On the NBA’s six-game slate Monday night, the matchup of Spanish point guards Ricky Rubio and Jose Calderon is tempting. But a battle of top-ranked defenses should be the best game as the Pacers take on the 76ers in Philadelphia.
Indiana is off to a 6-2 start and right behind Chicago in the Central Division. It will be facing a Philadelphia team off to a 5-2 start, its best since winning the first 10 games of the 2000-01 season – when they reached the NBA Finals.
Both teams have been winning with defense.
The Pacers are third in the league in both points allowed (89.3) and field goal defense (.410). The Sixers (5-2) are first in both categories, with just 85.6 points 
allowed and opponents shooting 39.5 percent. Philadelphia also leads the league in point differential (+15.3).
Both teams also are doing it with balanced scoring. The Pacers have seven players averaging in double figures, led by Danny Granger’s 14.9 points. The Sixers have six players averaging at least 9.9 points, led by reserve Lou Williams at 17.1 points.
The Sixers are beginning a stretch of three games in three nights. They host Sacramento on Tuesday and New York on Wednesday.
Sixers center Spencer Hawes, who leads the NBA in field goal percentage (64.6), will play Monday after missing the second half of Saturday’s win vs. Toronto with a strained back. Granger and guard George Hill are game-time decisions for the Pacers.