The Indiana Pacers met the Philadelphia 76ers tonight and managed to redeem themselves from their previous loss. The battle of the Tyreses continues and in the Haliburton came up as the winner from this round. With things between them in a tie 1-1 for now, it will be interesting to see how well they perform when they meet again for the last time in the regular season next year.
The game was a close call between the two but the Pacers had the definitive lead from the start. Philadelphia was only able to take the lead from the last few minutes of the third quarter. But they lost it again in the mid-fourth quarter. With this 132-126 victory, Indiana now has seven wins in its bag. For the 76ers, however, this was just their second loss after the season opener. This match also provided a peak into the dynamic that doesn’t seem to work among the Sixers. Here are three important takeaways from the match.
1. 76ers rely too much on offense?
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The Sixers’ offense is at its best right now. After James Harden‘s exit, Tyrese Maxey has been the savior for the team. On Sunday’s match against the Pacers’, he came through with 50 points, his career-high, along with seven rebounds and five assists. He averages 28.6 points with 5.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists while shooting 50.5% from the field.
Joel Embiid on the other hand, has been averaging 32.4 points, second in the league right now. He has 11.7 rebounds with 5.7 assists while shooting 50.5% from the field. While these are impressive scores, they cannot win games by just putting up more points on the scoreboard.
2. New defensive recruits need to show up
To help the 76ers become a well-rounded team, Patrick Beverley and Marcus Morris need to step up and contribute. Beverley is a three-time NBA All-Defensive Team member, who is known for his physicality. He joined Philadelphia this summer and is currently averaging 2.3 points with 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists.
If he can take the burden off of Embiid-Maxey’s shoulders, the team is assured easier wins. Covering both ends can be physically excruciating for the players and an equal distribution of labor is crucial right now. The same applies to Marcus, who joined the Sixers as one of the trade pieces for James Harden from the LA Clippers. He would need some time to get used to the team, so we are willing to give him more time to prove himself.
3. Winning a ring is near-impossible
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
This unsustainable style of play means that the players can stack up individual records and accolades. If they continue, they can become the champions of the Eastern Conference. Joel Embiid is a likely contender for his third MVP. Tyrese will receive his All-Star and All-NBA Teams selections. But they can forget their ultimate goal of winning the ring. Because that requires them to collectively share the load to bring the results.
This kind of play also means that they are risking the health of their key players. While they may be young players, playing at this high-intensity level every single night will eventually wear them out. If the players and the management do not come up with a better strategy, they are putting their chances of advancing to the play-offs at risk.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
While it may be too early to predict the end result, it is important to foresee the consequences of one’s actions. What did you think of Philadelphia’s game? Do you think they are relying too much on the Embiid-Maxey duo? Let us know in the comments.
Watch this Story:?Days After ?We?re Going to Be Very Good? Claims, NBA Front Office Source Says Daryl Morey Philadelphia 76ers Are Fu*ked