Pacers at 76ers
The Indiana Pacers put on another impressive offensive performance at home on Wednesday, and the question remains if they can do the same on the road. The Pacers will try to earn their first road victory when they wrap up a home-and-home set by visiting the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.
Indiana nearly suffered its first home loss on Wednesday but Paul George buried the tying jumper to force overtime and scored seven of his 28 points in the extra period to spark the Pacers to a 122-115 triumph. "I thought the final minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime, that’s how we have to look," George told reporters. "I know they still made some big shots and some tough shots, but I thought the effort was where we need to build." The 76ers left Joel Embiid at home to rest and instead got a standout performance from another belated rookie in Dario Saric, who was drafted along with Embiid in 2014, made his NBA debut this season and recorded his first double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds on Wednesday. Saric buried both of his 3-point attempts in the win and is 7-of-9 from beyond the arc in the last five contests.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Indiana, CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE PACERS (4-4): Indiana's biggest splash over the summer was swinging a trade that brought in point guard Jeff Teague from Atlanta, and the 28-year-old Indianapolis native put together his best performance for his hometown team on Wednesday. Teague scored 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting and added nine assists and a pair of steals in the win. "I thought he was aggressive, making plays, communicating more," Pacers coach Nate McMillan told reporters of Teague. "He’s trying to get a feel for building chemistry. All of that takes some time."
ABOUT THE 76ERS (0-7): Philadelphia owns an enviable amount of talent in the frontcourt with Embiid, who is expected to return on Friday, Saric, Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel but lags behind other clubs in the backcourt. Spaniard Sergio Rodriguez, 30, is starting at point guard in his return to the NBA and went 1-of-14 from the field in Monday's loss. Rodriguez is 1-of-16 from 3-point range in the last three games while backup T.J. McConnell is 0-of-8 from beyond the arc on the season while shooting 41.4 percent from the field.
EXTRA POINTS
1. The 76ers are losers of 44 straight games in the months of October and November.
2. Indiana G Rodney Stuckey (hamstring) sat out the last six games and remains day-to-day.
3. Philadelphia SF Robert Covington is 8-of-13 from beyond the arc in the last two games after hitting 3-of-26 in the previous four contests.