The Philadelphia 76ers are the last team in the NBA that have a perfect record on their home court, but how much longer can they sustain that success.
Entering last week, the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and Boston Celtics all were undefeated on their respective home courts. Yet, at the beginning of this week only the Sixers remain with a perfect record at home. Both the Heat lost to the Los Angeles Lakers and the Celtics lost to the 76ers on their respective home courts. With Philly being the only team left without a loss at home, the question becomes, how long can they stay that way?
No team in NBA history has ever had a perfect home record. Not even the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who had a 73-9 record overall, had a perfect home record as they went 39-2 that year. Only two teams in NBA history has went 40-1 at home and they were the 2015-16 San Antonio Spurs and the 1985-86 Celtics, per Bleacher Report. It’s unlikely that the Sixers go a perfect 41-0 at home this season, but it’s not impossible for them to get close to it.
At home the 76ers hold opponents to just 98.9 points per game, which is the best among teams at home and in the NBA as a whole this year. They also score 111.1 points per game at home as well. It’s going to take the Sixers having multiple injuries or another elite team to come to Philadelphia for there to be a chance for the franchise to lose at home.
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The rest of the month of December presents two tough challenges for the 76ers at home. The first coming against the 19-7 Miami Heat. The Heat has been the only club to defeated the Eastern Conference’s top team in the Milwaukee Bucks at home this season. The good news for the Sixers is that this won’t be the first time that Miami has traveled up to Philly this year. The last time these two teams met earlier this season, the 76ers won 113-86.
The second one comes on Christmas day in the form of the Bucks. Bucks and the Sixers are the two biggest contenders out of the East. Milwaukee has the reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the 76ers have two of the best players to guard Antetokounmpo in Joel Embiid and Al Horford. This game puts into perspective of where Philly is in terms of the top of the East and the NBA.
The Philadelphia 76ers have been perfect so far at home this year, but they face some tough matchups in the near future. Ideally, it would be great for them to stay undefeated on their home court this season, but history is working against them. Still there’s no deny that at the current moment, the Sixers are the best home in the NBA.