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Sixers-Pacers observations, 'best' and 'worst' awards: Lance Stephenson, Ben Simmons, another second-half stinker

The Sixers sank 1 of 14 three-pointers in the second half Saturday night at Indiana.

Ben Simmons struggled to score against the Pacers.
Ben Simmons struggled to score against the Pacers.Read moreYONG KIM / Staff File Photo

INDIANAPOLIS – Here are my key takeaways and "best" and "worst" awards from the 76ers' 100-92 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Five observations

— At times, the Sixers looked as if they were participating in a shootaround instead of an NBA game. They were flat and appeared to be a step or two too slow all night.

— JJ Redick was a nonfactor. In this his third game back from a left knee injury, the Sixers shooting guard tied his season low for points scored. He finished with six on 1-for-8 shooting, missing five of his six three-point attempts.

— Ben Simmons also had a tough night. He collected 10 points and 11 rebounds. He shot 4 for 13 and struggled to score against Pacers small forward Bojan Bogdanovic.

— Other than being noticeably fatigued and turnover-prone, Joel Embiid had an OK game while completing his first back-to-back situation. He scored a game-high 24 points to go with 10 rebounds. His seven turnovers were by far a game high.

— The Sixers can't shake the second-half blues. They were once again horrible after intermission. The Sixers shot 31.7 percent (13 of 41) – including 1 for 14 on three-pointers – and committed 12 of their 18 turnovers in the second half.

‘Best’ and ‘worst’ awards

— Best performance: This goes to Pacers reserve guard Lance Stephenson. He scored 12 of his 14 points in the final quarter. He scored or assisted on the first 15 points of the quarter for Indiana.

— Worst performance: I had to give this to Myles Turner. The Pacers center failed to score, missing all five of his shots. Turner played only 3 minutes, 10 seconds in the first quarter because he picked up two early fouls.

— Best defensive performance: This goes to Bogdanovic, who did a solid job on Simmons. The small forward finished with two steals.

— Worst statistic: I had to give this to the Sixers' second-half three-point shooting (1-for-14).

— Best statistic: The Sixers hit 6 of 10 three-pointers in the second quarter.

— Worst of the worst:  I had to give this to the Sixers' second-half meltdown, even though it wasn't surprising. One comes to expect them to forget how to shoot and handle the ball in the second half of games.