Free NBA Picks Today: Indiana Pacers vs Philadelphia 76ers 3/6/23

The Philadelphia 76ers (41-22, 17-12 Away), one of the league’s top scoring defenses, travel to face the Indiana Pacers (29-36, 18-15 Home) on Monday.

Philadelphia squeaked by the Milwaukee Bucks 133-130 at Fiserv Forum on Saturday. James Harden was the key player with 38 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds. The 76ers are the third seed in the Eastern Conference.

Indiana is playing the second of a back-to-back after winning a close one yesterday at United Center, beating the Chicago Bulls 125-122. Tyrese Haliburton had 29 points and 11 assists, leading the team. The Pacers are 12th in the Eastern Conference.

This marks the last meeting of the season between the teams. Philadelphia will be looking for a season sweep against Indiana after winning both of their previous meetings, the most recent of which was a 129-126 overtime victory at Wells Fargo Center on January 4, their fourth straight head-to-head victory.

Harden led the 76ers with 26 points, while Montrezl Harrell added 19 points and four blocks. Buddy Hield had 24 points, nine rebounds, and six assists in the loss.

Joel Embiid is averaging 33.0 points per game, second-highest in the NBA, to lead the Sixers in scoring this season. Embiid also has grabbed 10.3 rebounds per game, eighth-most in the league. Meanwhile, Harden is dishing 10.6 assists.

Haliburton (20.3 ppg), Myles Turner (18.1), and Hield (17.3) have been the primary providers of the Pacers’ offense. Turner also has posted 7.8 rebounds per game, while Haliburton has tallied 10.2 assists per game, second-most in the league.

The 76ers rank as one of the stingiest scoring defenses in the NBA, third-best with 110.7 points per game allowed. The Pacers have had success in recent matchups between the teams at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, winning six of the last 10.

Meanwhile, the Pacers are 7-5 this season when playing two days in a row and 5-4 with a rest disadvantage. The 76ers are 5-3 with a rest advantage. In the last 10 games, Philadelphia is 7-3 with an average margin of +5.8 (115.5-109.7). Indiana has a 4-6 record over the last 10, allowing 120.0 points per game on average while scoring only 116.9 (-3.1 margin).

76ERS HOT/COLD

(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Shake Milton: 4.8 | 13.9 | -9.1
Points per game:
Tobias Harris: 10.4 | 15.0 | -4.6
Rebounds per game:
Tobias Harris: 3.6 | 5.7 | -2.1

PACERS HOT/COLD

(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Andrew Nembhard: 9.6 | 14.5 | -4.9
Points per game:
Myles Turner: 23.6 | 18.1 | +5.5
Aaron Nesmith: 6.8 | 9.6 | -2.9
Rebounds per game:
Jalen Smith: 8.0 | 5.7 | +2.3