Game Rewind: Pacers 101, 76ers 95

Welcome back, Malcolm Brogdon.

The Pacers' star point guard had only played eight minutes since Dec. 22 while battling myriad minor maladies and truthfully, he didn't have his best stuff for much of Monday night's game against the Philadelphia 76ers, starting the night 3-for-12 from the field.

Nonetheless, Brogdon's confidence never wavered. He hit two big shots and scored eight of 10 points for Indiana down the stretch, leading the Pacers (25-15) to a 101-95 victory over Philadelphia (25-16) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Indiana trailed 90-87 before Brogdon buried a step-back 3-pointer with 3:19 remaining to tie the game at 92, then after a stop, drilled a 19-footer to put the Blue & Gold back in front with 2:32 to play.

"I was just hoping I'd get my rhythm by the end of the game," Brogdon said after the win. "I was able to do that. My teammates really trust me with the ball and trust me to do that."

Josh Richardson answered, knocking down a three of his own with 2:03 left. But on the other end, Myles Turner drew a foul and made both free throws to give Indiana a 96-95 lead with 1:41 to play. Brogdon then hit one of two free throws with 32.3 seconds left to make it a two-point lead.

Out of a timeout, the Sixers drew up a play to free Tobias Harris for a go-ahead 3-pointer. But T.J. Warren read it perfectly and flew in to block the shot. The Pacers recovered the ball and Brogdon was fouled again, this time hitting both free throws.

Richardson missed a 3-pointer on the other end, allowing Indiana to seal its first home win of 2020 at the charity stripe.

Brogdon finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, nine assists, and just one turnover in his return to the lineup. He missed three games with a sore hamstring, returned for the Dec. 31 game against Philadelphia but left in the first quarter with a sore back. He was set to return to the lineup on Friday night in Chicago before coming down with strep throat, a diagnosis that delayed his 2020 debut until Monday.

"He was big in the fourth quarter," said Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis, who himself returned after a one-game absence due to a sore left knee. "I felt like he was a bit hesitant at first, but then he got his legs under him and he started knocking down shots, just like he's done all year."

The Pacers missed their first seven shots on Monday, but the Sixers weren't able to capitalize too much on Indiana's slow start, only managing six points over that stretch. Philadelphia held a narrow lead for the entire first quarter, but Warren (eight points on 4-of-5 shooting) helped keep the Blue & Gold within striking distance.

The visitors took a 23-22 lead into the second quarter, but the hosts moved in front for the first time thanks to a Justin Holiday 3-pointer on the opening possession of the frame.

Indiana led 31-28 before the 76ers reeled off the first substantial run of the night for either team. Furkan Korkmaz drained a three to tie the game and then All-Star guard Ben Simmons scored six straight points to cap a 9-0 run.

While Philadelphia started to find a rhythm offensively, the Pacers went 5:05 without a field goal. Brogdon's three-point play with 2:34 left ended that streak, but the Sixers closed the half with a 10-3 run to take a 49-40 lead into the break.

Warren kept the Pacers in the game by scoring their first eight points of the second half. Still, another sluggish start enabled the 76ers to build their lead up to 63-52 by the 5:18 mark in the third quarter.

Turner then provided a significant spark to the offense, scoring seven points during a 9-0 Pacers run. Turner's 3-pointer with 3:27 left in the frame made it a two-point game and brought the partisan crowd to its feet for the first time all night.

Indiana tied the game on Aaron Holiday's three two minutes later and the two teams entered the fourth quarter knotted at 69.

Philadelphia drew first blood in the fourth on a Richardson jumper, but Justin Holiday's trey from the right corner gave the Pacers their first lead of the second half with 10:46 to play.

The two teams traded the lead a handful of times over the next couple minutes, before former 76er T.J. McConnell exacted a little personal revenge on his former team.

First, McConnell's jumper with 8:36 remaining gave Indiana an 81-80 lead. Then, as Raul Neto was bringing the ball up the court, McConnell snuck up from behind to steal the ball near midcourt, quickly reversed direction, and kept his balance long enough to deliver a one-handed dish to Justin Holiday for a one-handed dunk.

Indiana remained in front for the next several minutes before Richardson's jumper at 4:48 put Philadelphia back in front. He added another bucket one possession later to extend their advantage to 90-87, but the Pacers found a way to grind out a win down the stretch.

"We're resilient, man," Brogdon said. "We've got young, tough guys that know how to play the game and are unselfish. We continue to rely on each other, we continue to rely on coach to make the right calls, and it all came together at the end of the game."

Warren finished with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting in the victory. Justin Holiday hit 4-of-6 3-pointers on his way to 14 points, while Turner (14 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks) and Sabonis (10 points and 16 boards) both recorded double-doubles.

Simmons led all scorers with 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting to go along with 14 rebounds and three assists. Richardson added 23 points in the loss.

Philadelphia was without All-Star center Joel Embiid, who underwent surgery last week after tearing a ligament in his left ring finger.

The Pacers will travel to Minneapolis for their next game on Wednesday, then return to Indiana to host the Timberwolves on Friday night.

The Pacers won despite shooting 38.4 percent from the field, their second-worst field goal percentage in a victory this season.

Sabonis had seven points and seven boards in the fourth quarter to secure his team-leading 31st double-double of the season.

Justin Holiday's four 3-pointers were one shy of his season high, set on Dec. 2 at Memphis.

The Pacers went 25-for-31 from the free throw line, outscoring the 76ers by 10 points from the charity stripe.

The 76ers outscored Indiana 50-32 in the paint on Monday.

"That's the leader. That's our point guard. It was obvious that he had been off for a while and didn't have his rhythm, his timing. And he just stuck with it, continued to talk to the team about staying with it...he's the guy who establishes how we want to play on both ends of the floor." -Pacers head coach Nate McMillan on Brogdon's return

"Defensively, we just locked in. We were able to get stops and capitalize on their mistakes. Every game isn't going to be pretty, but that's why there are 48 minutes. It's not just one half, it's two halves." -Warren

"I think that was really the story of the night. I think we got a lot of stops but we just couldn't score in that first half. I think we just buckled down and made the plays we needed to." -Turner on the Pacers' defense

"I thought at the end of the third quarter we let them get too many open looks for threes. In the second half, they just got in a great rhythm and made a run and made a lot of open shots." -Harris

"I think we had great energy to start, then we started fouling too much. I mean, you talk about knowing their personnel and who we’re guarding. Too many guys getting open, hot guys who were knocking down shots, so that played into it as well." -Simmons

The Pacers held Philadelphia to 6-of-33 shooting (18.2 percent) from 3-point range.

Indiana travels to Minneapolis to take on the Timberwolves on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 8:00 PM ET.

The Pacers return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse to host Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, Jan. 17 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets »

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