The Philadelphia 76ers are looking to put an end to a three game losing streak tonight against the Indiana Pacers. They will be shorthanded yet again, with Joel Embiid, Matisse Thybulle, and Isaiah Joe all remaining in health and safety protocols to kick off a six game road trip for the Sixers. The Sixers are 8-5 on the season and in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers are 5-8 and in 12th place in the Eastern Conference.

Indiana is coming off an impressive win against the Utah Jazz on the road, a game in which they were 10.5 point underdogs. The Sixers failed to cover against the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night. They need to get back to being a strong defensive team, even without guys like Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons available. On Thursday night, they gave up 115 points to the Raptors, who shot nearly 43% from three point range.

Offensively, the 76ers need other players outside Tyrese Maxey to step up if they want to survive on the road. Maxey is coming off is second straight game of scoring 30 or more points. On Thursday night, Maxey was 12-for-19 from the floor and 1-for-3 from three point range. He scored 33 points and added four rebounds, five assists, a steal, and two blocks. The kid has been flat out incredible but he certainly cannot do it alone.

Tobias Harris returned from COVID-19 health and safety protocols against the Raptors and scored 19 points on 7-of-18 shooting with seven rebounds, seven assists, and a block. The problem is that Harris went 1-for-6 from three point range. The Sixers need Harris to play better and he’s certainly capable of doing so. Let’s hope tonight he is ready to go now that he’s had a game under him already after missing 10 days.

Furkan Korkmaz has been in a slump the last two games as well. Against the Raptors, Furk was 3-for-10 from three point range. Against the Bucks earlier last week, Furkan Korkmaz was 1-for-12 from three point range. It would be nice to see Kork get back on track and find his shot again. When he’s off, it’s brutal to watch.

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It’s been pretty difficult to bet on the 76ers this week. The shooting has been too inconsistent. Seth Curry even went 4-for-12 from the floor last game. Tobias Harris is still getting his legs under him and Furkan Korkmaz has been brutal to watch. Can they win on the road against the Pacers to kick things off on a six game road trip? They sure could, but given my lack of confidence surrounding the consistency of this team, I’m not going to touch it the spread or moneyline in the 76ers favor.

Parx Sportsbook Prediction: Pacers -3 (-112) and O 216 (-113)

Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY SPORTS