Suspense, a lot of suspense even between the Pacers and the Sixers for this first poster of the season on a Sunday afternoon. On arrival, they are the teammates of Tyrese Maxey (45 points) which bring down Indiana (118-114), in what constitutes the first victory of Philadelphia in 2024/25.
The start of the match is to the advantage of the Sixers, who fight for all the balls and recover offensive rebounds, like Caleb Martin or Guerschon Yabusele, and who take advantage of the spaces in the opposing defense to punish, with Eric Gordon (28-23). The Pacers, more skillful and less expensive with ball in hand, nevertheless ended up recovering and gaining momentum, relying on Tyrese Haliburton, Obi Toppin, Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner (58-52).
We thought Indiana was on the right track, but that nah : the attack is backwards, the skill drops and Philadelphia bravely plays its luck, while Tyrese Maxey wakes up somewhat. Fortunately, Indy's replacements, notably TJ McConnell, are there to do the job (79-78). Maxey, definitely wide awake and alone against everyone (or almost), continues to cause misery to his defenders, but Rick Carlisle's collective responds to him as best they can…
Maxey wins the “Tyrese duel” against Haliburton
With a crack from Nick Nurse and two possessions in advance, the Pacers seemed to have done the hardest part in the last two minutes. The problem is that three ball losses from their leaders (two from Tyrese Haliburton and one from Andrew Nembhard) revive the Sixers who were not asking for so much. After free throws from Tyrese Maxey, Haliburton catches up with a miraculous 3-point prayer, which sends everyone into overtime (105-105)!
In overtime, Tyrese Maxey continues to carry Philadelphia's attack, while Indiana struggles to find its shooting positions and easy baskets. Heroically, the Philly elf imagines planting the shot that changes everything 20 seconds from the end, except that the traditional free throw game still keeps Indy alive. Finally, it's Maxey who wins on the line, at the end of the suspense: 118-114!
TO REMEMBER
– Tyrese Maxey put Philadelphia on his back. Initially clumsy during one half, Tyrese Maxey woke up in the second and he then tormented the poor Pacers defense, unable to slow him down as soon as they let him gain confidence. Still without Joel Embiid or Paul George, he was expected to take control of the Sixers and this is what he succeeded, without ever doubting despite his failures (14/32, including 5/17 at 3-points ) and keeping his foot on the accelerator to attack his counterparts. A boss match full of composure, especially when “T-Max” controlled his nerves on the line in heated moments.
– Tyrese Haliburton remains out of the picture. Except for his shot to equalize at the very end of the fourth quarter, or even his few good sequences in the first half, we did not see enough Tyrese Haliburton weigh on this match. What we could expect after his failed outing against the Knicks. Somewhat overwhelmed in defense and uninspired in organization (2 assists for 3 ball losses, including 2 crucial in the money-time…), the leader has clearly got off to a bad start in his season and, if the Pacers are so tough offensively, it's because their maestro is next to his/her basketball(s).
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
