Sixers revert to snakebitten ways and fall to Pacers, 121-107, as Embiid, McCain suffer injuries

Keith Pompey, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Dec 13, 2024

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PHILADELPHIA — A lot had changed since the 76ers faced the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 27 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse — or so we thought.

As we found out in Friday night’s 121-107 loss at the Wells Fargo Center, the Sixers are still snakebitten and prone to injury, especially Joel Embiid.

Embiid left the game 6.5 seconds before intermission and didn’t return after being struck in the face. Meanwhile, rookie guard Jared McCain left the game with 5 minutes, 24 seconds left in the third quarter after hitting the back of his head on the court. McCain was checked in the locker room but returned with 2:04 left in the quarter.

This matchup was supposed to be different with a healthier Sixers team on the court. Back in October when these teams faced off, the Sixers were trying to create an identity with Embiid and Paul George out with injuries. McCain had yet to blossom into the NBA Rookie of the Year frontrunner. And Eric Gordon was viewed as the team’s sixth man. Yet, thanks to Tyrese Maxey’s second-half explosion, the Sixers recorded their first win of the year.

This time, Embiid and George were among the main attractions. Guerschon Yabusele had established himself as the starting power forward. And like in the previous matchup, Maxey had a starring role for a Sixers team that had won four of five games.

The All-Star point guard finished with a team-high 22 points to go with three rebounds and two assists. George had 15 points and five rebounds. Meanwhile, Kelly Oubre Jr. finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds for his third consecutive double-double. Yabusele missed all three of his shots while finishing with four points. McCain had five points on 2-for-6 shooting.

The Sixers played with a lot of grit and pulled within seven points three times in the fourth quarter after trailing by as many as 18 points. Indiana, however, responded with a 12-0 run to build a 117-98 cushion.

The Sixers were doomed by an inability to stop Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton (32 points, 7-for-15 3-point shooting, 11 assists), Pascal Siakam (23 points, 9-for-11 shooting, eight rebounds) and reserve Obi Toppin (20 points, 7-for-11 shooting, eight rebounds).

The loss dropped the Sixers to 7-16 and snapped their two-game winning streak. Meanwhile, the Pacers improved to 11-15.

But the biggest storyline was Embiid’s inability to remain healthy. He was struck in the face while trying to make a defensive play with 12 seconds left in the half. Embiid fell to court and remained there until the Sixers called a timeout. The Sixers diagnosed Embiid’s injury as an impact to the right side of face.

This was his second game back after missing seven straight with left knee swelling and personal reasons. The 2023 NBA MVP has missed 17 games this season because of left knee management, knee swelling, personal reasons and serving a three-game suspension.

Up Next

The Sixers will travel to Charlotte Saturday to face the Hornets at 7 p.m. Monday at the Spectrum Center. This will be the teams third of four meetings. The Sixers will also entertain Charlotte at 7 p.m. on Dec. 20 at The Center. Philly has a 2-0 series advantage.