Sixers Fall to Pacers in Opener

Sixers
 After a long summer full of roster moves made by General Manager Sam Hinkie, it was finally time to lace up the sneakers and hit the floor again Wednesday night in Indiana. This also meant fans would get their first glance at Sixers big man Nerlens Noel as he made his NBA debut after missing the entire 2013 season recovering from an ACL injury. Noel was just one of many making their Sixers debuts as 2nd year coach Brett Brown led his Sam Hinkie assembled team in front of a capacity Pacers crowd eager to see some basketball after their playoff loss last season and the loss of their star forward Paul George. Opening night was sure to be a thriller that would catch the eyes of fans from around the league.

 As the game began, the Sixers defense began to take advantage of Indiana’s mistakes offensively and capitalized with points on the other end. They forced the Pacers into eight first quarter turnovers, seven of which came within the first eight minutes of the game. The swarming defense led to Sixers guard Tony Wroten getting his season off to an impressive start with a few easy breakaway slams throughout the first quarter. Nerlens Noel was forced into foul trouble, picking up two fouls in the first five minutes, but was able to respond with an impressive drive on Pacers forward Luis Scola, finished off with a left handed floater for his first career bucket. The Sixers were in control early, breaking out to a 22-12 advantage before squandering the lead only to trail 26-24 to Indiana after the 1st Quarter.  

 Opening night also meant Sixers fans could get the joy of watching their 2nd round pick, SEC defensive player of the year, K.J. McDaniels. The young defensive specialist came off the bench for coach Brett Brown and instantly ignited the defense but struggled offensively in the 2nd Quarter. Likewise, Noel also had a rough go in the 2nd. Both rookies were forcing shots and both had ugly turnovers. The game proceeded to get a little chippy when Sixers recent free agent signing Malcolm Thomas pushed veteran Pacers center Roy Hibbert to the floor after a rebound. Hibbert showcased a small sample of his acting ability on the play and was later called for a technical foul, while McDaniels received a flagrant foul. By the way, the new NBA replay system was put to use on the play and unfortunately didn’t work effectively. First problem was the refs wound up making the wrong call and second problem was it took a boring five minutes to receive the wrong call.

 The 3rd Quarter was the turning point as the Pacers went on a 16-6 run to give them a 78-67 lead and they never looked back. The Sixers did show some promising fight and heart throughout the 2nd half led by a few Alexy Shevd bombs from beyond the arc that kept the team in the game but they never really posed much of a threat to the much more experienced Frank Vogel led Pacers. Although the young Sixers team was able to hang in for a while, the Pacers iced the game in the 4th Quarter and went on to win the opener 103-91.

 Roy Hibbert led the way for the Pacers totaling 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 blocked shots. Rodney Stuckey provided the fire off the bench tallying up 16 points to go along with 5 assists leading Indiana to their first win of the young season.

 For the Sixers, guard Tony Wroten paved the way with 22 points along with 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Surprisingly, coach Brown has to be pleased with what he saw from Alexy Shevd. He posted 18 points off the bench, while also contributing 5 assists and he threaded the needle on a few of the pretty dimes.

 Overall, I’d have to say Sixers fans should be feeling fairly well after the opening game. Noel only accumulated 6 points but he was able to rack up 10 rebounds to go along with 3 blocks. He struggled offensively, shooting 2-11 from the floor, but defensively he looked pretty solid. It’s going to be fun to watch him improve throughout the season. The Sixers do need to work on some foul shooting as they went an abysmal 17-30 during the game but maybe that’s their way of getting the first game jitters out of the way. The long journey of this season is now underway. It’s going to be a long season with many downs and very few ups, but I can assure you that this team is going to be exciting to watch.

 Next up: @Milwaukee, Friday 8:30pm Tip

 

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