The Pacers are injured and that’s an understatement. Joel Embiid is good at basketball, which is also an understatement. Tonight in Gainbridge Fieldhouse these two quantities met and it didn’t end up pretty for the Pacers.
Embiid dominates the Indiana Pacers……again.
"[Joel Embiid] is probably the MVP with what their team is doing and how he's elevated his game. He's as difficult a guy to game plan for as there is… Giannis is crazy ridiculous. Jokic is, same, and this guy may be even more difficult."
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 19, 2023
— Rick Carlislepic.twitter.com/p6ys9sYxjI
And this is starting to become a bit of a theme whenever the Pacers play the 76ers. But the bigger issue that continues is that Myles Turner seems unable to really play against Embiid at any competitive level.
Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Myles Turner. But every single time we play the 76ers Myles seems to fall back into the shadows as it pertains to playing against Embiid. And last night was a night that we desperately needed him given we were down multiple players including Mathurin and Haliburton.
The Pacers and the playoff picture
With the loss the Pacers fall to 11th place in the eastern conference and outside of the play-in picture at the moment. Currently they are 1.5 games behind the Chicago Bulls for the final play-in spot, although its a debate whether or not the Pacers should want the 10th spot anyway due to lottery implications.
With 11 games to go, the Pacers are 32-39. Probably 1 1/2 games behind the 10th-seed.
— Tyler Smith (@TylerSmith_ISL) March 19, 2023
If they don't make the play-in, you'd like to see them get a higher draft pick than Washington, Portland, Utah, and New Orleans types.
The Pacers still have plenty of time to make up the ground if they would like to try and push for the playoffs, but given the number of injury concerns the team currently has, it may be wise to pack it in for the year and try and up your lottery pick as best you can.
Injuries cotinue to plague the Pacers across the roster
Multiple players continue to struggle through injuries on the Pacers, the biggest names being Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin. It is expected that the Pacers are going to continue to be cautious with their young and developing guard rotation.
No Mathurin, Duarte, or Haliburton tonight. Rick Carlisle says that Monday is “a conversation” for Duarte and Mathurin, but tbd. All 3 are progressing. A little longer for Haliburton.
— Tony East (@TonyREast) March 18, 2023
Our guess is that we won’t see these young stars much prior to the end of the season as Indiana starts to tie up lose ends on a season that was surprisingly good, but not yet where we want to be.
Indiana Pacers: 50 greatest Pacers players [2023 update]
The Indiana Pacers are a storied franchise, even though many casual NBA fans may not realize it. But back in the ABA days, the Pacers were a force.