Philadelphia 76ers vs Indiana Pacers Prediction: Combined starting 5 featuring Joel Embiid and Domantas Sabonis
The Indiana Pacers will host the Philadelphia 76ers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on January 31st in a matchup between two of the best teams in the NBA's Eastern Conference. Philadelphia sits at the top of the East with a 14-6 record, while Indiana ranks fifth with 11 wins and eight losses after five weeks of the 2020-21 NBA season.
Doc Rivers' Philly team is currently on a two-game winning streak and has taken seven wins in their last 10 matches. On the other hand, Indiana is 5-5 in its last 10 games.
Joel Embiid has been the main weapon on the Philadelphia 76ers' roster, while Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon have been solid for the Indiana Pacers. In this piece, we will create a combined lineup with players on the rosters of the Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Indiana Pacers Prediction: Combined starting 5
Philadelphia defeated the LA Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves in their last two games. Indiana fell to the Charlotte Hornets in their most recent outing.
This matchup will be the first between these two teams in the 2020-21 NBA campaign.
Without further ado, let us start with the combined starting five for the game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Indiana Pacers.
Guard - Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers)
Ben Simmons has been solid for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2020-21 NBA season and he has been available for 18 of the team's 20 games so far.
Simmons is naturally close to a triple-double almost every night, something uncommon for a 6'11'' point guard. Despite the noise about his unwillingness to shoot from outside, Simmons is still an effective player with his own weapons and style.
He is averaging 12.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game. Defensively, Simmons is active and knows how to use his length to disrupt the opponents' offense. He averages 1.6 steals and one block per game.
Guard - Malcolm Brogdon (Indiana Pacers)
The Indiana Pacers have been carried in the 2020-21 NBA season by Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon.
Brogdon, a Rookie of the Year award winner with the Milwaukee Bucks, is having a tremendous season for Indy. He is having his best year in terms of scoring and passing.
The guard leads Indiana in points per game (22.7) and assists per game (7.2), and both averages are career highs. Brogdon has made 46% of his field goals and 40% of his threes (7.2 attempts per game).
In his previous game, Brogdon put up 21 points and eight assists in the loss against Charlotte.