Pacers at 76ers
The Indiana Pacers look to continue their best stretch of basketball of the season when they visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. Starting with the broken leg suffered by Paul George in August, Indiana has been deluged by injuries all season long, starting its season 8-19. However, the Pacers have gotten healthier and rebounded a bit of late, surviving a 107-103 overtime thriller against Boston on Friday for their fourth win in six games.
While the veteran Pacers hope there's enough time to get back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture, the 76ers have been playing for the future all season long and are not concerned about putting together a playoff surge. Even though the front office isn't focused on winning, the players put together a big effort Friday to pull off a 90-88 shocker at Brooklyn. One thing for certain is there won't be many points scored Saturday, as both teams rank in the bottom five in scoring, and the Pacers rank second in points allowed.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Indiana, CSN (Philadelphia)
ABOUT THE PACERS (15-23): Roy Hibbert bounced back from a sprained ankle suffered Wednesday against Golden State with 19 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks against Boston. Although Indiana only averages a shade more than 95 points, it has reached triple figures in six of the past nine games. This will be the fifth road game in six games during a stretch of 10 of 13 on the road.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (6-29): Philadelphia showed some moxie Friday by rallying from a 13-point deficit to take down the Nets. Rookie Robert Covington scored 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting, and Michael Carter-Williams drove the lane and fed Nerlens Noel for a game-winning dunk with 3 seconds left. The Sixers have lost six of their past eight and are just 1-15 at home this season.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Indiana beat Philadelphia 103-91 in the season opener behind 22 points and seven blocks from Hibbert, and the Pacers have won four straight in the series.
2. The Sixers haven't scored more than 96 points in their last 12 games and have scored in the 70s twice over that span.
3. Tony Wroten, the subject of trade rumors this past week, had 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the first game against Indiana.