Pacers at 76ers
It took two months, but the Indiana Pacers finally are beginning to look like a playoff contender again. The Pacers will try to get one step closer to clinching a postseason spot and win their fourth straight when they visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday.
Indiana went two months without recording back-to-back wins before its current streak, which has lifted the team into the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference and brought it back to the .500 mark. "We’re starting to go in the right direction," Pacers All-Star small forward Paul George told reporters after Saturday's 127-112 win at Orlando. "Bigger picture, we did what we were supposed to tonight. We handled our business and keep our hopes alive." The 76ers are trying to play spoiler but don't quite have the bodies left to put up enough points. Philadelphia had nine players available on Saturday, including rookie Dario Saric on a minutes restriction, and dropped its sixth straight game, 90-82 at home to Milwaukee.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Indiana, CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE PACERS (40-40): George is pulling his teammates toward the playoffs and delivered 37 points on 14-of-22 shooting in Saturday's win to mark the third time in the last four games he has scored at least 35. "He’s in a good rhythm and I think he’s taking good shots," coach Nate McMillan told reporters. "When they're giving him single coverage, we're doing a good job of screening and freeing him up, and when they’re trapping him, he’s getting rid of the ball. He’s in just a really good rhythm." George is averaging 33.7 points on 51.4 percent shooting while logging 40.7 minutes in four games this month.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (28-52): Saric is trying to lock up the Rookie of the Year Award while dealing with a heel injury and a restriction of 24 minutes per night over the last four games. He managed 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists in Saturday's loss but went 1-of-6 from 3-point range and is 5-of-25 from beyond the arc over his last five contests. Saric's restriction is opening up minutes for fellow rookie Alex Poythress, who joined the team at the beginning of the month and logged at least 24 minutes in each of his first four games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Pacers C Myles Turner scored 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting on Saturday - his highest point total since recording 23 on Jan. 26.
2. 76ers PF Richaun Holmes has recorded a double-double in each of the last two games.
3. Indiana won two of the first three meetings this season but dropped a 109-105 decision at Philadelphia on Nov. 11.