On Friday night, the Indiana Pacers beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 112-100. They were led by an impressive 27-point outing by Pascal Siakam, and Tyrese Haliburton recorded his eighth-straight double-double, amassing 14 points and ten assists for the second game in a row.
The 76ers, meanwhile, enjoyed 24 points from Jeff Dowtin Jr., although they have been ravaged by injuries all season and played only eight players in the contest.
Still, it took a second-half comeback for the Pacers to pass the lowly Sixers and continue their march toward the postseason.
The Pacers outscored the Sixers in the second half, 65-49. Indiana had three double-digit scorers in the last 24 minutes, and the Sixers only had one, with Oshae Brissett's 13 points.
With each team leading by 16 points at one point in the game, Rick Carlisle was thrilled to see his team close out on a high note.
"Second half was much better than the first," he said. "First half, we didn't have very many points in the paint at all. Second half, our defense picked up, and it becomes more of a downhill game. We needed to pick up our game in the second half, and the guys did a good job."
The Pacers allowed 16 points in the restricted area in the second half but were able to score 30 of their own, with Siakam pouring in ten points near the rim.
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All season long, the Pacers have dealt with a lack of size and interior presence on both ends of the court, but when Haliburton and Siakam are attacking the rim with any sort of aggression at all, they look the part of one of the better teams in the league.
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This story was originally published March 15, 2025 at 11:49 AM.