Game Rewind: Pacers 100, 76ers 92

After being outscored in two straight quarters, the Pacers entered the fourth clinging to a one-point lead over the visiting 76ers. During the third quarter, the Pacers posted just 14 points, with the offense stuck in a rut.

But to open the fourth, Lance Stephenson delivered an electric shock to the Pacers and a sold out Bankers Life Fieldhouse, scoring or assisting on six field goals to open the final quarter and hitting two free throws to move a one-point lead to a 10-point lead as the Pacers held on the rest of way, en route to the 100-92 victory on Saturday night.

"He did a great job, when Lance plays like that and is effective like that, it takes a lot of pressure off everyone," said Victor Oladipo of his teammate after the game. "He just did a great job on both ends tonight."

By the time Lance's playmaking frenzy was over, a 3-pointer from the wing made it a 96-83 Pacers lead with under four minutes remaining, essentially pushing the game out of reach for the 76ers.

As Lance danced, shot, and passed his way through the quarter, Indiana's impressive 24-17 final frame was also aided by Oladipo, who scored four of his team-high 19 in the fourth.

The balanced scoring performance from the Pacers (30-24) helped blunt the impact of Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid's night. The first-time All-Star was all over the floor on Saturday, scoring 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds while playing in the second night of a back-to-back for the first time in his career.

Just one day after giving up a franchise-record 49 points in the first quarter, the Pacers got off to a far better start, leading by six after 12 minutes of play.

To start the second quarter, Indiana's offense went on a dominating 7-0 run, causing 76ers head coach Brett Brown to call timeout just 1:31 into the quarter after Stephenson delivered a highlight-reel, no-look pass to Domantas Sabonis that resulted in a thundering slam.

"I whipped it hard," laughed Stephenson of his pass. "But my teammates is ready. I do it in practice in a lot and they catch it. So they're used to it."

With the bench unit in, center Al Jefferson had a stellar quarter, scoring seven points to help bolster Indiana's lead. But the 76ers' second unit wasn't without fight as Jerryd Bayless canned two triples, getting the score to a 44-35 Pacers lead as head coach Nate McMillan called timeout with 7:43 left in the frame.

Following the timeout, Philadelphia (25-25) continued its barrage of 3-point shooting, with forward Dario Saric hitting threes on back-to-back Sixers possessions.

Saric's threes ended up being part of a 19-6 76ers run, pushing Philly ahead 51-50. But from that point forward, Indiana's offense regrouped, outscoring the 76ers 12-6 to close the half as the Pacers carried a 62-67 lead into the locker room.

As the second half began, the effects of both teams' back-to-backs were apparent, with neither offense able to generate traction. After 8:35 of play in the second half, the teams had combined for just 21 points.

Even with the low scoring, the 76ers managed to win the frame 18-14, cutting Indiana's lead down to 76-75 as Embiid beat the buzzer with a midrange jumper to close the quarter.

In desperate need of a spark, the Pacers turned to their usual source of fire and energy to start the fourth quarter as Lance Stephenson ignited the crowd with a series of impressive plays.

Stephenson executed a stepback jumper, a laser pass to Jefferson, and a 3-pointer to cap a 7-2 Pacers run to start the fourth, causing a quick timeout from the 76ers as Indiana opened up an 83-77 lead.

But even after the 76ers answered with buckets from Trevor Booker and Ben Simmons, Lance continued to wreak havoc on the 76ers, scoring or assisting on all six of Indiana's field goals to begin the fourth quarter as the Pacers opened up an eight-point lead.

After the 76ers called timeout, the stoppage did little to slow the overpowering play of Stephenson, who stroked a 3-pointer from the wing to put Indiana up by 13 points.

"I thought defensively, he was keeping his man in front and he was rebounding the basketball. That's what we expect him to do," explained Pacers head coach Nate McMillan of Stephenson's performance. "Bring energy off the bench and be solid on both ends of the floor. And when he plays that way, he really helps this club."

The 76ers made a brief run in the final moments of the game, getting the deficit down to six points after J.J. Redick connected on three free throws.

But with under a minute left, Sabonis slid across the floor headfirst for a loose ball, recovering the rock and dishing it to Darren Collison for an easy basket, sealing the game for the Blue & Gold.

After the 76ers made nine 3-pointers in the first half, the Pacers' defense clamped down in the second half, holding Philadelphia to just one 3-pointer over the final two quarters.

The Pacers were accurate from the free throw line, making 21-of-25 shots. The 76ers made just 16-of-24.

Indiana lit it up in transition, outscoring the 76ers 19-5 on fastbreak points.

"I think we have to grow as a team. It's a young team and it's kind of the dog days of the NBA, right before (All-Star) break. Our guys are battling fatigue, physical fatigue as well as mental and you have to fight through that. You can't take the break too early. Bodies are tired and beat up and last night we got off to a slow start defensively. It was certainly a point of emphasis tonight, to come get up to a better start and learn to continue to build this time of the season. This was a good young team we were facing tonight. We know we're a young team and we needed to establish solid defense to start." -Pacers head coach Nate McMillan

"It's lovely man. They just know that I just want to win and to always be ready because I see everybody that is open. I'm just trying to make something positive happen, even when I get a little mad. They just know it's because I want to win so bad. We're doing great as a unit. We cling together. We focus the whole game and the defensive end was incredible tonight." -Lance Stephenson on meshing with teammates

"That's what he does and he's really good at it. You are sort of happy for him, just from a human standpoint, just to sort of follow him. You know he has left and come back and the community, the organization, have embraced him and he has been rewarded and he has delivered. It's a reciprocal thing and he came in and really just kind of changed the game with that lightning in a bottle off the bench mentality. We give them credit. I thought their defense was pretty good." -76ers head coach Brett Brown on Stephenson

The Pacers' defense went into lockdown mode in the second half, holding the 76ers to just 35 points over the final two quarters. That's the fewest amount of points Indiana has allowed in the second half this season.

The Pacers wore their new City Edition uniforms for the first time. The racing-inspired Nike uniforms will be worn seven times total this season, for four games at home and three on the road. Learn More »

The Pacers look to pick up another win at home as they face off with Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards on Monday night at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets »