One game to go: Pacers fall to 76ers, match franchise record for losses

One game to go: Pacers fall to 76ers, match franchise record for losses

Indiana Pacers center Jay Huff (32), guard Ethan Thompson (55) and guard Quenton Jackson (29) defend Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes (5) as he shoots during a game Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe (77) defends Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker (5) as he shoots during a game Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Indiana Pacers forward Jalen Slawson (18) shoots over Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond (1) during a game Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Philadelphia 76ers forward Justin Edwards (11) defends Indiana Pacers guard Taelon Peter (4) as he shoots during a game Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Indiana Pacers guard Kobe Brown (24) shoots the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during a game Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Indiana Pacers guard Quenton Jackson (29) gets a high five from guard T.J. McConnell (9) during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Indiana Pacers center Micah Potter (11) shoots over Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) during a game Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) and guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) speak on the bench during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Indiana Pacers assistant coach Lloyd Pierce calls for a replay during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

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Indiana Pacers face Philadelphia 76ers in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Indiana Pacers center Jay Huff (32), guard Ethan Thompson (55) and guard Quenton Jackson (29) defend Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes (5) as he shoots during a game Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

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Indiana Pacers face Philadelphia 76ers in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Indiana Pacers center Jay Huff (32), guard Ethan Thompson (55) and guard Quenton Jackson (29) defend Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes (5) as he shoots during a game Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

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Indiana Pacers face Philadelphia 76ers in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe (77) defends Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker (5) as he shoots during a game Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

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Indiana Pacers face Philadelphia 76ers in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Indiana Pacers forward Jalen Slawson (18) shoots over Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond (1) during a game Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

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Indiana Pacers face Philadelphia 76ers in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Philadelphia 76ers forward Justin Edwards (11) defends Indiana Pacers guard Taelon Peter (4) as he shoots during a game Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

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Indiana Pacers face Philadelphia 76ers in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Indiana Pacers guard Kobe Brown (24) shoots the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during a game Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

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Indiana Pacers face Philadelphia 76ers in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Indiana Pacers guard Quenton Jackson (29) gets a high five from guard T.J. McConnell (9) during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

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Indiana Pacers face Philadelphia 76ers in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Indiana Pacers center Micah Potter (11) shoots over Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) during a game Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

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Indiana Pacers face Philadelphia 76ers in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) and guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) speak on the bench during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

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Indiana Pacers face Philadelphia 76ers in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Indiana Pacers assistant coach Lloyd Pierce calls for a replay during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Tyrese Maxey scored 32 points and posted eight rebounds and five assists to lead the 76ers to a 105-94 win over the Pacers on Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which helped the 76ers playoff seeding but also guaranteed that the Pacers will have the best possible odds in the NBA Draft lottery in May.

The Pacers fell to 19-62, the second-worst record in the NBA, with one game left in the regular season. The teams in the bottom three in the standings all get the same NBA Draft lottery odds and the Kings and Jazz each have 21 wins for the fourth worst record, so the Pacers can finish no better than third-worst in the league. With 62 losses, they matched a franchise record in a single season. The Sixers improved to 44-37 which puts them eighth in the wide open Eastern Conference standings with one game to play.

Former Pacers star Paul George scored 21 points for the 76ers. Guard V.J. Edgecombe had 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Forward Kelly Oubre had 15 points and seven rebounds. Forward Jarace Walker led the Pacers with 17 points. Guards Quenton Jackson and Ethan Thompson had 16 and 15 points respectively and center Micah Potter had 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Pacers can't stop Sixers' guards

The 76ers were missing their former MVP in Joel Embiid, a force the Pacers have often found unstoppable. However, even without him on the floor, the Pacers didn't have an answer for the Philadelphia backcourt with All-Star Tyrese Maxey and likely first-team All-Rookie pick V.J. Edgcombe getting to the rim at will.

The Sixers struggled to shoot from outside as they finished just 5 of 29 from beyond the arc, but Maxey and Edgcombe found it easy to get downhill. Maxey scored 32 points on 11 of 28 shooting. He was 1 of 10 from beyond the arc, but most of his scoring came at the rim. Edgcombe scored 16 points on 7 of 14 shooting. With them leading the way, the Sixers won the points-in-the-paint battle 64-28 so it ultimately didn't matter that the Pacers hit nine more 3-pointers.

Turnovers doom the Pacers again

The Pacers continue to get good ball movement even with most of their key players on the shelf which shows progress for players that weren't expected to get much playing time this season. But sometimes, turnovers can come with a lot of passing and the Pacers have had turnover issues in some recent games, giving it away 23 times against the Timberwolves on Tuesday. This was another such turnover-plagued game.

The Pacers recorded 25 assists, but also committed 21 turnovers and the Sixers turned those into 18 points. Much like in the Minnesota game, that led to. drastic scoring opportunity difference as the Pacers attempted just 88 field goals to Philadelphia's 104.

Jarace Walker finishing strong after injury

Jarace Walker had missed just one game this season prior to March 27 and was among the few players on the Pacers this season who didn't get hit hard by the injury bug. However he missed four straight after a hard fall on a dunk against the Clippers. He left the game for concussion evaluation but was ruled out for the next four games with a low back bruise.

Walker wasn't quite as dominant in his first two games back but Friday's performance ranked up there with his strongest in what has been a transformative third season in the league. Walker scored 17 points on 6 of 13 shooting including 4 of 7 from 3-point range, an area where he's seen steady growth through three years in the league.

Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers fall to 76ers tie franchise record for losses in a season