The Philadelphia 76ers are back! I hope you enjoyed the break.

As “punishment” for failing to advance through the group stage of the NBA Cup, the Sixers enjoyed some much-needed rest. They get back to work on Friday night, hosting the Indiana Pacers at the Wells Fargo Center. Neither team has played since last Sunday – the Pacers lost to the Charlotte Hornets and the Sixers beat the Chicago Bulls to secure their fourth win in their last five games.

Every W is feeling great after starting the season just as poorly as the Sixers, but an even bigger victory for the team on Sunday may have been Joel Embiid’s fine performance in his first game in over two weeks. For the first time in a long, long time Embiid looked like himselfled Philadelphia with 31 points on 13 of 28 field goals, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocks.

However, with the excitement over the performance came a big question: How would Embiid’s knee react after he played 33 minutes on Sunday? Well, for once it seems like the best-case scenario is actually happening! Embiid participated fully in team practice on both Wednesday and Thursday and was not on the team’s injury report Thursday night. The Sixers’ Big 3 of Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey are ready to take on the Pacers.

Philadelphia will be without Caleb Martin (shoulder impingement) and Adem Bona (knee tendinopathy). The Pacers have some injuries of their own, including Aaron Nesmith, Isaiah Jackson, James Wiseman and Ben Sheppard.

This is a matchup the Sixers will want to use to keep their foot on the gas and turn things around as their season begins. Philadelphia already has one win over Indiana this season, defeating the Pacers 118-114 in overtime on Oct. 27, led by Maxey’s 45-point bomb. However, both teams’ starting lineups will look completely different on Friday than they did tonight, so I wouldn’t use this game to raise any expectations.

Overall, the Pacers have struggled to build on the success that led them to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Indiana currently sits in 10th place in the East at 10-15 with 11 road losses and has suffered defeats in five of its last six contests, four of which came at the hands of sub-.500 teams.

Pascal Siakam leads the Pacers with an average of 19.7 points while shooting 52.5% from the field and a career-best 41.1% from long range while attempting 4.3 three-pointers per game. Behind him is 22-year-old Bennedict Mathurin, who has taken on a larger starting role for Indiana due to numerous injuries and is averaging 17.8 points per game. The 1.90 meter tall center Myles Turner (the only healthy center on the squad) achieves 15.3 points per game as well as 7.1 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.

Guard Tyrese Haliburton is also leading the way with 17.5 points per game, but struggled by his standards early this season, especially compared to last season. Through the first 15 games of the 2024-25 season, Haliburton averaged 15.3 points while shooting just 37.5% from the floor and 28.4% from distance, both the worst rates of his career. Hali appears to be turning things around in the last 10 contests, where he averaged 20.7 points on 48.3% field goal shooting and 40.0% three-point shooting, but it wasn’t enough to turn the tide in the Pacers’ fortunes.

(The Pacers also have former Sixer TJ McConnell, who just scored 30 points on 14-for-19 field goal shooting on Sunday against the Hornets, the highest of his career. I’m mentally preparing for that somehow he plays an even better game against the Sixers, because of course he will.)

With the roster pretty much the healthiest it has been all season, the Sixers have a chance to pick up their third straight win when they face a Pacers team that has plenty of issues of its own.

Philadelphia and Indiana kick off at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Game details

WHO: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Indiana Pacers

When: 7:00 p.m. ET

Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA

Regard: NBC Sports Philadelphia

Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic

Consequences: @LibertyBallers