The Philadelphia 76ers pulled out a strong win over the Denver Nuggets in Tobias Harris’ debut.
The Wells Fargo Center was rocking in the first game post-trade deadline. Moses Malone‘s No. 2 went to the rafters, Allen Iverson was in attendance, and Tobias Harris made his debut in a Philadelphia 76ers uniform.
Elton Brand, coming off a busy 48+ hours, was rewarded with an impressive victory and ‘Thank you, Elton‘ chants from the same section that berated him just days prior. It was a fun night, involving great basketball and even greater storylines.
The Denver Nuggets, once again dealing with injuries, were down two starters. That’s been the norm this season, though, so it’s no surprise Nikola Jokic was able to keep them competitive. Philadelphia took a big lead early, but the Nuggets consistently fought back and kept the game tight.
In the end, it was the Sixers’ new starting five that would seal the game. Joel Embiid found another gear, Jimmy Butler made some clutch defensive stands and Ben Simmons threw down an impressive dunk through contact. The Sixers won 117-110. One can assume J.J. Redick, who scored a season-high 34 points, was the bell ringer.
Here’s what we learned from the first game in the Phantastic 5 era (okay, yeah, probably not the best nickname).