The first time the Philadelphia 76ers and the Memphis Grizzlies matched up on Dec. 13, it was an ugly game for the Sixers. Joel Embiid was a very late scratch — almost at the tip — and Seth Curry was also out. The Grizzlies, without Ja Morant, blew out the Sixers 126-91.
With the Grizzlies visiting Philadelphia on Monday, the Sixers were once again without Embiid, but they wanted to exact a little revenge.
They did so in an impressive way. They knocked off the Grizzlies 122-119 in overtime. Tyrese Maxey had 33 points and eight assists, and Tobias Harris had 31 points on a night when very few gave Philadelphia a chance considering how good Memphis has been and with Embiid sidelined.
“We wanted this one,” said Harris. “We understood the last time we played them, Joel and Seth not playing, and they’re a hot team. They’re playing great basketball. They’ve been kicking butt all around. They’ve kinda embodied themselves with physicality, defense, being tough and we really wanted to see where we matched up with that.”
Coach Doc Rivers wanted to remind everybody what happened the last time these two teams matched up. The Sixers heard their coach and banded together and get the job done.
“Doc came in at shootaround and said ‘last time, they bullied us when we played them without Joel and Seth, they pushed us around and they did whatever they wanted to do.’” said Maxey. “We just didn’t wanna allow that to happen. We didn’t want a repeat of the last game. I’m proud of our guys.”
The Sixers have shown good chemistry, which kept them going without the big fella. They made a statement with Monday’s effort and result.
“Don’t count us out,” said Harris. “We won’t play every game with Joel. He was able to get his rest and get back to 100%, but we got a lot of hungry guys who work on their games and are ready to show and prove. It just shows our morale as a team. Even after the game, Joel jumping on the court with us, that’s just who we are as a group, our chemistry.”
Without Embiid, the Sixers turned to Andre Drummond, and the two-time All-Star had a big night to help the team. He meshed well with Harris, Maxey and the remaining starters.
“I think it just shows our chemistry as a team with or without Joel or with or without guys that are hurt or have games out because of reasons,” Drummond added. “I think our chemistry as a team and being able to play without some of our guys, it really shows how much we really enjoy playing with each other.”
At the end of the day, putting up big numbers is impressive, but getting the team to play together and for each other makes a big difference in the long run.
“That’s the love we have for one another in that locker room,” Harris finished. “Those things, you can’t put into place over a lot of things. You can see numbers and all that, but team chemistry, team morale, that’s a big thing. Guys in the locker room, embracing each other through wins, through losses, through ups and downs, that’s the type of group that we are.”
Now, they just have to continue building.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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