With Philadelphia 76ers All-Star LeBron James coming off a poor shooting performance in a 123-101 loss to the Boston Celtics, he'll look to bounce back against head coach Rick Carlisle and the Indiana Pacers. Joel Embiid is ruled out for the Pacers game. He's dealing with a right foot injury. However, James is back in the lineup as Philadelphia will look to improve to 11-3.
Before tip-off, Carlisle commended James for his high-level performance in his 24th season in the NBA, per Sixers reporter Dave Uram.
“LeBron James is one of the reasons we try not to have play calls, cause he knows all of them,” Carlisle said. “He's a walking NBA basketball AI machine; that's what he is. So smart. This is 24 years. I don't think we'll ever see this again.”
In terms of LeBron James’ basketball IQ, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle called LeBron a “walking NBA basketball AI machine.”@SportsRadioWIP @KYWNewsradio https://t.co/6SokgANq5J pic.twitter.com/5OnBVrQQHl
— Dave Uram (@MrUram) November 15, 2026
LeBron James is averaging 15.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.3 steals in his first season with the 76ers. He's coming off a 4-of-12 shooting performance against the Celtics. However, he's shot 43.2% all season.
Article Continues BelowAll-Star Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers to a 123-112 win over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday with 27 points, eight assists, two steals, and one block. Joel Embiid finished with 20 points and four rebounds. Jaylen Brown added 18 points, six rebounds, and two steals, and Anfernee Simons led the bench with 17 points.
After their blowout loss to the Celtics cost them the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings, the 76ers are in second, trailing Boston by half a game. This will be the second time the 76ers face the Pacers this season. The Sixers defeated the Pacers 114-109 on October 28.