Philadelphia's Bench Helps 76ers Cruise Past Indiana Pacers

The Philadelphia 76ers started off slowly in last night's win against the Indiana Pacers. They looked lifeless. Something was missing. They needed a spark. 

Enter Thaddeus Young, Lou Williams and Nikola Vucevic, or as they're better known, "The Night Shift."

Within minutes, The Night Shift turned the game around thanks to some pure hustle plays and suffocating defense.

Young started things off, taking a couple of quick charges. Then, after a Jrue Holiday block, the ball careened to the sideline. Young ran the ball down and, while falling out of bounds, slung the ball to a streaking Williams, who dished it to Andre Iguodala for the easy slam. 

The Sixers bench made the 96-86 win look easy. They outscored Indiana's bench 41-19. Young scored 12, Williams had 13 and the rookie Vucevic put down a career-high 11 points. They won with hustle and defense.

Philadelphia's second-ranked defense held the Pacers to 36.6 percent shooting, and when they came up with a stop or steal, they looked to push the ball on the fast break for easy buckets.

A great example was when Tyler Hansbrough took a typical jump shot. The ball rimmed out and Evan Turner grabbed the rebound, spun, and hit the streaking Young for an easy layup. 

Philadelphia's bench is the same as last year, save Vucevic. What's different? It's obviously the coaching.

Williams and Young are most definitely benefiting from some much-needed stability. Doug Collins' defensive philosophy has the entire team playing as a unit. They're putting pressure on the ball, rotating extremely well and crashing the boards emphatically. 

The Sixers weren't just playing as a unit on defense—they complemented each other perfectly on offense as well. Six players scored in double figures.

Iguodala led the way with 20 points. He didn't just impress with his scoring ability—he was just as effective passing the ball. Iguodala made a habit of driving the lane and kicking it to open teammates for easy jumpers. 

One play really summed up the Sixers win.

Jrue Holiday knocked down a jumper. Instead of slapping hands and celebrating, Holiday jumped the inbound pass and stole the ball. He let fly another jumper, but missed. Iguodala flew through the air in an attempt to slam home the rebound, but fumbled the ball.

Instead of forcing the issue, Iguodala dribbled the ball out to the perimeter and beat his defender back to the lane, where he dished to the open Williams.

Williams then knocked down the three as Iguodala simultaneously drew an off-the-ball foul for an unconventional four-point play. That's how they won: defense, hustle and selflessness.

The Sixers are now atop the Atlantic Division with an impressive 6-2 record. And if they keep playing scrappy, team-oriented ball, they might just win their first Atlantic Division title in 11 years.