The Sixer Sense
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RECAP: Philadelphia 76ers 101, Portland Trail Blazers 81

By Anthony DePaul

PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 22: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket against Jusuf Nurkic #27 of the Portland Trail Blazers in the fourth quarter at the Wells Fargo Center on November 22, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Trail Blazers 101-81. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 22: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket against Jusuf Nurkic #27 of the Portland Trail Blazers in the fourth quarter at the Wells Fargo Center on November 22, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Trail Blazers 101-81. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Coming off of a convincing win against the Utah Jazz, the Philadelphia 76ers put together another dominant victory against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thanksgiving Eve.

In years past, a 43 percent shooting night signals a close game at best for the Philadelphia 76ers. But in this contest against the Portland Trail Blazers the Sixers were able to hold Portland to 33 percent from the field. As a result, the home squad cruised to a twenty point victory in which they never trailed at any point in four quarters of play.

The Sixers got out to a 16-0 lead and never looked back. Every time the Blazers got the lead under 10 points, the Sixers were able to hit a clutch shot to end the run and keep a sustained comeback from materializing.

Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid dominated the night combining for forty-four points, twenty rebounds, and ten assists. They were a plus 18 and plus 9 respectively. Ben and Joel’s length merged seamlessly with Robert Covington‘s defensive activity. The result was smothering defensive effort.

RoCo struggled from the field tonight and you could almost watch his regression from earlier this year in real time, but he more than made up for it on the defensive end. He attacked passing lanes and pulled in clutch rebounds. Put Ben, Joel and Robert together and you already have an above average lineup defensively.

It is no wonder then that the starting lineup of Ben, Joel, Covington, JJ Redick and Dario Saric is statistically among the best in the league in terms of net rating. They padded their stats tonight after jumping on the Blazers to start the game. What is even more scary for the rest of the league is that this lineup has room to improve. For instance, JJ could pick up his shooting a little bit more, and Dario could finish better around the rim. If those two pick up their game, this lineup could push even higher up the list.

Witnessing tonight’s game in person, I can say that the crowd stayed engaged the entire night and never got the vibe that this one would slip away. It is a unfamiliar, yet fantastic feeling to see this young team turning a corner in front of the entire NBA.

<span style=. PG. Philadelphia 76ers. BEN SIMMONS. A

B+. 30 mins | 11 pts | 5 reb | 0 ast | 1 stl | 0 blk | 1 TO | 4-10 FG | 4-10 3PT| 0-0 FT | 1 PF | 22 +/-| <b>Summary:  </b>JJ hit some clutch 3 point shots and stayed very involved on the defensive end. He drew CJ MCCollum on the defensive end and helped contribute to a rough night for the Lehigh Alum. JJ still feels unbalanced on some of his shots and could take his time a little bit more. But every time i think or write this, he nails a shot to make that claim irrelevant, so the JJ Redick experience may be just to watch and experience him quietly putting up buckets when you least expect it. G. Philadelphia 76ers. J.J. REDICK

A-. <span style=. PG. Philadelphia 76ers. TJ MCCONNELL

Philadelphia 76ers. JOEL EMBIID. A. <span style=. C

B+. <span style=. F. Philadelphia 76ers. DARIO SARIC

Amir Grinding it Out

I will admit to being puzzled and concerned over the $11 million signing of Amir Johnson this past off-season. He did not seem to have the same ups in his last year in Boston. I thought the money could have easily been allocated elsewhere. This still could be true, but performances like tonight prove he can still contribute to a winning basketball team.

Amir had a feisty defensive performance collecting eleven rebounds to go with two blocks and two steals. Against a explosive offensive team, it was important for the 76ers to maintain a consistent defensive effort when Joel Embiid was off the floor. Amir Johnson provided that on his way to a plus-11 effort. Brett Brown has sung his praises in a recent press conference as a consummate teammate. More nights like tonight will justify that praise.

Quick Notes:

  • Joel Embiid’s only blemish tonight was his four turnovers. Not his most this season by any means, but they will still be a point of emphasis for him to improve
  • Damian Lillard got his tonight, albeit in inefficient fashion. Dame scored thirty points on twenty-seven shots. He and Nurkic combined for 44 points outscoring the rest of their team combined. These speaks to a truly impressive defensive performance by the Sixers
  • With the game well in hand at the end, a “We Want Okafor” chant broke out amongst the Philadelphia crowd. Brett Brown did not enter Jahlil into the game, nor has the front office moved on any sort of exit strategy. The next deadline to watch for a possible trade is December 15th, when teams can start trading players that were newly signed this past off season. If no movement is made around this date, a contract buyout might be the best case scenario for all parties.

Next: Joel Embiid's Attitude Makes Him Great

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