of injuries. Because of that, the Sixers have had a hard time staying competitive in the Eastern Conference. They lost 14 of their first 17 games but have bounced back by winning four of their last five games as the team’s health has gotten better.
“I think there’s some quick growth we can make there,” said coach Nick Nurse about his healthier team. “Just because they’ve played together, finally. They’ve played together and now we can start tweaking it a little bit.”
The Sixers’ most recent win was a 108-100 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday. Embiid scored 31 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, George added 12 points and seven rebounds, and Maxey recorded a triple-double with 25 points, 14 assists, and 11 rebounds.
What may be even more important than their strong performance is that the Sixers have had five days off. This rest is especially helpful for Embiid, who came back from a seven-game absence on Sunday, George, who is recovering from knee issues, and Maxey, who is still working his way back from a hamstring injury.
“(The time off) was great,” said KJ Martin, who has become an important part of the team’s rotation. “I know everybody probably has different things going on with their bodies, so to just have a couple days to get treatment, go in the cold tub, do whatever you need to do just to try to get somewhere close to 100 percent, it’ll definitely help us in the future.”
The Pacers have also struggled this season, partly because of injuries, so they were happy to have some time off to recover and get more in sync on the court.
Like the Sixers, Indiana has not played since Sunday, when they lost 113-109 to the Charlotte Hornets at home. The break gave the Pacers time to refocus on the basics.
“Obviously in the NBA season you don’t get a ton of practice time,” said star point guard Tyrese Haliburton. “So we tried to use this time right. Get back to fundamental things. … It’s definitely good to get here as a group and go over some things.”
T.J. McConnell had a career-high 30 points for Indiana, but the Pacers lost five of their last six games. Their struggles were caused by turnovers (17), poor rebounding (they were out-rebounded 45-29), and weak defense, as Charlotte shot 51.3 percent from the field and 48.3 percent from beyond the arc.
“I think (the Hornets) were trying harder,” said Indiana coach Rick Carlisle. “There you go. We gotta try harder, you know?”
Some of Indiana’s key players, like Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, and Pascal Siakam, had quiet games on Sunday. Together, they shot 11-for-29 from the field, including just 1-for-13 from three-point range, and scored only 29 points. None of the Pacers’ starters had more than 11 points.
“We’ve gotta be a team that can generate energy when things aren’t going well,” Carlisle said. “Unfortunately, a lot of our struggles come down to what’s happening offensively, and that’s something that we can control and we have to change.”
