The Pacers host the 76ers for the final time in the regular season on Thursday night in a game broadcast by TNT with Reggie Miller in the ‘House. Should be a playoff-type atmosphere at BLF as the Pacers continue battling Philly for key real estate in the Eastern Conference standings. The Pacers currently sit in third place, one game ahead of the Sixers. This will be the third of four regular season games in the series which has seen the road team win the first two matchups. If the Pacers can break that trend and hold serve on their home court, they will be in good shape for the tiebreaker since they are a few games better than the Sixers against Eastern Conference teams thus far. Jimmy Butler has never treated the Pacers kindly and this will be his first game against the Pacers with Philly. According to Keith Pompey, Joel Embiid showed up in Indy with some back tightness so is questionable for the tip. The Pacers are in better shape, although Myles Turner is still playing through a sore shoulder. Game Information: Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN When: 7:00 p.m. ET TV: TNT Radio: 107.5 FM/AM 1070 The Fan Projected Starting Lineups: Pacers: Darren Collison, Victor Oladipo, Bojan Bogdanovic, Thaddeus Young, Myles Turner 76ers: Ben Simmons, JJ Redick, Jimmy Butler, Wilson Chandler, Joel Embiid Injury update: IND: None PHI: Joel Embiid (back tightness) - questionable, Markelle Fultz (thoracic outlet syndrome) - out, Zhaire Smith (left foot) - out, Justin Patton (right foot surgery) - out Please leave your thoughts and observations on the game in the comments.<doc-sep>In likely their most impressive victory of the season, the Sixers beat the Indiana Pacers on the road tonight, 120-96. The biggest storyline in this game was the health of Joel Embiid, who was questionable until gametime with back stiffness. Embiid was visibly uncomfortable for much of the first half, moving gingerly and wincing in between plays. In the first half, Embiid was also much more inclined to fire from long range than bang down low, shooting 6 threes (one heave) in the first 24. The second half seemed to be a different story for the big man. He was more aggressive all around, playing defense and scoring at a rate much closer to what we’ve come to expect. Embiid finished with 22 points, 13 boards, 8 assists and 3 blocks. A +18, this was a truly gutsy performance by the MVP candidate in a game he seemed determine to play in and win. Jimmy Butler gave the Sixers consistent offense and staunch defense all night, as he put up 27 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds on 10-17 shooting. Ben Simmons was up-and-down, turning the ball over 6 times and only scoring 10 points. But he created some great looks for Jimmy, Jo and Muscala (game-high +19 off the bench) and played solid defense on a host of Pacers all night long. JJ Redick caught fire en route to his 20 points on 6-9 (nice) shooting from 3. Perhaps the only thing more impressive than putting 120 on the Pacers at home was the job the Sixers did guarding Victor Oladipo. A combination of Jimmy, Ben and Wilson Chandler held the All-Star to 6-20 shooting on the night. Here’s hoping these two consecutive decisive victories are a sign of good things to come for this Sixers team as they continue this extremely tough stretch of basketball. Next Up: the Sixers will be home to welcome Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center.<doc-sep>76ers vs. Pacers Prediction Can the Indiana Pacers pick up a big win at home tonight when they welcome the Philadelphia 76ers to town at 7PM ET? Game Snapshot & Odds 543 Philadelphia 76ers vs. 544 Indiana Pacers Thursday, January 17, 2019 7PM ET – Bankers Life Fieldhouse Compare odds and from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our new NBA Odds & Betting Page. Public Betting Trends According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, the Pacers are the slight favorite at home, as they are getting odds of -2.5 points against the 76ers. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 224.5 points. The public betting for this game currently has 58 percent going on the Pacers as the home favorite. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our NBA Public Betting Page for updated figures on the game. Philly looking for road success The 76ers are coming off a 149-107 win at home over Minnesota on Tuesday for its second straight win, but Philly has failed to cover in its last two road games. The 76ers are 29-16 on the season, 10-12 on the road, 21-24 against the spread and 27-18 with the over. Philadelphia is putting up 115.4 points per game on offense this season, which ranks fourth in the NBA. The 76ers also shoot 47.2 percent from the floor. Defensively, the 76ers are giving up 112.4 points per game while allowing opponents to shoot 45.1 percent from the field. Joel Embiid is leading the team with 27.0 points and 13.3 rebounds per game while Ben Simmons adds 16.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.2 assists per contest. Pacers hoping to heat up Indiana has won its last two games, including a 131-97 victory over Phoenix on Tuesday. The Pacers have covered in both wins, but had failed to cover in five straight prior to that. Indiana is now 29-14 on the season, 15-5 at home, 23-20 against the spread and 22-21 with the under. The Pacers have the league’s top defense, giving up just 103 points per game. Offensively, Indiana puts up 109 points per game while shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from the arc. Victor Oladipo is leading the team with 19.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. Domantas Sabonis is adding 15.2 points and 9.7 rebounds per contest. NBA Betting Trends Philadelphia The 76ers are 8-17 against the spread in their last 25 road games and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 conference games. Indiana The Pacers are 17-7 against the spread in their last 24 games against Atlantic Division opponents, but just 1-5 ATS in their last six conference games. Prediction: Surprisingly, road teams have won and covered in both meetings this season. However, it is Indiana’s home defense that will be the difference in this game. The Pacers are allowing just 97 points per game at home. Indiana has a roster that can properly combat Philly when healthy. Myles Turner can give Joel Embiid some problems and the Indian frontcourt can guard the perimeter. The 76ers lack in defense, especially on the road. I think Indiana will defend its way to a win and cover tonight. NBA Prediction: Indiana Pacers -2.5<doc-sep>
Tonight, the fourth-place Sixers will face off against the third-place Indiana Pacers in a matchup amongst two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. A Sixers win would result in a third-place tie among the two squads. The Sixers are coming off of an outright dismemberment of the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. In its first game against our dearly departed Dario Saric, the Sixers completed a wire-to-wire blowout against Jimmy Butler’s former team, 149-107. 7-3 over their last 10, tonight in Indiana kicks off an unrelenting 12-game stretch where the Sixers will face Indiana, OKC, Houston, San Antonio, Denver (x2), LA Lakers (x2), Golden State, Sacramento, Toronto and Boston. Yeesh. The Pacers enter this contest feeling good after a blowout of their own- a 131-97 drubbing of the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. 8-2 over their last 10, the Pacers are in the midst of another strong, steady season that has them slated once again in the top half of Eastern Conference playoff teams. This is a matchup of two very good teams that features a host of some very good matchups. First, we have Victor Oladipo vs. Jimmy Butler. Butler figures to be the man tasked mainly with containing the electric Pacers guard as much as possible. Since joining the team, containing quick, scoring guards has proved to be a challenge for Butler and the Sixers as a whole. (Wildcard- let’s see if the Sixers deploy new defensive stopper and quite possibly still alive signee Corey Brewer to make things tough on Vic). In the middle, we have superstar Joel Embiid vs. dark horse DPOY candidate Myles Turner. While Jo has historically feasted on the Pacers big in the past, his status for tonight is up in the air: Joel Embiid is questionable with back tightness — Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) January 17, 2019 Sixers starting power forward Wilson Chandler could also be sidelined with is 45th upper respiratory infection of the season. Here’s hoping the big man and Chandler are good to for tonight as the Sixers look to start this stretch off with a tough road win. Game Info Who: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Indiana Pacers Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis IN When: 7:00 pm EST Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, TNT Listen: 97.5 The Fanatic Follow: @Liberty_Ballers Vegas: Pacers -2.5