5 reasons the Pacers beat the Sixers: Justin Holiday, T.J. McConnell and a 3-point barrage

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Pacers got off to a hot start Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and held on for a 118-113 victory over Philadelphia. The Sixers were without star big man Joel Embiid and defensive specialist Matisse Thybulle, who are in the NBA’s COVID-19 protocol, and Indiana took advantage. Here’s what stood out:

Justin Holiday on fire

There’s a difference between finding an offensive rhythm and catching fire. Justin Holiday did the latter Saturday night for Indiana. He returned to his reserve role with Caris LeVert back in the starting lineup and gave his squad a huge boost with a team-high 27 points.

Holiday drained his first shot, a midrange jumper, and it was a sign of things to come. He nailed his next six shots, including a 5-of-5 showing from behind the arc that helped Indiana build a 46-27 lead.

"That's what I do to help (my team)," Holiday said of his noteworthy shooting display. "That's really all I want to do is go out there and help my team and give us a chance to win."

Holiday scored 20 points in the first half and didn’t miss until splitting a pair of free throws at the 1:21 mark of the second quarter. He missed his first shot attempt on a half-court heave at the halftime buzzer.

Domantas Sabonis started hot, too. He was a perfect 7-of-7 from the field for 16 points in the first half. He missed his first shot early in the third quarter.

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Pacers sharing the ball

Indiana recorded 33 assists on 47 baskets Saturday night, including 24 assists on 29 makes during a 70-point first half.

"There were some beautiful possessions in the first half," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "(They'd) create a problem, the ball hopped (and we) got it in the basket."

Malcolm Brogdon leads the team in assists and orchestrated the offense once again with a team-high 10 assists and his second career triple-double (13 points, 10 rebounds). Of the nine Pacers who played, eight recorded an assist. T.J. McConnell added nine assists off the bench.

Pacers 3-point barrage

Indiana entered Saturday ranked 13th in the league with 12.5 made 3-pointers per game. The team quickly eclipsed that mark against Philly when Brodgon made its 13th 3 with a little over five minutes left in the third quarter. The team finished 14-of-28 from behind the arc. Holiday had 6 treys, while Sabonis and Myles Turner each had two.

T.J. McConnell faces former team

It was clear that McConnell enjoyed taking it to his former team. Sixers coach Doc Rivers praised him for being “an irritant” prior to the game, and he made sure to live up to his reputation.

"I'll take that as a compliment," McConnell said. "I try to make it as hard as possible for teams to get into their offense and just being a pest."

McConnell drew an offensive foul on Tyrese Maxey in the third quarter, much to the delight of the crowd. He scored three consecutive Pacers baskets over a 59-second stretch starting with 2:15 remaining, extending the lead to 114-104 after the Sixers had closed to within 6. They were six of the eight points he scored in the game.

Caris LeVert’s return

After missing the last two games with lower back soreness, LeVert was back in action. He finished with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting in 25 minutes Saturday.

"I thought Caris played well," Carlisle said. "We're kind of re-ramping his minutes, trying to keep him in the 20s right now."

Indiana 118, Philadelphia 113

PHILADELPHIA (113): Green 4-6 4-4 14, Harris 10-22 9-10 32, Drummond 4-12 3-6 11, Curry 3-10 3-3 11, Maxey 10-15 1-1 24, Niang 2-7 2-2 6, Reed 0-1 0-0 0, Bassey 0-0 0-0 0, Korkmaz 3-8 0-0 8, Milton 2-8 3-3 7. Totals 38-89 25-29 113.

INDIANA (118): Duarte 3-6 0-0 7, Sabonis 8-11 0-0 18, Turner 8-12 2-3 20, Brogdon 4-13 4-6 13, LeVert 5-10 1-2 12, Craig 0-0 0-0 0, Martin 6-10 0-0 13, Holiday 9-11 3-4 27, McConnell 4-9 0-0 8. Totals 47-82 10-15 118.

Philadelphia 25 35 22 31 — 113

Indiana 32 38 24 24 — 118

3-Point Goals—Philadelphia 12-23 (Harris 3-4, Maxey 3-4, Green 2-2, Korkmaz 2-4, Curry 2-5, Niang 0-3), Indiana 14-28 (Holiday 6-8, Sabonis 2-3, Turner 2-5, Duarte 1-2, LeVert 1-2, Martin 1-3, Brogdon 1-4). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds_Philadelphia 46 (Drummond 16), Indiana 37 (Sabonis 12). Assists_Philadelphia 16 (Curry 5), Indiana 33 (Brogdon 10). Total Fouls_Philadelphia 22, Indiana 21. A_14,483 (20,000)

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers vs. Sixers: 5 reasons Indiana beat Philadelphia