INDIANAPOLIS _ This was a solid way to open a tough stretch.
The 76ers got a confidence-building 120-96 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The victory improved them to 30-16 and put them a half-game behind the Pacers (29-15) for third place in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers have also won two of three games against the Pacers, with both wins coming in Indiana. The fourth and final game of the season series will be March 30 in Philadelphia.
Jimmy Butler and Joel Embiid paced the Sixers' balanced attack.
Butler had 27 points on 10-for-17 shooting to go with eight assists and three steals.
Embiid was two assists away from posting his second triple-double of the season despite playing with a bad back. He had 22 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, and three blocks.
Embiid and Wilson Chandler both played despite being listened as questionable earlier in the day.
Chandler is still dealing with an upper respiratory infection that caused him to miss the Sixers' games against the Phoenix Suns (Jan. 2) and Dallas Mavericks (Jan. 5). He missed Thursday morning's shootaround. Embiid participated in the shootaround but was a game-time decision with back tightness.
It was obvious that Embiid's back bothered him, as the All-Star center moved gingerly on the court. He sat on a foam roller and rested on his back on the baseline the first two times he exited the game. Afterward, Embiid had a heating pad on his back whenever he went the bench.
Early on, he settled for a lot of shots on the perimeter instead of playing 'bully ball' in the low post. And he had a bad slip on the floor.
But he still managed to have presence at the rim on defense. He also contested several shots.
Embiid struggled early, and shot 9-for-19 on the night.
JJ Redick added 20 points, while Ben Simmons had 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists.
Simmons was held scoreless in the first half after missing all four of his shots. He scored his first point with 7 minutes, 31 seconds left the third quarter. Then his first made field goal came on a 10-foot hook shot with 5:40 remaining in the quarter.
The Sixers had a commanding 18-point lead (91-73) after Redick's 3-pointer with 11:13 to play. The Pacers responded with a 10-0 run to close the gap to eight points with 8:00 remaining.
Embiid and Mike Muscala had consecutive 3-pointers before Cory Joseph scored Indiana's next basket. Then Muscala hit another 3-pointer to push the Sixers' lead back up to 15 (100-85) with 6:03 to play. They extended their lead to 20 points on Simmons' dunk with 1:26 left.
Former Sixer Thad Young paced Indiana with 27 points. Victor Oladipo had 15 points on 6-for-20 shooting.
