3 observations after Sixers set team 3-point record, Embiid scores 45

A few days after tying their franchise record for three-pointers in a game, the Sixers broke it Tuesday night in Indiana.

They hit 17 of 28 threes in the first half and ended the night 23 for 40 from long range. Last Saturday, they'd made 21 triples in a 30-point home win over the Hornets.

Their victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse wasn't a blowout, though. Up as many as 27 points, the Sixers needed to play their starters during the final minutes of a 131-122 win. 

Joel Embiid led the way with 45 points and 13 rebounds.

Tyrese Maxey was electric in posting 30 points and seven assists.

The Pacers were very shorthanded without Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner, T.J. Warren, Chris Duarte, Ricky Rubio and Goga Bitadze. 

The first of the 49-30 Sixers’ three regular-season games left will be Thursday night against the Raptors in Toronto. Here are observations on the team's record-setting victory over Indiana: 

Unfair Embiid  

Indiana’s lack of muscle and experience figured to be problematic against Embiid.

Indeed, Embiid drew the first foul on rookie Isaiah Jackson 27 seconds into the game, catching the Kentucky product with his arm down in an unwise spot. James Harden (11 points, 14 assists) forced Jackson to the bench with his second foul soon after. 

Jalen Smith backed up Jackson and started brightly with 11 points and six rebounds in the first quarter. He put Indiana up 29-27 with a second-chance dunk. However, Smith and the Pacers looked vulnerable on every Sixers possession. Embiid fooled the 22-year-old with a smooth post-up move that finished with a pump fake and layup, easily pulled up for a mid-range jumper, and seemed sure to score when Indiana didn’t immediately, precisely double team.

It was odd to see Embiid with zero assists at halftime because he made several crisp passes out of double teams that led to baskets. The stat sheet did a decent job reflecting his dominance, though: 27 points on 12-for-18 shooting. 

Most of that production came from interior and mid-range success, although Embiid tossed up a long three-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer and banked it in, giving the Sixers a 33-31 lead. By the end of the second period, it was hard to believe the Sixers had once trailed. 

MVP voting is supposed to capture an entire season, but big numbers from Embiid late in the year can't hurt his case among undecided voters. With 89 points over his last two outings, he's got a strong shot at the scoring title. 

Unbelievable first-half shooting 

Twenty of the Sixers’ first 28 field-goal attempts were threes. The team was in no way too reliant on its long-distance shooting. 

After going 0 for 5 from three-point range Sunday in Cleveland, Tobias Harris knocked down his first four. He profited on the weak side off a pick-and-roll between Harden and Embiid; on the wing in transition; and in the corner following a sweet, unselfish sequence initiated by an Embiid kick-out pass. Not all catch-and-shoot looks are identical, and Harris displayed comfort in a variety of situations early Tuesday night, albeit against a young, undermanned opponent. 

Almost anything involving a ball screen for Harden troubled the Pacers’ defense. The All-Star guard notched seven assists in his first 11 minutes and focused on dishing the ball to hot teammates. He also drilled a step-back jumper of his own in the second quarter. 

Maxey exceeded his previous career high of five three-pointers with 3:15 left in the first half. He was indisputably on fire by that stage, but Matisse Thybulle generated an excellent shot by picking up a steal, leading the fast break, and finding the 21-year-old behind the arc. Maxey made his seventh three by shedding Buddy Hield’s closeout with a side-step jumper. Everyone believed the ball was going in. 

It’s been a common sentiment over the last few months, but Maxey’s leap after a 31-for-103 three-point shooting season (30.1 percent) as a rookie is incredible. Maxey’s 8-for-11 performance Tuesday lifted him to 126 of 294 from three (42.9 percent) in his second year. He works hard, trusts his dedication will pay off, and evidently possesses greater shooting talent than most realized.

Collapse not costly 

Thybulle and DeAndre Jordan were the only players in the Sixers’ nine-man rotation not to make a three-pointer.

Thybulle’s two long-range misses weren’t an issue, although a pair of blown layups in the third quarter creeped closer to the front of mind as the Sixers’ once-healthy lead dissipated. 

Indiana was fast and scrappy all night, and the Sixers’ focus plummeted during a third period in which they conceded 40 points. Two timeouts by head coach Doc Rivers couldn’t stabilize the team, and a Smith and-one jump hook cut the Sixers’ edge to eight points with 2.1 seconds to go in the third. 

With Embiid sitting early in the fourth, the Sixers' position turned legitimately a bit precarious. Smith blocked a Harris layup, enabling the Pacers to sprint at the Sixers' defense. Duane Washington Jr. pump faked, Jordan flew past him, and the undrafted rookie nailed a corner three.

Washington kept pressuring the Sixers and the team's response wasn't especially sturdy. After a Harden turnover on a sideline out-of-bounds pass, Washington rose for a fast-break dunk and got fouled hard by Jordan. The officials reviewed the play and called Jordan for a Flagrant 2 foul, meaning Embiid needed to check in with 9:19 left. Another Washington triple trimmed the Pacers' deficit to just four points. 

Shake Milton (10 points, three rebounds, two assists) was generally solid with the Sixers on the verge of falling apart. He responded to Washington's three with a short jumper. The Sixers eventually regained their collective composure and the team's vastly superior talent won out.