Just like most of the 49 wins that preceded it, the Sixers’ 133-120 victory Saturday afternoon at Wells Fargo Center over the Pacers was dominated by Joel Embiid.
The MVP contender scored 41 points on 14-for-17 shooting and grabbed 20 rebounds. When he reached the 40-20 mark and subbed out of the game with under a minute left, Embiid got hearty cheers from the home crowd.
The Sixers will end the season as either the No. 4 or No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. To finish third and face the sixth-seeded Bulls, the Sixers need to beat the Pistons on Sunday night and have the Celtics lose to the Grizzlies.
Any other scenario would mean a first-round playoff matchup against the Raptors. Regardless of tomorrow’s results, the Sixers will have home court in Round 1.
James Harden posted 22 points on 7-for-16 shooting and 14 assists. Every Sixers starter scored in double tricks.
Georges Niang missed Saturday’s game with left knee patella tendinopathy. Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said pregame that Niang would’ve played if it had been a postseason game and that the 28-year-old forward’s absence was “precautionary.”
Many of Indiana’s top players were out with injuries, including Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner and TJ Warren.
Here are observations on the Sixers’ win over Indiana in their penultimate regular-season game:
Going with Green again
Danny Green (15 points, four rebounds, three steals) started a second consecutive game. Before Thybulle was ineligible to play Thursday in Torontothe 25-year-old wing had 26 straight starts.
The Sixers opened strong and Green played his part. He hit a transition corner three-pointer to give the Sixers a 13-3 lead, then shortly after nabbed a back-court steal and fed Embiid for a layup. Green also dutifully stuck with TJ McConnell on his frequent cycles along the baseline.
We now wait to see how Rivers handles the starting small forward spot for the postseason. If the Sixers face the Raptors and Thybulle remains ineligible in Canada, Green would be the clear choice for road games. Should he be the Sixers’ top wing in all situations? It’s never been tough to make the case that Green should start, or at least that he should play key minutes alongside the Sixers’ stars. At his best, he’s a low-maintenance veteran who plays solid defense across multiple positions and makes catch-and-shoot jumpers. Green’s comfort shooting in transition is also a nice asset when Harden and the Sixers are successful at advancing the ball and maintaining good tempo.
Of course, Thybulle’s an All-Defensive team contender again. He’s also shown occasional promise offensively next to Harden; the Sixers ran a double drag action with Thybulle and Embiid screening a few times Saturday, and it’s evident they think Thybulle’s screening, rolling, cutting and open-floor speed can be useful and sometimes mitigate the disadvantage of opponents correctly not viewing him as a scoring threat.
On Saturday, Green and Thybulle played stretches together in both halves. That’s historically yielded excellent results for the Sixers and would likely make sense in the playoffs even with Niang back.
Embiid just about locks up scoring crown
For some reason, Embiid took the court at his usual pregame routine time with his full uniform on. He then tossed up a few layups and almost immediately went back to the locker room.
Outside of a missed foul shot, there was nothing off about Embiid in the early going. The big man drew three fouls in the first 89 seconds, scored the Sixers’ first six points, and looked able to get wherever he wanted.
Any scoring title outcome besides an Embiid win would be stunning. Through a career-high 68 games, he’s averaged 30.6 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s average before the Bucks’ season finale Sunday against the Cavs was 29.9. You can investigate various improbable hypotheticals if you’re so inclined, but Embiid is on track to be the Sixers’ first scoring champion since Allen Iverson and the first center to win since Shaquille O’Neal.
After Embiid kicked the ball out to him, Harden passed up an open catch-and-shoot three-pointer in the first quarter, eventually dishing to Green in the corner instead and committing a turnover. Following the play, Embiid moved to the 10-time All-Star to shoot. Embiid’s messaging has been consistent there throughout the season, and Harden’s been the teammate most noticeably turning down open looks lately.
Harden wasn’t reluctant to try jumpers off the dribble, but his struggles persisted in a 2-for-9 start. He took six first-quarter foul shots but was frustrated by the lack of whistles after that, complaining about back-to-back no-calls in the third quarter.
For the optimistic fan, there were hints Saturday that the Sixers’ stars can come through when needed. After the Pacers cut a deficit as high as 21 points to five, Embiid replied with a difficult three-pointer late in the shot clock. On the team’s next trip, Harden got rookie big man Isaiah Jackson on a switch and blew past him for a layup.
Backup center’s sure going to be interesting
Paul Reed backed up Embiid for a second game in a row and played about as eventful a first stint as imaginable.
In his opening six minutes, Reed recorded eight points on 4-for-4 shooting, three rebounds, three steals and four fouls.
Every possession, it seemed Reed was the central figure. His energy is dependent and everything else appears to be a wild card. Not an ideal description of a backup center in the playoffs, but Reed does provide unique positives. And DeAndre Jordan certainly did not cement the spot.
Before the game, Rivers indicated matchups would determine his decisions behind Embiid, with Jordan the pick against bigger centers and several options in other situations, including Reed, Paul Millsap, and small-ball lineups. Any choice he makes will be heavily scrutinized.
Isaiah Joe, Reed’s fellow NBA sophomore, also cracked the Sixers’ rotation Saturday and had a couple of bright moments with a backdoor layup and a drawn charge. Furkan Korkmaz played five first-half minutes but didn’t appear in the second half until garbage time.