Ahead of the Indiana Pacers' matinee matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers, there is one player who stands out as the key X Factor in this vital matchup.
The Sixers have announced that Joel Embiid will not be available for this game. That leaves the already bare Sixers center rotation with Adem Bona being the only real playable option remaining. That should mean that Pacers center Ivica Zubac has a big game in store.
Zubac is coming off a strong stretch of games after an incredibly weak start to the season, and could see increased opportunity on Sunday. Considering how brutal this stretch of games was expected to be, having this obvious a win condition in a game against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference is an opportunity that cannot be wasted.
The Pacers will need to rely on their star big man as both a rebounder and a scorer. If they can do so, there is no reason they cannot dominate this game. However, if the Sixers go small, Indiana will need Zubac to either impose himself physically or see himself out before he drags the team down with him.
It's not crazy to consider this a must-win game. With so much on the line, the Pacers will need to start fast and finish strong.
The key to beating the Sixers is pace, both slow and fast
Indiana managed to beat the New York Knicks on Friday evening by blending their typical speed with a grinding defense that turned the already slow half-court offense of the Knicks into a millstone that slowly wore them down and left them without the energy in the fourth to finish the run they had started in the third quarter.
The Pacers will need to do the same to the Sixers. Whether they decide to start Bona or play LeBron James at small-ball center, the most important thing Indiana can do is to force the Sixers to play at their speed on both offense and defense.
On the offensive end, Indiana can surely rely on multiple dump-offs to Zubac deep in the paint. While they typically rely on fast-break points as a way to get easy shots to go down, this may be the game to do the opposite and to force Philadelphia's defense to get set up and to handle the Pacers one-on-one.
On defense, however, the Pacers will need to avoid the Sixers winning in full-court opportunities where their lack of a lumbering center will lead to easier transitions and faster advancement up court.
This game is an early test of two teams that are both not at full strength. It may not define the season, but it will certainly send a message.
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