PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tyrese Haliburton had 32 points and 11 assists and the Indiana Pacers beat Philadelphia 121-107 on Friday night, with the 76ers playing the second half without Joel Embiid after he sustained a sinus fracture when he was struck in the face late in the first.
Embiid was battling Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin when he caught an errant forearm and elbow to the bridge of the nose. Embiid crumpled to the ground as play continued up floor and stayed down near the Philadelphia bench, holding his face.
Playing just his sixth game of the season, Embiid had 12 points, four rebounds and five assists in 17 1/2 minutes.
Pascal Siakam added 23 points for Indiana, and Obi Toppin had 20. They each had eight rebounds.
Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 22 points. Paul George added 15.
Pacers: The Pacers had lost five of six coming into Philadelphia, but showed the kind of athletic style that still makes them a potential threat in the Eastern Conference.
76ers: Philadelphia’s injury-plagued season keeps going with more concerns about Embiid, who has a history of facial injuries.
Haliburton set the tone and gave the Pacers early separation, making four 3-pointers in the first quarter as Indiana grabbed a 29-22 lead. Haliburton made seven 3s.
Philadelphia has only had Embiid, Maxey and George in the lineup together for more than 30 minutes once this season — Sunday in a victory over Chicago.
Indiana host New Orleans on Sunday. Philadelphia is at Charlotte on Monday.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid, left, drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers' Myles Turner, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Indiana Pacers' T.J. McConnell, left, puts up the shot with Philadelphia 76ers' Tyrese Maxey, right, defending during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid, center, gets helped off the court after getting hit in the face during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Indiana Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton, left, reacts to his basket as Philadelphia 76ers' Kelly Oubre Jr., right, looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean lawmakers are set to vote on an opposition-led impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday, two days after Yoon defended his controversial martial law decree and vowed to resist mounting calls for his ouster.
It’ll be the second time for the National Assembly to hold a vote on Yoon’s impeachment motion over his short-lived Dec. 3 martial law introduction. Last Saturday, Yoon survived an impeachment vote after most ruling party lawmakers boycotted a floor vote.
It’s not clear if those People Power Party lawmakers would do the same again. Public protests against Yoon have since intensified and his approval rating has plummeted. The country’s six opposition parties control the 300-member unicameral parliament with a combined 192 seats, but they are eight seats shy of the two-thirds majority needed to pass Yoon’s impeachment motion.
Tens of thousands of people have braved the bitter cold and poured onto the streets of the capital, Seoul, every night for the past two weeks, calling for Yoon's ouster and arrest. They shouted slogans, sang, danced and waved K-pop light sticks. Smaller groups of Yoon's conservative supporters — still in the thousands — have also been rallying in Seoul, denouncing attempts to impeach the president. Both rallies have largely been peaceful.
“Many people are using idol light sticks even though they are expensive. I think it’s become a really great culture because people are bringing their most precious and brightest possessions to express their will and opinions,” said Hong Gayeong, a 29-year-old protester, near the National Assembly on Friday night.
Yoon’s martial law imposition, the first of kind in more than four decades in South Korea, lasted only six hours, but has caused political tumult, halted diplomatic activities and rattled financial markets. Yoon was forced to lift his decree after parliament unanimously voted to overturn it.
After declaring martial law, Yoon sent hundreds of troops and police officers to the parliament to try to impede its vote on the decree before they withdrew after the parliament rejected it. No major violence occurred.
Opposition parties and many experts accuse Yoon of rebellion, citing a law clause that categorizes as rebellion the staging of a riot against established state authorities to undermine the constitution. They also say that by law a president in South Korea is allowed to declare marital law only during wartime or similar emergencies and has no rights to suspend parliament’s operations even under martial law.
The impeachment motion alleged that Yoon “committed rebellion that hurts peace on the Republic of Korea by staging a series of riots.” It said Yoon’s mobilization of military and police forces threatened the National Assembly and the public and that his martial law decree was aimed at disturbing the Constitution.
In a fiery speech on Thursday, Yoon rejected the rebellion charges, calling his martial law order an act of governance. The conservative Yoon said he aimed to issue a warning to the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, calling it “a monster” and “anti-state forces” that he argued has flexed its legislative muscle to impeach top officials and undermined the government’s budget bill for next year.
“I will fight to the end to prevent the forces and criminal groups that have been responsible for paralyzing the country’s government and disrupting the nation’s constitutional order from threatening the future of the Republic of Korea,” Yoon said.
Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung called Yoon’s speech a “mad declaration of war” against his own people.
Yoon has been banned from leaving South Korea, as law enforcement authorities are investigating whether he and others involved in the martial law declaration committed rebellion, abuse of power and other crimes. If convicted, the leader of a rebellion plot can face the death penalty or life imprisonment.
If the National Assembly passes Yoon’s impeachment motion, his presidential powers and duties will be suspended until the Constitutional Court determines whether to dismiss him as president or restore his powers. If he’s thrown out of office, a national election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days.
Yoon has the presidential privilege of immunity from criminal prosecution but that doesn’t extend to allegations of rebellion or treason. Subsequently, Yoon could be investigated, detained, arrested or indicted over his martial law decree, but many observers doubt that authorities will forcefully detain him because of the potential for clashes with his presidential security service.
Yoon’s defense minister, police chief and the head of Seoul’s metropolitan police agency have been arrested over their roles in the martial law case. Other senior military and government officials also face investigations.
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Associated Press writer Juwon Park contributed to this report.
A participant holds a paper during a rally to demand South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment outside the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahnn Young-joon)
Participants hold a banner depicting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's face on a cartoon train during a rally to demand his impeachment in front of the headquarters of the ruling People Power Party in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Participants attend a rally to demand South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment outside the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. The signs read "Immediately impeachment, disband the ruling People Power Party." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Participants tear a banner depicting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's face on a cartoon train during a rally to demand his impeachment in front of the headquarters of the ruling People Power Party in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahnn Young-joon)
Participants stage a rally, to demand South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment, outside the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahnn Young-joon)
Participants hold banners during a rally to demand South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment outside the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. The signs read "Arrest and impeach the rebellion leader Yoon Suk Yeol." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Participants attend a rally to demand South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment outside the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahnn Young-joon)
Participants tear a banner depicting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's face on a cartoon train during a rally to demand his impeachment in front of the headquarters of the ruling People Power Party in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Participants tear a banner depicting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's face on a cartoon train during a rally to demand his impeachment in front of the headquarters of the ruling People Power Party in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
An image of depicting an imprisoned South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is displayed during a rally to demand his impeachment outside the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. The signs read "Arrest and impeach the rebellion leader Yoon Suk Yeol." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A caricature depicting an imprisoned South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is displayed during a rally to demand his impeachment outside the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahnn Young-joon)
