Three observations after Embiid left after being punched in the face, Sixers lost to Pacers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Joel Embiid played just one half and the Sixers failed to add an eighth victory on Friday night.
They fell to 7-16 on the season with a 121-107 loss to the Pacers.
Embiid did not play the second half after being inadvertently taped to the right side of his face by Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin. He will undergo further testing, a Sixers official said.
The Sixers were without Caleb Martin (right shoulder impingement) and Adem Bona (left knee tendinopathy). Both players have resumed on-field work and are considered day-to-day. Kyle Lowry was scratched late due to lower back spasms.
Tyrese Maxey scored a team-high 22 points. Paul George added 15 and Kelly Oubre Jr. recorded a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double.
Tyrese Haliburton led the 11-15 Pacers with 32 points and 11 assists. Pascal Siakam had 23 points and eight boards.
Next up for the Sixers is a road game against the Hornets on Monday night. Here are observations about their loss to Indiana:
Pacers pounce on Sixers’ sloppiness
Embiid’s passing was a positive at first.
The superstar big man had four assists in the first quarter. Oubre cut behind the Indiana defense on the first play of the game and Embiid served him up for a layup. The Sixers had some nice inside-out moments after multiple player post-ups, including an Embiid feed that set up George for a wide-open three-pointer.
The Pacers responded from a 9-2 deficit by storming back with a 14-0 run. The Sixers’ turnovers played a key role, allowing Indiana to attack in transition. Mathurin poked the ball away from an unsuspecting George, leading to Haliburton’s second consecutive three. He made four triples in the first period.
Maxey turned the ball over early in the second quarter when the Pacers blew him in the pick-and-roll shortly after crossing half court. Seconds later, TJ McConnell threw a successful alley-oop to Obi Toppin and Indiana took a 37-24 lead. At that point, the Sixers had eight turnovers compared to the Pacers.
Indiana applied effective pressure on Maxey, who had scored 45 points in an overtime win against the Pacers on October 27. Before Friday, his high turnover season was four. He had five giveaways in the first half.
It didn’t help that the Sixers came up empty with some decent looks. Embiid missed a driving layup to Myles Turner to start 0 for 4 from the floor. He started 0 for 7 in the Sixers’ win over the Bulls on Sunday.
Only half of Embiid
Eric Gordon was the only available Sixer not in the team’s 10-man rotation.
While the team’s second unit had some defensive breakdowns, the youthful trio of Jared McCain, KJ Martin and Ricky Council IV combined to score 16 points in the first half.
Once he checked back in for his second stint, Embiid was determined to get inside Turner. He picked up Turner’s third foul with 4:49 left in the second quarter.
At the end of the second, all attention turned to Embiid’s health. He was hit in the face by Mathurin’s arm as the Indiana guard pursued a potential offensive rebound. Embiid eventually got up and walked back to the Sixers’ locker room with a towel over his face. He didn’t return to the floor.
Not surprisingly, the Sixers want to thoroughly evaluate Embiid, who has worn a mask on his face twice during the playoffs after returning from orbital fractures.
McCain started the third quarter and suffered an injury of his own when he fell hard during a drive and appeared to hit his head on the track. McCain was evaluated for a concussion and cleared to return, according to a Sixers official.
The comeback attempt fails
The Sixers fell behind by as many as 18 points in the third quarter.
However, it wasn’t until late in the third period that they got back into the game. Oubre, Council and Drummond all played hard and did good physical work on the boards.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse used George and four bench players to start the fourth quarter. George became more aggressive and sank a floater and a jumper, cutting the Pacers’ lead to 92-87.
Ultimately, the Sixers seemed to run out of juice and Indiana made plenty of timely shots, including two Siakam jumpers in a row. Haliburton scored an and-one hoop on McCain and then stopped by the bench to celebrate with his teammates. The Pacers’ lead continued to grow as they cruised to victory.
For the Sixers, all the important questions once again revolve around Embiid’s health.
