Joel Embiid, Sixers Dominate on Offense in Indiana on Tuesday Night

After failing to clinch a spot in the 2022 NBA Playoffs on Saturday despite dominating the Charlotte Hornets at home, the Philadelphia 76ers had an opportunity

After failing to clinch a spot in the 2022 NBA Playoffs on Saturday despite dominating the Charlotte Hornets at home, the Philadelphia 76ers had an opportunity to finally punch their ticket to the postseason on Sunday with a matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In the previous three outings against Cleveland, the Sixers found success. On Sunday, the Cavaliers were surely looking to avoid a season’s sweep by Philadelphia. Throughout the entire matchup, Cleveland and Philly kept the game tight as both teams needed the win for their own playoff implications.

As always, Sixers center Joel Embiid dominated as he had a 44-point outing and helped lead the Sixers to a tight victory over the Cavaliers. With the Sixers finally clinching their playoff berth, it was unclear how they would approach the final week of the regular season since they already accomplished the first primary goal of the year.

On Tuesday, the Sixers paid a visit to the Indiana Pacers. Despite playing a team that’s already been eliminated from playoff contention, the Sixers trotted out their usual starting lineup of Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxey.

While the 76ers might start giving some of their regulars some rest before playoffs, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers doesn’t intend to do that just yet as the Sixers were hunting for a full-strength victory on Tuesday over the Pacers.

Raining Threes

The Sixers are a decent team when it comes to shooting threes, but they were drilling shots from beyond the arc at a high rate on Tuesday night.

In the second-half, Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey knocked down one of his many three point shots to help the 76ers set a new franchise record. The Sixers’ previous record was 21 threes in one game, which has been accomplished four times, including Saturday’s game against the Hornets.

In Indiana, the Sixers exceeded that number by hitting 23 three-pointers. Outside of Matisse Thybulle and DeAndre Jordan, who didn’t attempt any threes combined, every member of the team that garnered minutes on Tuesday got in on the action and made at least one shot from beyond the arc.

Maxey led the pack by making a career-high of eight of his 11 three-point attempts. Tobias Harris was next in line as he was nearly perfect from deep after hitting five of his six deep attempts. In total, the Sixers went 56-percent from three on Tuesday, which offered them a big boost over the Pacers, who drained 11 fewer threes on the same number of attempts.

Concerning Habit?

Over the last couple of weeks, the Sixers haven’t taken care of their leads too well. While the Sixers never actually lost the lead beyond the first quarter on Tuesday, a significant double-digit lead was cut into and offered Philadelphia a tougher closing quarter when they should’ve been able to clear the bench and allow reserves to pick up some minutes.

In the first half, the Sixers led by as much as 25 points. By halftime, the Sixers possessed an 82-59 lead. In the third quarter, the Sixers allowed the Pacers to go on a 40-point rally. Suddenly, a 27-point lead was cut down to just eight points by the time the Sixers and the Pacers entered the fourth quarter.

Philly’s defense allowed 122 points in Indiana. Fortunately for the Sixers, their offense was just so much better and their consistency from beyond the arc made up for their struggles on the defensive side of the ball. 

A Reminder for the Voters

Joel Embiid is working on earning his first MVP nod. Before last week, the Sixers’ big man was viewed as the favorite for the award. Then after Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo had big weeks, Embiid might’ve slipped in the eyes of the voters.

But over the last few matchups, Embiid issued a reminder to the voters that he shouldn’t be forgotten when it comes to being named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the 2021-2022 NBA season.

On Saturday against Charlotte, Embiid collected 29 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists in three quarters before getting the rest of the game off as the Sixers cruised past the Hornets with a 30-point victory. The next night, Embiid collected 44 points, 17 rebounds, and three assists in 38 points as the Sixers defeated the Cavaliers to clinch a spot in the playoffs.

While several Sixers had a stellar night in Indiana, Embiid was the clear-cut best player on the floor. In 38 minutes, he collected a game-high of 45 points. He snagged a double-double with 13 rebounds and two assists. While gaining some extra rest would’ve been ideal for Embiid, the Sixers’ big man once again put on an MVP-worthy performance as the Sixers picked up a 131-122 win over the Pacers.

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