<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-adem-bona-sounds-off-on-career-game-vs-giannis-antetokounmpo');   ga('set', 'title', 'Adem Bona sounds off on career game vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/76ers-news-Adem-Bona-sounds-off-on-career-game-vs-Giannis-Antetokounmpo.jpg"></figure><h1>Adem Bona sounds off on career game vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-04T10:42:01-07:00">April 4th, 10:42am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-04T10:42:01-07:00">April 4th, 10:42am</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Sam DiGiovanni started at ClutchPoints as an associate editor in 2021 and became the site's Philadelphia 76ers beat reporter ahead of the 2022-23 season. He graduated from Marist College in May of 2022 and has written for TheKnicksWall.com and CenterFieldMarist.com in the past.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>PHILADELPHIA — Adem Bona didn’t mind too much that Giannis Antetokounmpo dropped <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/milwaukee-bucks/bucks-news-giannis-antetokounmpo-bonkers-stat-line-vs-76ers-not-seen-nba-history">a never-before-seen stat line</a> in their latest matchup. He was excited to play against one of the players he idolizes, submitting a very impressive two-way performance in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 126-113 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.</p><p>“I knew how they were playing,” Bona said. “I knew I had to guard Giannis and I knew I had to bring the energy from the start ’cause he’s a big guy, tough guy. He attacks the rim, so I had to put some pressure on him a little bit from the beginning of the game. I was really excited to play against him, too.”</p><p>The Greek Freak decimated the 76ers to the tune of 35 points, a career-high 20 assists and 17 rebounds. It was the first-ever game of 35 points, 20 assists and 15 boards and he did it with remarkable efficiency (12-19 from the field, 10-11 from the foul line). <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/76ers-news-tyrese-maxey-hit-with-season-ending-finger-injury-diagnosis" rel="noopener">The injury-plagued Sixers</a> were the perfect petri dish for such a wild statistical anomaly, even if the guy standing in front of him was extra eager to shut him down.</p><p>“I thought I was doing a pretty good job. And I looked up and I was like ‘Oh, okay,’” Bona said as he demonstrated how he looked up to see the scoreboard. “I guess I wasn’t doing as good of a job as I thought.”</p><p>Although Bona couldn’t match or prevent Giannis’s incredibly historic production, he scored a career-best 28 points on 13-15 shooting, notching a feat that <a href="https://x.com/BySamDiGiovanni/status/1907967882937409769" rel="noopener">only 14 others have ever done</a>. He knew Giannis was going off but adopted the best next-play mentality that he could.</p><p>“How do I lock in and go to the next play? I think I just do what I can do right now and the rest is gonna handle itself,” he said. “I try my possible best to do everything I can do to avoid getting a foul. I avoid sticking in my hand whenever he drives. I just try to do the next right thing.”</p><h2><b>Adem Bona gives great effort guarding Giannis Antetokounmpo</b></h2><p>According to NBA tracking data, Bona matched up with Giannis for nine minutes of game time. Almost every time down the court, Bona would find the Bucks superstar and play him tightly. He’d bump teammates to other assignments if they were down the court first. Once Giannis got the ball, he did his very best to wall him up.</p><p>On possessions where Bona guarded Antetokounmpo, the Bucks superstar <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&amp;CFPARAMS=&amp;ContextMeasure=DEF_FGA&amp;GameID=0022401115&amp;OppPlayerID=203507&amp;PlayerID=1641737&amp;Season=2024-25&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;TeamID=1610612755&amp;flag=1&amp;sct=plot&amp;section=game" rel="noopener">shot just 5-9 from the field</a> and committed a turnover. Against all other matchups, he shot a combined 7-10. He got the 76ers rookie to commit a pair of shooting fouls but with the rest of the team combining for four, it illustrates how disciplined Bona was as the living freight train wearing No. 34 barreled into him time after time.</p><p>Antetokounmpo recorded nine assists with Bona as his defender but none of them came against defensive breakdowns. Although the Sixers needed to help early against arguably the best slasher in the NBA (as teams often do), Bona stayed between Giannis and the basket each time, watching as he assisted teammates with skip passes and dribble handoffs.</p><p>The Nigerian-born Bona <a href="https://x.com/BySamDiGiovanni/status/1806437466313814456" rel="noopener">looks up to Antetokounmpo</a>, who comes from a Nigerian family. “I think you are probably gonna see a lot of Giannis in me — relentless, do everything for his team to win, hard-working,” Bona said when the 76ers drafted him. He had no better way to showcase it than against the superstar himself.</p><p>Although his efforts didn’t result in a Philadelphia win, Adem Bona gave it a fantastic effort — one that should inspire hope in his long-term viability as an NBA rotation player.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Adem Bona sounds off on career game vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-adem-bona-joins-joel-embiid-franchise-history-books-win-vs-jazz');   ga('set', 'title', 'Adem Bona joins Joel Embiid in 76ers’ history books in win vs. Jazz');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Adem-Bona-joins-Joel-Embiid-in-franchise-history-books-in-win-vs.-Jazz.jpg"></figure><h1>Adem Bona joins Joel Embiid in 76ers’ history books in win vs. Jazz</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-10T08:50:27-07:00">March 10th, 8:50am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-10T08:50:27-07:00">March 10th, 8:50am</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Sam DiGiovanni started at ClutchPoints as an associate editor in 2021 and became the site's Philadelphia 76ers beat reporter ahead of the 2022-23 season. He graduated from Marist College in May of 2022 and has written for TheKnicksWall.com and CenterFieldMarist.com in the past.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>PHILADELPHIA — Recently, Nick Nurse admitted that he needed to get Adem Bona some more minutes. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/76ers-news-nick-nurse-plan-check-key-players-minutes-amid-joel-embiid-stars-absences">As the Philadelphia 76ers struggle through injuries to Joel Embiid</a> and other veterans, the rookie center showed why he’s worthy of soaking up that extra playing time.</p><p>Bona played 32 minutes off the bench, recording 14 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks and two steals for the first double-double of his career. Each of those stats is a career high. Although Philly was already bound to give him and other youngsters more minutes as their season spirals, he has to prove to be competent enough to leave out there for more than a few minutes at a time. His performance against an admittedly horrible Jazz team didn’t just do that, it put him in the franchise history books.</p><p>Bona’s performance was only the fourth instance of a Sixers rookie recording 10 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and two steals. Joel Embiid was the last to do it. Nerlens Noel and Shawn Bradley did it before him. All three of those bigs were top-10 picks; Bona went 41st overall in last year’s draft.</p><p>“To be honest, everything,” Bona responded to a question about what part of his performance he was the most proud of. “Obviously, I’m proud of my rebounding. That’s where I should be hanging my hat. Rebounding is big for someone like me…Also, I’m proud of my offensive rebounding today. Also defensively, I would say I’m proud of commanding the defense today. Calling out weak [or] strong [coverages] today, I think that I did well at that.”</p><h2><b>Adem Bona plays big minutes in 76ers’ win over Jazz</b></h2><p>The 76ers have needed Bona more than they anticipated this season. Rather than getting lots of chances to develop in the G League, he’s only played twice in the NBA’s minor leagues because the Sixers have needed him for center depth. Being around the big-league club more isn’t the worst thing but it meant fewer opportunities to learn from on-court experience, only logging more than 10 minutes in 26 of his 43 games with the Sixers.</p><p>Nick Nurse loved the pressure he put on the Jazz, creating a level of impact that felt like it was greater than just his seven offensive boards and <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&amp;CFPARAMS=&amp;ContextMeasure=BLK&amp;EndPeriod=0&amp;EndRange=28800&amp;GameID=0022400924&amp;PlayerID=1641737&amp;RangeType=0&amp;Season=2024-25&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;StartPeriod=0&amp;StartRange=0&amp;TeamID=1610612755&amp;flag=1&amp;sct=plot&amp;section=game" rel="noopener">five swatted shots</a>.</p><p>“That was really [a] super good version of him out there tonight,” Nurse said. “When he’s bouncy and running and settled into the game — which he did right from the start — then he’s good.”</p><p>Nurse said that Bona is “super athletic, as you can see, in all facets.” Bona said his second jump and speed allow him to find success on the court, as does understanding opponents’ tendencies, which is particularly helpful when he steps out to defend guards on the perimeter. He may not be the tallest player out there but he can make up for it plenty with his agility and non-stop motor.</p><p>Bona, who expected to be on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-jared-mccain-adem-bona-sound-off-title-aspirations">a competitive 76ers team in his first NBA go-around</a>, will instead see plenty of minutes for the rest of the season. Although Andre Drummond and Guerschon Yabusele will remain ahead of him in the pecking order, he’s bound to get chances as Philly wraps up a season that’s moving, whether the team wants it or not, in a tanking direction. Any benefit it plays in his development will be a wonderful silver lining for the Sixers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Adem Bona joins Joel Embiid in 76ers’ history books in win vs. Jazz

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/76ers-vs-pacers-tyrese-maxey-adem-bona-stand-out-5th-straight-loss');   ga('set', 'title', '76ers vs. Pacers: Tyrese Maxey, Adem Bona stand out in 5th straight loss');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/76ers-vs.-Pacers.png"></figure><h1>76ers vs. Pacers: Tyrese Maxey, Adem Bona stand out in 5th straight loss</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-01-18T18:43:17-08:00">January 18th, 6:43pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-01-18T18:43:17-08:00">January 18th, 6:43pm</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Sam DiGiovanni started at ClutchPoints as an associate editor in 2021 and became the site's Philadelphia 76ers beat reporter ahead of the 2022-23 season. He graduated from Marist College in May of 2022 and has written for TheKnicksWall.com and CenterFieldMarist.com in the past.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Philadelphia 76ers (15-25) started a road trip by squaring off with the Indiana Pacers (24-19). The Sixers’ performance wasn’t great but they found themselves in a tough ride and held on to make this game close until the final few minutes. Final score: 115-102.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/76ers-news-joel-embiid-out-at-least-3-more-games-injury-setback">Joel Embiid is again down for the count</a> as his left knee gives him more issues. He’s out for this road trip and potentially even more time. Paul George and Guerschon Yabusele were also sidelined, with the latter missing his first game of the season. Andre Drummond returned from a six-game absence as a new Sixers starting lineup made its way onto the court in the heartland.</p><h2><b>Maxey leads the way</b></h2><p>Back when this season was still a huge bummer but still had some hope left, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-biggest-76ers-takeaways-vs-pacers-tyrese-maxey">Tyrese Maxey lit up the Pacers for Philly’s first win.</a> His 45-point outing was an early glimmer of what he could do as the lead guy. Unfortunately for Philly, he’s struggled mightily as a lead option and has only come within five points of that previous total once.</p><p>Andrew Nembhard applied some backcourt pressure to Maxey, refusing to give the 76ers star an uncontested running start with or without the ball. His individual defense was strong and the Pacers, who wanted to make sure Maxey didn’t beat them, didn’t have a good answer when he went to the bench. He darted to the hoop for some early buckets after Nembhard’s pressure kept him at bay.</p><p>The understanding that Maxey’s elite three-point shooting came primarily as the result of great playmaking from his teammates became a step clearer, as it has all season with Embiid and George going in and out of the lineup. His off-the-dribble shooting from deep is still a big-time work in progress. The 76ers’ inability to scheme him open on catch-and-shoot looks makes it even more challenging to see one go down and build off that.</p><p>Maxey came through on fast breaks after the 76ers defense poked the ball away. He led all scorers with 15 at the half and continued to attack the rim in the second half. Even if his three-ball isn’t going down, he’s still going to command enough respect out there to dart into the teeth of the defense.</p><p>Considering again the context that the 76ers’ offense is uninspiring, Maxey still needs to pick up some slack as a playmaker. Even with the poor three-point shooting from his team, he needs to keep growing as a facilitator. The final line for Maxey: 28 points, one rebound, three assists on 10-23 shooting.</p><h2><b>Who steps up as a creator? Adem Bona, for one</b></h2><p>Without George’s control of the ball and Yabusele’s comfort as a distributor up top and pick-and-roll/pop option (plus Embiid, who does both), the 76ers lacked a scary amount of offense. Maxey had the green light to do what he needed to but he also needed help. Shocking: he did not get enough.</p><p>Adem Bona, it must be noted, was fantastic in this game. While he didn’t exactly serve as a centerpiece on offense, he made the most of his touches to out-smart and, more emphatically, out-jump the Pacers defense. A big fan of dunking for safety, he crashed the glass hard and finished several Sixers possessions with explosive two-handed slams. His night ended with 12 points on 5-5 shooting from the field.</p><p>In a lineup move that would be surprising even if they weren’t the only two active centers on the 15-man roster, Drummond and Bona played together in the second quarter. That lineup didn’t do much, Bona <a href="https://x.com/sixers/status/1880782026137383361" rel="noopener">faked a handoff and slammed a dunk home</a> for one of the biggest highlights of the night. He also threaded a backdoor feed to Maxey for a layup.</p><p>Kelly Oubre Jr. stepped up and hit some shots, scoring 18 points on 6-13 shooting. The Pacers played off him from three and he made them pay. His scores in transition helped, too. Ricky Council IV also had 18 points, shooting 3-9 from behind the arc and inside of it.</p><h2><b>This was certainly a basketball game</b></h2><p>The Pacers came out sloppy on both ends and the 76ers took advantage of it, jumping out to an 8-1 lead after a little over two minutes. Indiana responded with a 10-2 run to take the lead that was aided by some bad misses right at the rim and porous, inattentive defense from Philly. Help defense, rebounding, closing out, getting back after a shot — all of it was bad from the visitor’s side.</p><p>Those little details matter no matter who’s on the court but, especially with a team this ravaged by injuries, the 76ers could not avoid focusing on them. Although they still forced a bunch of turnovers and ran in transition, they were too undisciplined to get ahead of a Pacers team that itself was not very disciplined. For as well as they move the ball, their defense was not at all intimidating.</p><p>With a free-flowing offense that went from one action to the next and shared the ball beautifully, the Pacers avoided any shortage of good looks. They shot horribly from three but got so many high-percentage paint shots and offensive boards that they still led by five after the first quarter. That lead doubled in the second quarter and then evaporated.</p><p>Indiana may click on offense but they clunk on defense. The Sixers made it easier on themselves by scoring off of turnovers but they were also very efficient in the halfcourt. But then they made it harder on themselves by failing to secure rebounds on defense. These teams, in several ways, were perfect opposites — struggling in the area the other team was good in and vice versa. All the different ways they succeeded and failed coalesced into a messy, closely contested game.</p><p>The Pacers started to run away with the game with a 20-9 run that started in the third quarter and carried over to the fourth. But then the Sixers punched back with a lineup that featured Pete Nance at center. The deficit was trimmed to as little as six but Philly just didn’t have the juice to complete the comeback.</p><p>The 76ers are back in action tomorrow night against the Milwaukee Bucks.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
2.7	2.3	1.0	1.3	0.3

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
2.7	2.3	1.0	1.3	0.3

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