Tyrese Haliburton Sums Up Loss to Sixers: ‘They Have Embiid’

Tyrese Haliburton didn't have to analyze too much about the Pacers' loss to the Sixers on Monday.

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton didn’t have to do much explaining when asked about his team’s shortcomings against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.

When a reporter asked the Pacers’ All-Star what made it so difficult to slow down the Sixers’ offensive attack, Haliburton fired back with a simple answer.

“They have Joel Embiid,” he said.

It’s not every night that a player has a 40-point performance, and they still might not be considered the most dominant player on the floor. 

While Haliburton had an excellent outing against the Sixers on Monday, shooting 12-19 from the field and 11-12 from the free throw line while dishing out 16 assists, Philadelphia’s big man just made everything look easy.

From the field, Embiid took 16 shots. He drained nearly 70 percent of those attempts. And as he got to the free throw line for 19 attempts, the big man knocked every single one down. 

By the end of the game, Embiid had a game-high 42 points and a 147-143 victory for his team.

“He’s a monster,” Haliburton continued. “He’s tough to guard. He gets to the free-throw line at will. He didn’t miss a free throw. He’s so skilled and can score from every level.”

In two games against the Pacers this season, Embiid had a field day. During the late October matchup, the big man checked in for just 28 minutes. During that time, he scored 26 points as he averaged 62 percent from the field.

With his monster performance on Monday, Embiid boosted his career average in the scoring department against Indiana to 31 points per game. The two teams will duel it out once more this year next Saturday when the Sixers return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the final time this regular season.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.