INDIANAPOLIS -- The Philadelphia 76ers rode the roller coaster on Thursday in their road matchup with the Indiana Pacers. The Sixers led by 10 at halftime, but then got blitzed in the third quarter when the Pacers outscored them 36-13, but Philadelphia responded by outscoring Indiana 39-21 in the fourth to win it 114-109 on the road.
Tyrese Maxey exploded in the fourth and then led Philadelphia with 27 points and five rebounds, Jaylen Brown added 20 points and 10 rebounds, Joel Embiid had 21 points and 11 rebounds, while LeBron James added 13 points, five rebounds, and 10 assists. Anfernee Simons had 20 points, and VJ Edgecombe added eight points and seven rebounds.
Here are the three biggest takeaways for the Sixers after a win over the Pacers:
Maxey's big fourth quarter
The Sixers needed somebody out on the perimeter to do something on the offensive end in order to close this game out. Through three quarters, Maxey only had 10 points on 4-for-10 shooting. Then, the 2-time All-Star flipped the switch as he scored 17 points on 4-for-8 shooting and shot 7-for-8 from the foul line. He flipped the game on its head and he was the big reason why the Sixers were able to walk away with the win. The Pacers deserve credit for being physical with him and not allowing anything easy, but Maxey breaking out was a huge storyline in this win.
"JB was on me beginning of the fourth quarter just about being aggressive and doing what I do," Maxey said after the win. "I think I just kind of let the game come to me. We've got a lot of different guys out here that can do a lot of different things. So it's going to be nights where shots are limited. That's just how the game flows and that's OK."
The team turning a corner in the fourth
Along with Maxey, the Sixers as a team just played much better. The Pacers built such a big lead and had a raucous Gainbridge Fieldhouse behind them. Nobody would have blamed the Sixers if they just gave up, but they didn't. This team dug deep, which is a great characteristic to have, and they completely turned the game around in order to get the job done and earn a big win in the season series between these two teams. James had four points and four assists in the fourth, Embiid had seven points, Maxey took over, and the Sixers locked in defensively as they head the Pacers to 6-for-20 shooting in the final frame and Indiana was 0-for-7 from deep.
"Just played harder," said Embiid. "Obviously, it's easier when you make shots, but it started on defense. Better defensive intensity, then offensively, hit a few shots, able to get in transition."
Simons breaks through
The Sixers have had their ups and downs when it comes to 3-point shooting to begin the season. They haven't put up as many 3s and they haven't converted on enough 3s to make the offense flow in a more cohesive way. On Thursday, Simons broke out of his slump in a big way as he drilled six triples on 10 attempts and shot 7-for-11 overall. If this is the game the Sixers see Simons break out of his slump, then it makes life easier for Philadelphia's offensive playmakers to have the space they need to attack the paint and spray it out to shooters. He is a big piece of this team's bench unit's success. It had to feel good for a guy who was shooting only 5-for-21 from deep through the first four games to finally break through.
"For sure," Simons smiled. "Like I said, just being able to get some good looks early always helps, and seeing the ball go through early helps as well. Like I said, guys found me in the right spots, and I was able to go and knock it down."
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 3 biggest takeaways for Sixers following big road win over Pacers
