After four consecutive days off, the 7-15 Sixers returned to action on Friday night, playing host to another struggling hopeful contender: the Indiana Pacers, who have failed to capitalize on the momentum created by their run to last season's Eastern Conference Finals.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse spoke positively about what his team took away from its lengthy layoff, and had the opportunity to display continued progress in what was the first time Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey have all suited up for the Sixers in the same game on their home floor.
Despite the positive momentum on their side, the Sixers did not have their best in the first half on either side of the ball. Their offense buffered for several minutes at a time, and Indiana's offense dictated the pace of the game with ease. The Sixers faced a double-digit deficit at halftime, but the scarier proposition was the news that Embiid would not return to the game after suffering a face injury.
Things nearly became even more disastrous when rookie guard Jared McCain was entered into the concussion protocol, but McCain was able to quickly return and help the Sixers close the third quarter with an excellent stretch to keep the game within reach. In the fourth quarter, though, the Pacers were able to finally pull away and nab a win in Philadelphia.
Here is what stood out from the Sixers' 121-107 loss:
Nurse sticks with Guerschon Yabusele in the starting five
Nurse's clear hope is that Yabusele — who has thrived all season in his first year with the Sixers, but has largely done so at center — can be the team's fifth starter moving forward, sliding down to his natural position at the four and helping the Sixers display some size in the frontcourt between Yabusele and Embiid.
Yabusele got the nod alongside Embiid during the former NBA MVP's first game back in action — an impressive Sunday afternoon road win over the Chicago Bulls — and when Chicago doubled down on small-ball, Nurse countered by starting the second half with McCain in Yabusele's place, giving the Sixers more speed, ball-handling and three-point shooting.
Nurse indicated after a recent practice that he would like to be consistent with his starting lineup moving forward if possible, but that he will not be hesitant to begin the second half of any game with a different unit if a certain matchup calls for the adjustment. Given Indiana's strong starting frontcourt of Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner, Yabusele was clearly the right guy to go with next to Embiid to kick things off on Friday.
The Sixers' full starting five: Embiid, Yabusele, Kelly Oubre Jr., Maxey and George.
Sixers rule out a pair of rotation pieces and a deep reserve
On Thursday evening, the Sixers listed Caleb Martin (shoulder) and Adem Bona (knee) as OUT for this game after Nurse said they had not participated in that morning's practice. Martin has been dealing with rather significant nagging injuries for nearly the entire season, Nurse said, asserting his confidence in the gritty wing finding his proper form:
Nick Nurse on Caleb Martin today: "He's not anywhere near 100 percent. He's got all kinds of things going on."
Full quote from Nurse, asked about Martin's offensive struggles this season, on why he is "not worried about it at all." pic.twitter.com/cT9zt2YrHr— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) December 11, 2024
Bona's left knee issues have now held him out for three straight games, though with Embiid back in the fold the rookie second-round pick is not in line for rotation minutes in the near future.
30 minutes before the start of the game, the Sixers added veteran point guard Kyle Lowry to their injury report as questionable with lower back spasms. Moments later, he was ruled out for the game. Nurse has noted in the past a desire to be cautious with the workload of Lowry, the 38-year-old floor general with plenty of mileage.
Embiid thrives as playmaker early
Embiid made only one of his five shot attempts in the first quarter — he thanked the heavens after connecting on a three from the top of the key — but was still the Sixers' lone consistent source of early offense. An Indiana team with no center depth that could not afford to see Turner end up in foul trouble, as he often has against Embiid in his career, sent aggressive double-teams to Embiid on most of his early touches. Embiid was perfectly happy to make all of the right reads and dish the ball to his teammates.
On the first possession of the game, the Sixers ran a beautiful set to free up a cutting Kelly Oubre Jr.
Horns Flex is back https://t.co/GOoSZlG5UH pic.twitter.com/37muATxoDI
— Dan Olinger (@dan_olinger) December 14, 2024
Embiid continued to embrace his opportunities to pass the ball, finding Oubre again, then notching an assist to a cutting KJ Martin and drawing a double-team to enable an assist on a Jared McCain triple:
the feed from Embiid. 🤌 pic.twitter.com/A5NbyYOunX
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 14, 2024
Embiid's sheer gravity was on full display early on. His presence alone makes life tremendously easier for every other Sixers player.
After opening burst, Sixers offense falls flat as Tyrese Haliburton gets hot
Centered around Embiid's creation, the Sixers got off to a hot start, scoring nine points in the first three minutes of action. But then they went completely silent, going scoreless for four minutes and 58 seconds before another Embiid assist got that back on the board.
Meanwhile, Indiana surged thanks to All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who suddenly found himself red-hot from beyond the arc and knocked down four triples in the opening frame alone. Haliburton, who has not looked like his best self for much of the season, was absolutely electric in the first half, keeping the Pacers playing the up-tempo basketball they have been known to frequent in recent years. Haliburton was able to combine his terrific shooting with strong playmaking to keep Indiana's offense humming.
At intermission, the Sixers trailed Indiana, 61-50. Embiid had 12 points, five assists and four rebounds for the Sixers, while Haliburton had 19 points and seven assists with five triples. But when the buzzer sounded to end the second quarter, nobody in the arena was focused on the score.
As the teams returned to their locker rooms following the conclusion of the first half, one player was already there.
Embiid heads to locker room after taking hit to the face, ruled out for remainder of game
On Indiana's final possession of the first half, Pacers wing Bennedict Mathurin left his feet to pursue an offensive rebound, and his arm made contact with Embiid's face:
Joel Embiid got up and walked to the locker room with a few seconds left to play in the first half, was hit in the face by the arm of Bennedict Mathurin here. pic.twitter.com/2gLajNwgny
— Erin Grugan (@eringrugan) December 14, 2024
Embiid immediately fell to the ground, and after the Sixers called a timeout to stop the clock, he still needed a minute or two before getting to his feet. Embiid was helped up and traveled to the locker room with 6.5 seconds left in the second quarter.
After the 15-minute intermission, Embiid remained in the locker room. McCain took his place in the starting five to open the third quarter, with Yabusele once again sliding up to the five. It was a strong sign of news to come, and shortly thereafter the Sixers said that Embiid would miss the remainder of the contest due to "impact to right side of face" and would undergo further testing.
McCain experiences a scare, but returns as the Sixers find a spark
Soon after Embiid had been officially ruled out for the rest of the game due to his face injury, McCain drove to the basket, drew a foul and took a hard landing. Every player's worst fear came true, as the back of McCain's head smacked the hardwood. McCain got up relatively quickly but looked disoriented. For a moment, George was holding him upright from behind to ensure McCain was stable.
Sixers' rookie Jared McCain comes down hard on his back, possibly hitting his head on the hardwood (no clear shot of the impact but the sound isn't great).
McCain stood up but looked disoriented and has been pulled from the game. pic.twitter.com/58dKj5kwSn— Erin Grugan (@eringrugan) December 14, 2024
The rookie guard tried to stay in the game to shoot free throws, but was pulled to undergo concussion protocol (making him eligible to return). In a bit of a surprise, McCain quickly cleared the protocol and appeared back on the Sixers' bench, then received a rousing ovation upon returning to the game. McCain's return came in the midst of a Sixers spurt, which only accelerated in the final two minutes of the third quarter.
Oubre and Ricky Council IV were particularly impactful during the final moments of the quarter, while the loudest instance likely came when Andre Drummond threw down a dunk following up a Council miss:
put that thing BACK. 🔨 pic.twitter.com/j1OZDMXFDi
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 14, 2024
The energy in the arena was outstanding during this stretch, culminating in a standing ovation following the conclusion of the quarter. The Sixers had trimmed Indiana's lead to seven points, forcing their way back into the game.
George finds a scoring groove to keep Sixers close down the stretch
The nine-time All-Star appeared headed for his second consecutive quiet offensive night, but in the fourth quarter George was finally able to find a groove:
Paul George makin em dance and hitting the step-back 🕺 pic.twitter.com/aRZx9wqCaq
— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) December 14, 2024
George's ability to create buckets for himself and bail out the occasional poor possession is a massive crutch for the Sixers — with Embiid and Maxey, of course, capable of similar plays.
Sixers fall short in valiant comeback effort
Looking for the best possible combination of defensive versatility and offensive skill, Nurse elected to use an extremely small lineup late in the fourth quarter, in hopes of overcoming a Pacers lead which had grown back to double-digits. Nurse went with Maxey, McCain, Oubre, George and KJ Martin in a super-small-ball unit, with KJ Martin's two corner threes giving his coach additional reason to have faith.
After Indiana grabbed two offensive rebounds on the same possession, Nurse pivoted, replacing the fifth-year forward with Drummond to add muscle inside despite Turner's ability to space the floor as a stretch five. Ultimately, all of Nurse's creativity was too little, too late, as the Sixers fell behind by a margin too significant to overcome without Embiid.
Up next: The Sixers will get both days off this weekend before heading to Charlotte for their third matchup of the season against the Hornets. After Monday's game, the Sixers will have another three-day stretch without any games, followed by their third back-to-back of the season.
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