Game Rewind: Pacers 91, 76ers 103

Friday, April 10 at 7:30 PM ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Game Recap

Back home for their penultimate game of the 2025-26 season, the shorthanded Pacers hung tough with the 76ers on Friday night on the second night of a back-to-back.

But Indiana (18-62) ultimately fell short in a 103-91 loss to Philadelphia (43-37).

Jarace Walker led four Pacers in double figures with 17 points in the loss, going 4-for-7 from 3-point range. Quenton Jackson added 16 points and six assists, while Micah Potter recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

The Pacers had just 10 players available on Friday, with eight players sidelined due to injury. Forward Kobe Brown was back on the court after sitting out Thursday's win in Brooklyn with a lumbar sprain.

Sixers All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 32 points, while former Pacer Paul George added 21.

The Pacers hit three early 3-pointers while jumping out to a 13-5 lead. But the Sixers closed the first quarter with a 14-3 run to take a 28-21 advantage into the second quarter.

Philadelphia extended its lead with six straight points to open the ensuing frame before a basket from Walker and three from Potter righted the ship for Indiana.

Rookie two-way guard Taelon Peter provided a nice spark off the bench in the second quarter, tallying nine points in the frame to keep the Blue & Gold within striking distance. Back-to-back threes from Potter and Walker pulled the Pacers within five with 1:30 remaining in the first half, but a dunk by George in the closing seconds made it a 58-51 game at the intermission.

The Pacers continued their rally at the start of the second half. Ethan Thompson knocked down a three and Walker followed with two more. Potter's putback slam tied the game at 62 just 2:33 into the third quarter.

But the Sixers surged back ahead with eight unanswered points. A few minutes later, after Indiana had pulled back within four, George scored seven points to trigger a 9-2 run that pushed the margin back to double digits.

Maxey added 12 points in the third quarter as Philadelphia took an 89-77 lead into the fourth.

But the Pacers continued to fight, opening the fourth quarter with a 10-2 — capped by an alley-oop dunk in transition by Obi Toppin — to make it 91-87.

That would be the closest they would get, however, as they went scoreless for the next 6:47. The Sixers reeled off 10 unanswered points over that span to seal the win.

Thompson finished with 15 points in the loss for Indiana. Jay Huff narrowly missed out on a double-double off the bench, tallying eight points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks.

VJ Edgecombe tallied 16 points, nine rebounds, and five assists for Philadelphia. Andre Drummond had 10 points and 16 rebounds off the bench.

The Pacers have one game remaining in the season. They host Detroit on Sunday afternoon.

“I thought our guys did a tremendous job of competing tonight," Pacers assistant coach Lloyd Pierce said Friday night. "We knew they needed this game in a major way, but we also knew we had a great fanbase out there. It was important for our guys to show up, compete, make them earn whatever they got. We’ll do the exact same thing on Sunday.”

Inside the Numbers

Potter recorded his second double-double in as many nights and his third in his last four games. He has six double-doubles in 46 games this season with the Pacers, after registering just one double-double in 54 games prior to this season.

Thompson has scored in double figures in three straight games and four of his last six contests.

Huff's five blocks matched his season high. He previously swatted five shots on Dec. 5 in Chicago and on March 8 in Portland.

After the Pacers outscored Brooklyn 80-56 in the paint on Thursday, it was an entirely different story on Friday, as the 76ers won the points in the paint battle, 64-28.

The Pacers shot just 37.5 percent from the field, but they did outscore Philadelphia by 27 points from 3-point range. Indiana was 14-for-50 (28 percent) from 3-point range, while the 76ers were just 5-for-29 (17.2 percent) from beyond the arc.

You Can Quote Me On That

“They’re an aggressive individual defensive team. They have a lot of guys that play passing lanes…Just their activity I thought bothered us early and then we were sloppy late. Some crucial turnovers in the fourth quarter just that were unforced, self-inflicted.” -Pierce on the Pacers’ 21 turnovers

“We got in a couple stretches where we had lapses turning the ball over. I think that’s just something we as a unit have to get better at.” -Jackson on Indiana’s turnovers

“The availability of Jarace all year has been great for us. The amount of minutes he’s played is going to have some long-term impact and effect on his growth and development. He’s going to know what he’s going to need to work on in the offseason just based on the experience…The shooting has been one of his strong points since he’s been here. We’re always on him about the force, the physicality, the rebounding, and being solid on defense. If he can do those things, he’s going to have a great career. He’s done a lot of that this year for us.” -Pierce on Jarace Walker’s season

“Micah’s an emotional player, he’s a physical player. He doesn’t shy away from contact. I thought he’s done a great job rebounding the basketball since he’s been here. And then obviously his ability to step out and shoot the three and make the three is a big threat.” -Pierce on Potter’s impact

“Just my confidence, going from game to game and seeing that I could produce and [have] an impact on an NBA floor, that’s been the main thing for me. And as a team over time, we’ve had so many different lineups out there, so many different lineup changes as well. Over time, chemistry builds.” -Thompson on how he and the team have grown this season

“Everybody’s got to step up, it’s next man up. Some people got thrusted into roles they may not be necessarily comfortable in…This year was one of those years where you kind of had to learn how to adapt. I think it was great for the development of all of us, it was great for our confidence as our team. And then next year we’ll come back and make a stand.” -Jackson on what the Pacers can take from adversity they’ve faced this season

“The fans have been with us the entire season. Nothing’s going to change on Sunday. We want to make sure we’re giving them our maximum effort. We’re going to make sure we’re showing our appreciation for them just by how hard we play.” -Pierce on showing the importance of competing hard for the fans in the season finale on Friday

Stat of the Night

The Pacers committed 21 turnovers to just eight giveaways by the Sixers. Philadelphia outscored Indiana 18-5 in points off turnovers.

Noteworthy

• With Friday's win, Philadelphia swept the season series with the Pacers for the second time in the last four seasons.
• Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle missed his second straight game on Friday for personal reasons. Pierce served as acting head coach in his place.
• Philadelphia was without former MVP Joel Embiid, who underwent an appendectomy on Thursday afternoon in Houston. Embiid left the hospital and flew back to Philadelphia on Friday, but there is no timetable for his return.

Up Next

The Pacers will wrap up the 2025-26 season by hosting the Detroit Pistons for Fan Appreciation Night presented by Kroger on Sunday, April 12 at 6:00 PM ET. Find Tickets >>