The Philadelphia 76ers got their seventh win of the season on Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns. They have beaten the Suns twice this season.
The Philadelphia 76ers had many storylines going into Tuesday night’s game against the Phoenix Suns. Center Jahlil Okafor was ruled out for Tuesday (and Wednesday) due to an illness, so it seemed as if the team would be at a disadvantage without their top scorer. This subsequently opened up a door of opportunity for another rookie big man, Richaun Holmes.
On top of that, Elton Brand, the veteran presence signed to the team nearly a month ago, was listed as active for the first time since joining the team this season. He would play a grand total of 0 minutes throughout the night. Some are questioning why he hasn’t played, and why he wasn’t brought on as a coach if he’s not going to play.
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Additionally, the Sixers overcame just about every obstacle during the game imaginable. Isaiah Canaan, Nik Stauskas, and Robert Covington all suffered injuries throughout the night on top of Jahlil Okafor already being out.
Lastly, the Sixers are undefeated when Nicki Minaj sits courtside. Take that for what it’s worth.
Some will use tonight’s game as a way to solidify their opinion that Jahlil Okafor should be traded away, because he doesn’t fit with this team. It’s clear, the team works better as a whole without Okafor. But consider this: how many of these players will actually be on the team five or six years from now? Likely a max of two players. Let’s not use one win over a team that is obviously in a dark spot as reinforcement for trading one of the league’s next best players.
That being said, everything was working for the Sixers on Tuesday. Their turnovers were low, the ball was moving well, and they were sinking plenty of shots, and really not spotlighting the success on one particular player.
The team had just 11 turnovers, and 25 assists on 39 made shots. As a unit, the Sixers shot nearly 50 percent from the field and nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc, not a typical percentage from them. Forcing 17 turnovers from the Suns was a key aspect of this game.
Robert Covington started the game strong with several 3-pointers, but had to be taken out for a large portion of the second quarter because of some quick foul trouble. Covington finished the game with 19 points and 5 3-pointers.
Every single one of the starters was in double-digit points. Ish Smith had 20 points and 9 assists, several of which were to Nerlens Noel who finished the game with 14 assists and 9 rebounds.
Nik Stauskas attacked the basket more than he has all season, something that looked to be promising on Tuesday. He finished the game with 15 points, only hitting one of those from beyond the arc.
This game is one to enjoy for Philly because about a month ago in Phoenix was Ish Smith’s first game with the team this season. They won this game, snapping a huge 12 game skid, and really forcing the Suns into the darkest place they had been in all season.
Next: Richaun Holmes Awaits Turn
It wouldn’t be much different for Phoenix on Tuesday, as they were swept in the season series with the Sixers. 26 points from Archie Goodwin and 12 from Deven Booker were promising, but not enough. Alex Len was the most valuable Sun, though, scoring 16 points and bringing in 12 rebounds.
The performance by the Suns on Tuesday just goes to show that the Sixers may not be the worst team off in the rebuilding process right now. Despite an obvious tank to get the top pick this upcoming season, their current team still out-matches the Suns.
The next game for Philadelphia is Wednesday on the road against the Detroit Pistons.