Indiana Pacers players will enter this match after a victory against the Atlanta Hawks at home with a score of 105-104, after overtime. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia players defeated one of the weakest NBA teams, the New York Knicks, 101-95 on the road. The 76ers have also won three of their last four meetings with the Pacers, including a victory in March this year, with a score of 106-89.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia team is one of the few real contenders to win the NBA title this season, but so far they have not shown the confident play that was expected from them. Although the 76ers are one of the most dominant teams at home, winning all eight games played, they have only won 5 out of 11 games on the road, which prevents them from climbing higher in the standings.
The Philadelphia team has won 6 of their last 7 games, including the last two in a row. The most recent victory was against the Knicks, with a score of 106-89, and moreover, it was the 10th consecutive victory for the 76ers against the Knicks. Although the Philadelphia team had problems in the first half of the game and lost the first half by 12 points, they managed to regroup after the long break and won the third quarter with a score of 31-17. Importantly, Joel Embiid rehabilitated after the worst performance of his career, which took place against the Raptors (in over 30 minutes played, he did not score a single point and missed all 11 shots from the field). For the second game in a row, the 76ers leader dominated, adding 27 points and 17 rebounds in the game against the Knicks, and was the main architect of the victory.
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The 76ers team currently ranks 18th in the league in points scored (108.3 per game), 6th in rebounds (47.1 per game), 5th in assists (26.2 per game), and 4th in points allowed (103.6 points per game). Joel Embiid is the undisputed team leader, averaging 22.2 points and 12.4 rebounds per game. Tobias Harris adds an average of 17.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, Ben Simmons averages 12.8 points, 8.1 assists, and 7 rebounds. Also playing an important role is Josh Richardson, acquired from the Miami Heat in the offseason, averaging 16.1 points per game.
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana team is still waiting for their leader V. Oladipo to return from injury. Although it is not yet fully clear when he will return, it should happen before the All-Star weekend, which would mean that Oladipo would still have enough time to get in sync with the team before the playoffs and gain good physical shape.
Last night, the Indiana team unexpectedly struggled with one of the weakest NBA teams, the Atlanta Hawks, who with only 4 wins in 15 games are in last place in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers team, just like the 76ers, had a 12-point deficit before the start of the second half but managed to win the third quarter with a score of 29-11 and take the initiative. One of the reasons for such a close game was the Pacers' missed three-point shots (only 6 out of 26 attempts were made). It is also worth mentioning that the Pacers are not a good road team, and struggling at home against the Hawks probably created problems for themselves, as they will have to play against direct competitors for a better place in the standings the next day.
The Pacers team ranks 16th in the league in points scored (109.3 points per game), 13th in rebounds (45.9 per game), 10th in assists (24.9 per game), and 5th in points allowed (103.8 per game), just 0.2 points behind the Philadelphia 76ers.
It is very pleasing that Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis is having a career season with the Pacers, averaging 18.8 points and 13.2 rebounds, which is currently the 5th best result in the entire NBA league. Malcolm Brogdon, who joined the team in the offseason, also looks solid, averaging 18.8 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists per game. T.J. Warren, who came from the Suns, also looks great, adding 17.3 points per game.
Prediction
For both teams, this will be a “back to back” game, but the 76ers had a much shorter trip and an easier match compared to the Pacers team, which had to play overtime. The Philadelphia team has not lost at home this season, and considering today's circumstances, they are also the undisputed favorites going into this match. Indiana is not a good road team, while the Philadelphia team has allowed more than 100 points at home only 3 times in 8 games, so we can expect a more sluggish game than usual and the continuation of the 76ers' dominance at home.
76ers -5.5, 1.9 odds, betsafe
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