Justin Holiday scored a team-high 27 points off the bench and T.J. McConnell scored six of his eight points on three consecutive possessions in the fourth to put away the host Indiana Pacers’ 118-113 defeat of the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday in Indianapolis.
Indiana’s bench trio of Holiday, McConnell and Kelan Martin, who scored 13 points, gave the Pacers a boost against a depleted 76ers roster.
Philadelphia got just 21 points from its reserves, and the lack of depth with Joel Embiid, Matisse Thybulle and Ben Simmons all unavailable showed after the first quarter.
The Pacers opened up a lead of as many as 19 points in the second quarter and kept the 76ers at bay with a balanced scoring effort.
Malcolm Brogdon helped set the tone with a triple-double of 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Domantas Sabonis recorded a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Myles Turner led the Indiana starters with 20 points.
Caris LeVert, returning from healthy and safety protocols, chipped in 12 points.
Philadelphia chipped away at the deficit behind a game-high 32 points from Tobias Harris, and Tyrese Maxey — who had consecutive games of 30-plus points coming into Saturday’s matchups — maintained his hot hand with 24 points.
The 76ers cut the deficit to single digits in the fourth quarter, but McConnell’s eruption of buckets pushed the Pacers’ lead back to 10 points and out of reach.
McConnell also dished nine assists.
Saturday’s loss opened a six-game road trip for the 76ers with their fourth consecutive loss. Philadelphia has been without Embiid in each of the four losses, the result of health and safety protocols.
Thybulle, a defensive stopper for Philadelphia, also is sidelined due to health and safety protocols.
–Field Level Media