76ers vs. Pacers: 10 Observations From Sixers' Preseason Finale

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Indiana Pacers on Friday for their preseason finale.

The Philadelphia 76ers took the court for their second preseason game of the offseason on Friday. After taking down the Boston Celtics on Tuesday for their preseason debut, the 76ers faced the Indiana Pacers on the road, looking to go unbeaten in the preseason as Friday marked their second and final game before taking on the regular season next Wednesday.

Despite getting off to another shaky start on Friday, the Sixers had a strong second half. Coming into the third quarter trailing, the 76ers started putting together an exciting comeback led by third-year guard, Shake Milton.

In 21 minutes of action, Milton drained four of his eight shots from the field, picking up 15 points. Thanks to strong performances from key players off the bench such as Milton, Furkan Korkmaz, and Mike Scott, the 76ers managed to accomplish a comeback and defeat the Pacers 113-107 to wrap up the preseason 2-0. Here are ten other observations from the matchup.

Joel Embiid is Out

Joel Embiid was ruled out on Friday night as he's dealing with a non-COVID related illness. The big man stayed back in Philly and is expected to be ready for the season-opener next week against the Washington Wizards barring any setbacks.

The Starting Lineup

So, with Embiid out, the Sixers rolled with Dwight Howard as the starting center. Other than Embiid's absence, the starting lineup looked the same.

PG: Ben Simmons

SG: Seth Curry

SF: Danny Green

PF: Tobias Harris

C: Dwight Howard

Figuring out the Bench Rotation

On Thursday, Doc Rivers mentioned that he has a good idea of what the reserve rotation will look like. As he wants to roll with a ten-man rotation this year since it's a shortened season, Rivers revealed he had a good idea of which four players would come off the bench, with the fifth still up in the air.

Rivers wouldn't say who they were, but he made it clear that it would be easy to tell at least who the four locks were based on Friday's rotations. The first two subs to check in on Tuesday? Shake Milton and Furkan Korkmaz. The first two on Friday? Again, Milton and Korkmaz -- two guys who Rivers has praised many times this offseason.

The third reserve to check in on Friday was the veteran forward Mike Scott, another player who received praise from Rivers for having a strong training camp. Based on what we've seen and heard this past week, Rivers' locks seem to be Dwight Howard, Milton, Korkmaz, and Scott, with the fifth spot coming down to Tyrese Maxey and Matisse Thybulle.

On Tuesday, Thybulle was the fifth sub for the Sixers. After getting frustrated early on, Thybulle struggled to really get going against the Celtics. Maxey, on the other hand, stood out as he played the entire fourth quarter. 

Maxey received a lot of praise after Tuesday's performance. Meanwhile, Thybulle was barely talked about. To no surprise, Maxey picked up minutes before Thybulle early on during Friday night's matchup. Once again, he didn't disappoint.

In 17 minutes on the floor, Maxey shot four-for-seven from the field, picking up 11 points. Thybulle once again was a non-factor on offense as he drained zero shots from the field and went one-for-two from the stripe for a total of one point. Defensively, Thybulle was aggressive and picked up two steals and two blocks -- but his failure to exist on offense makes it tough to justify him making the rotation over Maxey. 

Danny Green's Defense is Legit

Danny Green has been in the league since 2009. At this point, we know what the 33-year-old guard brings to the table. He can shoot from beyond-the-arc, he's a good leader, and he's a solid defender. His defensive value was on full display Friday night. Green will fit in well with the Sixers and should help Doc Rivers achieve his goal of having the 76ers be one of the NBA's better defensive squads.

Dwight Howard Will Make a Big Difference

Despite his first-half frustrations and getting into foul trouble, Dwight Howard is still a problem for his opponents. He might not be the same superstar caliber player he once was, but he's clearly going to be the best backup Joel Embiid has had -- and he's only played in two preseason games with the Sixers. Howard checked in for 16 minutes and went 7-for-7 from the field, totaling 14 points. 

Tony Bradley vs. Vincent Poirier

We know that Dwight Howard will backup Joel Embiid -- but who gets the nod to back up Howard when Embiid is out? It seems former Utah Jazz big man Tony Bradley has earned the spot. While Bradley and Vincent Poirier had similar performances on Tuesday, Bradley had a solid showing on Friday and played as Howard's backup for most of the matchup. 

Mike Scott Catches Fire

The veteran forward wasn't shy about his struggles last season. Scott wasn't consistent and sometimes found himself out of the rotation. This year, Scott focused on getting back to being consistent and doing what he does best -- shooting threes. 

On Friday, Scott checked in as early as the first quarter and totaled 15 minutes off the bench. During that time on the court, Scott drained four of his six three-pointers for a total of 12 points. 

Ben Simmons Attempted a Three

He didn't make it -- but you have to appreciate the effort these days.

Ben Simmons attempting an above-the-break 3 (he's only really taken his few attempts from the corners before). pic.twitter.com/WBygYJZQMC

— Tom West (@TomWestNBA) December 19, 2020

Early Turnovers are an Issue

Some things never change. I get it; it's preseason. This is the time to make mistakes. But turnovers have been a common issue for the 76ers over the years. During the first half of the game on Friday, the Sixers had over 15 turnovers. Meanwhile, the Pacers' turnover total was in single digits. That cannot be another trend this year.

Shake Milton is the Real Deal

For now, Milton is going to come off the bench for the Sixers. I'm not sure how long that's going to last. While it's good to have a guy like Milton headline the second unit and offer a spark when the team's starters are off the floor, Milton might deserve another shot at being a starter for the 76ers.

For now, Seth Curry is the starting shooting guard. He wasn't awful on Friday night, but it took him a while to get going. If Curry continues to have slow starts for the Sixers, he might see himself coming back off the bench once again, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, he thrived as a reserve in the past. Milton will produce whether he's coming off the bench or in the starting lineup. A good problem to have. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_