Embiid, Butler lead 76ers’ 120-96 rout of Pacers

INDIANAPOLIS >> Joel Embiid had 22 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists Thursday night to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to their seventh win in nine games, a 120-96 blowout of the Indiana Pacers.

Jimmy Butler added 27 points, eight assists and five boards as Philadelphia shot 53 percent and finished with 38 assists, the most by an Indiana opponent this season.

In a matchup of two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, the 76ers improved to 2-1 in the four-game season series. The road team has won all three games.

J.J. Redick contributed 20 points and five assists, and Ben Simmons finished with 11 points, eight assists and eight rebounds. Indiana’s starting backcourt of Darren Collison and All-Star Victor Oladipo was limited to 21 combined points on 9-of-30 shooting.

What had been a competitive game turned into a rout in the third quarter. The 76ers led 28-25 after the first quarter and 54-48 at halftime, but a quick 8-0 run put them up 6655 and prompted Pacers coach Nate McMillan to call timeout. Redick hit two 3-pointers assisted by handoffs from Embiid, and Embiid scored in the lane during the burst.

T.J. McConnell’s driving bank shot in the final seconds of the quarter pushed the lead to 15 for the first time. Philadelphia carried that 86-71 advantage to the fourth.

Redick’s sixth 3 made it an 18-point lead. Indiana replied with a 10-0 run, but back-toback 3s from Embiid and his backup, Mike Muscala, quieted the crowd and forced yet another Indiana timeout.

Muscala had 11 points and seven rebounds.

Indiana, held to 40 percent shooting, never challenged again. Ex-Sixer Thaddeus Young had 27 points and six rebounds. Oladipo ended up with 15 points and seven assists.

Embiid was third and Butler fifth among Eastern Conference frontcourt players in fan votes for the All-Star Game when the league announced the third set of ballot returns Thursday. Simmons was fourth among guards.