Indiana Pacers struggles to slow down Philadelphia 76ers again, get swept in season series

The Indiana Pacers just can't stop the Philadelphia 76ers this season.

The two teams have battled four times this campaign, and the 76ers scored 120+ points in each game. Even when they didn't have James Harden or Joel Embiid on the court, Philly put up points against Indiana with ease.

Saturday night was no exception. The squads played their final game against each other during the 2022-23 season, and the 76ers offense was humming. The Pacers were scoring well, too, but they couldn't keep up, even after a strong 12-4 start.

That early lead was gone less than two minutes later, and the Sixers never looked back. They finished the first frame with 34 points and had 72 at halftime, led by Tyrese Maxey's 22 first half points. The Pacers were down 11 at the break, but the lead felt larger than that since Philadelphia had been the significantly better team for the last 20 minutes of action.

"We're trying different schemes, different adjustments," guard Andrew Nembhard said of slowing the Sixers. He credited the coaching staff for coming up with a game plan and adjustments to attempt to slow down the 76ers, even if it's tough.

The third quarter was much of the same. The blue and gold had a great offensive frame, scoring 34 points, but didn't cut into the lead at all. Philly scored 34 points themselves and led by double digits going into the final quarter.

Even with Joel Embiid sitting out the entire fourth frame, the Pacers were trucked in the final 12 minutes. Maxey, Tobias Harris, and Paul Reed gave the blue and gold all they could handle down the stretch.

"They're a tough matchup for us," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of Philadelphia.

Something about the 76ers gives the Pacers fits. Regardless of who is on the floor, the Eastern Conference giants put up numbers and look unstoppable. Even when Indiana is having a solid offensive night, they can't always keep up.

Wing Aaron Nesmith attributes that to the difficulty of guarding Joel Embiid, as does Tyrese Haliburton. Nembhard says the combination of their best players is tricky to contain. Carlisle noted that Philadelphia has taken advantage of Pacers turnovers. In general, the 76ers are a tough cover for the Pacers.

"Both times we played them in the house, they just shot the hell out of the ball," Indiana center Myles Turner said. "Obviously, Embiid presents his problems."

In the end, the 76ers took down the Pacers 141-121. The Sixers swept the Pacers this season 4-0. "Bad game for us," Carlisle said postgame.

Indiana fell to 32-39 with the loss, though it wasn't all bad. Their offense managed to score 121 points against the NBA's seventh-ranked defense, and a few young players had quality outings.

Nesmith is at the top of that list. He finished with 25 points, a career high, on 9/16 shooting while adding six rebounds and two assists. He was excellent, and he defended well.

"Just trying to slow the game down. I'm playing at a better pace," Nesmith said after the game of his offensive output. "Letting my teammates find me in great spots and playing off of them." The young wing is averaging 15.6 points per game in his last five games.

Nembhard stepped up again. He is on a tear since moving to point guard due to Haliburton's injury, and he finished with 22 points in this game. Driving to the basket, and being aggressive with the ball, has been great for the rookie. He has grown significantly as a ball handler of late.

Turner had 20 points and five rebounds. Forward Jordan Nwora had a well-rounded outing with 13 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.

The Wizards lost and the Bulls won on Saturday, so the Pacers remained at 11th place in the Eastern Conference. They are 1.5 games behind Chicago for the 10th seed, which represents the final spot in the play-in tournament.

The blue and gold will continue to chase that play-in spot in their next game, which is on Monday in Charlotte.

• Andrew Nembhard got valuable point guard reps with Tyrese Haliburton and T.J. McConnell sidelined. CLICK HERE.
• George Hill is finding his place on the Indiana Pacers one month after being traded to the team. CLICK HERE.
• Jordan Nwora returns to Milwaukee while working to become a more well-rounded player for the Indiana Pacers. CLICK HERE.
• WATCH: Myles Turner throws down a highlight dunk on Giannis Antetokounmpo as the Indiana Pacers beat the Milwaukee Bucks. CLICK HERE.
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