76ers at Pacers final score: Indiana slips by Philadelphia, 99-90

The Philadelphia 76ers entered Monday night’s game in Indianapolis against the Indiana Pacers as a comically large, 20-point underdog and as losers of a staggering 20 consecutive games. However, the visiting Sixers battled throughout the 48-minute contest, and they were easily able to “cover” that underdog number despite dropping a 99-90 decision at the hands of the East-leading Pacers.

Philly actually out-shot the Pacers by a significant margin in the loss (43% to 38%), but the Sixers fouled at an alarming rate, producing ?? free throw attempts for Indiana, and they were beaten up on the glass (52-45) allowing the Pacers to create extra scoring opportunities. Individually, four members of Philly’s roster reached 15-or-more points in the game, but it simply wasn’t enough, despite Thaddeus Young’s 23 points and 17 a piece from Hollis Thompson and Tony Wroten.

Indiana won this game almost chiefly due to their dominant wing performance. Lance Stephenson led the way with 25 points on 8 for 16 shooting, while Paul George chipped in with 24 points (despite an ugly 4 for 14 shooting day) and 8 rebounds on the night. Of course, the Pacers also got contributions from elsewhere, but when a team shooting 38% and nearly wins by double-digits, it is usually because the opponent was generally overmatched.

Neither team will be writing home about their performance, but the Sixers continue to battle, even if their 21-loss streak doesn’t necessarily reflect that on the scoreboard.