The beloved Philadelphia 76ers are in Indianapolis to square off against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.
The Sixers are coming off an 'incredible' comeback win at home over the Bucks. This Spencer Hawes three point shot tied the game late and the Sixers rallied to take the victory in overtime. It was a game the Sixers didn't have business winning, but they took it anyway.
Tonight against the Pacers won't be so easy. Indiana is amongst the best teams in the league at 11-1. They feature talent up and down the roster, with notables such as young star Paul George and towering big man Roy Hibbert.
To make matters more challenging, it's a second of a back to back for Philadelphia. The Sixers are 1-1 in those games this season. Plus, it's an away game. The Sixers are 1-4 in road games. And the Pacers haven't lost at home all year. Indy is ranked 20th in offensive efficiency but they have the best defensive efficiency in the league. Hibbert is a rim protector that will give the Sixers fits as they try to get points in the paint.
I don't see a way where the Sixers win this game. They needed a miracle comeback barrage of Hawes threes just to force Milwaukee into overtime in a game where they allowed 33 year old Caron friggin' Butler to score 38 points. That's good news for advocates of tanking. While last night's come from behind victory excited some Sixers fans, it left others feeling unsatisfied (such as myself). Such sentiment was clear in the comments of the post-game thread and the recap post.
So sit back and enjoy the inevitable blowout tonight. And try not to look directly at Luis Scola's face for too long.
Injury Update:
Tony Wroten left the Bucks game with a lower back strain. He's listed as a game-time decision. Thaddeus Young is away from the team right now due to personal reasons.
The Enemy:
Prediction:
The Sixers lose big, 121-88.
Misc:
Tip is at 7 PM EST. GameThread will be up at 6:30 - don't forget to join us. You can catch the game on CSN. You can listen live on the radio: 97.5 The Fanatic.