Field Level Media
Feb 3, 2018
Bojan Bogdanovic and Victor Oladipo scored 19 points apiece and the Indiana Pacers played a strong second half en route to a 100-92 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Lance Stephenson scored 14 points, Darren Collison contributed 11 and Thaddeus Young had 10 for the Pacers. Domantas Sabonis also had 10 along with eight rebounds and six assists.
Joel Embiid paced the 76ers with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Embiid leads the Sixers with 29 games this season of at least 20 points.
Dario Saric added 16 points, Robert Covington chipped in 12 and Jerryd Bayless had 11 for the Sixers, who fell back to .500. Ben Simmons had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
The Sixers lost for the fourth straight time on the road.
A quick 7-2 run capped by Stephenson's 3-pointer from the top of the key pushed Indiana's lead to 83-77 early in the fourth. Stephenson later threw down a dunk, extending the run to 9-2 and an 85-77 advantage.
The Sixers misfired on their first 11 3-pointers in the second half. Combined with 11 second half turnovers, the Pacers bolted to a 93-81 lead with 4:38 left.
Another trey by Stephenson pushed the Pacers lead to 96-83.
The double-digit advantage in the final three minutes was more than enough on their way to a home victory.
Embiid knocked down a jumper with 0.2 seconds remaining in the third quarter, cutting the Pacers lead to 76-75. The Sixers committed five of their 18 turnovers in that quarter but managed to stay close.
The Pacers shot a sizzling 56 percent in the first half en route to a 62-57 advantage. Bogdanovic (13) and Oladipo (12) combined for 25 points.
Embiid scored 12 points in the first 24 minutes, which was significant considering it marked the first time all season he had played in a back-to-back situation. The Sixers defeated the Miami Heat 103-97 Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
JJ Redick struggled mightily for the Sixers, going 0 for 6 from the field while missing all four 3-pointers. He finished with six points on 1-of-8 shooting.
--Field Level Media