The reeling Indiana Pacers get set to take on the streaking and red-hot Philadelphia 76ers Thursday night inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. They tip it off at 7:00 pm. Sixers center Joel Embiid has been one of the hottest players in the league and look for that trend of him scoring in bunches to continue against the Pacers.  Bookmaker has installed the 76ers as a solid 4 1/2 point favorite in this clash. 

The 76ers (29-13) have ripped off six straight wins and Embiid is paving the way with another MVP season. He is fresh off a career-high and franchise-high 70-point outburst in a win over the Spurs, and looks to continue his incredible month of scoring and rebounding. 

For January, he is averaging a ridiculous 40 points per game to go along with 11 rebounds and close to six assists while shooting 53% from the floor. He has simply been dominant and no one in the league right now can defend him. It is opening up the floor for the entire team and they are delivering by knocking down open looks and shots. 

Tyrese Maxey has also emerged as a great partner to Embiid's game, as the 23-year-old point guard is contributing 25 a game and has crushed the Pacers in the past as he has dropped and average of 38.5 against them every time they have met. 

The Pacers (24-20) are in the midst of a rough spot, and they need to figure things out fast. They have dropped five of six and still sit four games over .500 on the season. However, they need to clean a ton of things up on both ends of the floor if they think they are going to be a contender in the Eastern Conference let alone their division. 

They trail the Milwaukee Bucks by 6 1/2 games in the Central Division and would love to defeat a red-hot 76ers team that is coming into this game with a boatload of confidence. Point guard Tyrese Haliburton is the team's most explosive and dynamic player and he can also take over games when the opportunity presents itself. 

He is averaging around 23 a game but he will miss the club's next games due to a hamstring injury, which is a huge blow for a club that needs his offensive scoring. 

In his absence, the Pacers will look to get center Myles Turner into the fold early and often. He will have his hands full; if he needs to rotate over and guard Embiid. Turner is averaging close to 17 points per game and has stepped up his rebuilding efforts, as he is hauling down just over seven boards a night. 

The Pacers will have to slow the pace down in this one because of the absence of their star point guard and look for them to also take advantage of any 76ers miscues and try to turn them into fast break points. 

The Pacers are 1-4 in their last five games and 1-2 in their last five games against the number and they are also 12-10 in their road games against the spread too. The totals have gone over in just one out of their last five games The 76ers are a solid 5-0 in their last five games and 3-2 in their last five games against the number and 11-8 in their road games against the number too. The totals have gone over in four out of their last five games.