The Indiana Pacers host the Philadelphia 76ers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Wednesday.
The Sixers (0-6) are in the midst of a historically bad run over the past five seasons, but there are some promising signs going forward. Despite not winning a game, Philadelphia has had some encouraging starts from players like Joel Embiid and Sergio Rodriguez. Embiid is the true prize though, as he is putting up elite numbers in limited minutes. In fact, Embiid leads the team in points, rebounds and blocks, despite being held on a strict 24-minute restriction. With his emergence, trade swirls around Nerlens Noel have been getting even stronger and that sort of deal would make Embiid’s upside only bigger from here on out.
The Pacers (3-4) have been a bit of a disappointment this season, but there’s reason to believe they’ll get out of their slump sooner rather than later. The improved offense is what’s most promising, as they rank sixth in points and fourth in assists so far this season. The problem with the improved up-tempo offense is that it’s really hurt their defense. The Pacers actually rank 29th in points allowed and have allowed at least 118 points across their last three losses. All of those defeats for Indiana have come on the road too, so they’ll surely be happy to be home in a favorable matchup.
The Pacers come into this game as a 12-point favorite, which is easily their largest spread of the season
