In the grand scheme of things, a win over the Utah Jazz in February isn’t going to do much for the Philadelphia 76ers. Considering how tough the road trip was, the 127-124 win in Utah was much needed.
The Sixers were dealt a big blow when they found out Joel Embiid will miss time with a meniscus injury in his left knee. However, they received contributions from up and down the roster in the first game since that setback to defeat the Jazz.
The focus is going to be Tyrese Maxey’s career-high 51 points, but Tobias Harris added 28 points and 10 rebounds. Patrick Beverley had eight points and five assists, including the go-ahead 3 with 40.8 seconds left. Mo Bamba had a huge block down the stretch. Kelly Oubre Jr. knocked down some clutch triples in the fourth.
It was an effort the Sixers needed after a 0-4 start to the trip.
“I’m super proud of those guys,” coach Nick Nurse told reporters. “I mean, Tyrese played the whole second half, right? And Tobias was gassed. I was burning timeouts everywhere I could just to get some rest and all that kind of stuff. Jaden Springer came in and played some really good defense. He ran out of gas there for a minute, too. So we had some guys put in some gutsy efforts at the end of a long road trip.”
With the long-term status of Embiid up in the air, the Sixers will need performances like this from other players to stay afloat. The 3s Oubre made in the fourth along with Beverley and Bamba coming up huge down the stretch were important on Thursday.
“Kelly came in and made some big shots for us,” Harris told reporters. “Pat makes a huge 3. Through the course of a game, it’s all about instilling that confidence in each and every one of our teammates to be ready to be able to make a big play.”
All in all, this was a performance the Sixers could feel good about. It was an overall frustrating road trip that included four really tough losses, guys being in and out of the lineup due to injuries, and Philadelphia tumbling down the standings in the Eastern Conference.
However, the Sixers can return home feeling good about themselves.
“It’s great to get a victory on the road,” Harris finished. “End the road trip not just falling down and let everything else get to us. The frustrating road trip thus far, injuries and whatnot, so yeah. We just rise above and create some momentum as we go back home.”
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