The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Indiana Pacers 120-106 on Monday night to earn their first win. Joel Embiid scored 26 points, while James Harden contributed 29 points and 11 assists.
During recent workouts, James Harden and the 76ers reviewed many of their poor plays on film. The video snippets emphasized the outcomes on the court.
Harden stated, “I felt like we were 0-82.”
Now, they can stop worrying about it.
The Sixers had a 0-3 start, losing their first two contests to East Conference front-runners Milwaukee and Boston. The Sixers and Orlando are the only East teams at 0-3, thanks to Embiid’s 40 points in a defeat to San Antonio.
Harden converted 10 of his 18 field goal attempts, and in the fourth, he made two straight 3-pointers to increase the margin to 109-95.
The Sixers quickly put the Pacers away and got a little help from everyone else to advance to the victory column. In the opening period, the Sixers’ six players each made one 3-point shot. They connected on 12 of 22 attempts in the second, soaring to a 19-point advantage. Nine of Philadelphia’s 19 three-pointers came together from Harden and Tobias Harris (18 points).
Tyrese Haliburton had 19 points and ten assists to lead the Pacers. With 18 points, Buddy Hield.
The Sixers didn’t need much from Embiid, which was excellent news for Philadelphia. The current NBA scoring champion, Embiid, revealed over the weekend that he had been battling plantar fasciitis during the summer (pain under the heel and foot). Before training camp, Embiid said he effectively stopped all physical activity for two months and was still “trying to work my way back.”
Late in the third, he unleashed a booming right-handed baseline dunk that roused the somnolent audience.
The excellent news for the Sixers is that the team overlooked their poor start in the flurry of Philadelphia sports headlines, including the Union’s journey to the Eastern Conference final, the Eagles’ 6-0 start, and the Phillies’ trip to the World Series.
Additionally, it’s still early, and coach Doc Rivers thought the Sixers might get their act together and compete rather than go on a long losing run.
Rivers added, “I’ve seen talent. “It only needs to fit and function. Just our players in the locker room; I like them. I see no reason to think otherwise.
In his third season as Philadelphia’s head coach, Rivers noted that the Sixers still need to strengthen a few areas before they can be considered an East contender.
We could go for a run. We are not yet prepared to be that squad, even if we do,” he continued. Simply put, “It will take time.”
Pacers: 12 of their 44 3-point tries were made.
76ers: In the second quarter, G Shake Milton made his season debut. Milton is in his sixth season with the Sixers and was previously thought of as a second-unit spark. In six minutes, he failed to score. All 11 of G De’Anthony Melton’s season-best points came in the first half.
Phoenix Suns, turned down a trade proposal for Heat shooter Duncan Robinson