The Philadelphia 76ers dominated the short-handed Indiana Pacers 135-114 on Tuesday night.
Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 32 points, while Joel Embiid had 27 points in his return to the lineup after missing five games with right shin soreness and right knee injury management. VJ Edgecombe added 23 points on 9 of 13 shooting.
On the other hand, Andrew Nembhard and Micah Potter each scored 23 for Indiana, with Potter’s total a career high. Quenton Jackson had 15 points, and rookie Kam Jones added a career-high 13 points.
Meanwhile, Pacers leading scorer Pascal Sikam was sidelined due to a left wrist sprain, while Aaron Nesmith missed his third consecutive game with a right ankle sprain.
The Pacers shot 42% from the field with 16 turnovers, and the Sixers held a 44-41 rebounding edge with Maxey leading with nine rebounds.
Philadelphia showed its dominance inside with an 82-52 edge in points in the paint.
Despite Indiana leading 38-30 after the first quarter, the 76ers answered with 17-0 spurs to open the second quarter and take a 47-38 lead.
Maxey took charge in the third with 13 points, expanding the lead to 106-85 after three quarters.
The 76ers led by 28 points in the fourth quarter before emptying the bench.
Both teams will play home games on Thursday: The 76ers host the Heat, while the Pacers host the Hornets.
