Tyrese Haliburton stars as Pacers cruise past 76ers

Tyrese Haliburton recorded 32 points to propel the Indiana Pacers to a 121-107 road victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.

Pascal Siakam chipped in 23 points and eight boards for Indiana, while Obi Toppin notched 20 and eight off the bench. Haliburton drained 7 of 15 shots from beyond the arc and also dished out 11 assists.

Sixers star Joel Embiid, who has missed significant time this season due to injuries and suspension, exited late in the second quarter and did not return after taking an errant blow to the face. He finished with 12 points and five assists in 17 minutes.

Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 22 points, while Kelly Oubre Jr. had 12 points and 13 rebounds.

The Sixers jumped out to a 9-2 lead, but that was pretty much the end of the positives for Philadelphia, which then allowed 14 straight points as Indiana took control of the game.

Siakam made a 3-pointer early in that surge before Haliburton knocked in two more shots from beyond the arc. Shortly thereafter, Andrew Nembhard's reverse layup capped the uprising, giving the Pacers a 16-9 advantage.

Siakam's three-point play in the waning seconds of the first quarter gave Indiana a 31-22 lead.

Early in the second quarter, Toppin's two free throws sent the cushion into double digits for the first time. Philadelphia got the deficit down to 43-40 near the midpoint of the quarter, but the visitors scored 13 of the next 16 points to reclaim the momentum.

The Pacers went on to lead 61-50 at the break.

Indiana led by as many as 18 in the third quarter before Philadelphia crawled within 90-83 heading into the fourth.

The Sixers trailed 93-88 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the contest before Toppin made a 3-pointer and then two foul shots shortly thereafter.

Philadelphia was still relatively close as Paul George made two free throws with 4:31 left to make it 105-98. However, Siakam promptly knocked in a 3-pointer to restore a 10-point lead, igniting a 12-0 run that ended any hopes of a Sixers comeback.

--Field Level Media