The Philadelphia 76ers are working hard to improve their play on the road as they battle for position in a tightly-clustered Eastern Conference, and they took a step in that direction on Monday afternoon with a strong fourth quarter to earn a 117-111 win over the Brooklyn Nets. And it was newly-named Eastern Conference Player of the Week Ben Simmons leading the way.
For much of the afternoon, it appeared the Sixers would suffer yet another disappointing road defeat. The team built a modest five-point lead early in the game, but the Nets closed the quarter on a 13-6 run to take a three-point lead.
In the second quarter, the roles were reversed, as the Nets extended their advantage to 12 before the Sixers responded and pulled within two. Ultimately, Brooklyn took a four-point lead into the break.
The third quarter played out much like the second. The Nets pushed their lead back to 10, but the Sixers ripped off an 11-2 push to close the quarter, cutting the deficit to one.
The Sixers flipped on the switch in the fourth, playing suffocating defense and building a nine-point advantage with 6:14 to play. Of course, the Nets wouldn’t go down without a fight and they promptly produced an 8-0 run to get back within one with 4:03 left. Both teams went scoreless for two and a half minutes before Al Horford knocked down a 3 to break the drought and put the Sixers up four. Horford followed that up with a big block at the other end and another bucket for the Sixers, and combined with a big 3 from Furkan Korkmaz, it was enough for the Sixers to get out of Brooklyn with the win.
Ben Simmons was otherworldly. He filled the stat sheet with 34 points (tied a career-high), 12 rebounds, 12 assists, five steals, and two blocks. He shot 12-of-14 from the field and 10-of-14 from the charity stripe. His performance was a sight to behold and his impact on the game can’t be overstated.
Al Horford, playing with a sore hand, scored 19 points on 9-of-15 shooting to go with six rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. Tobias Harris and Josh Richardson added 15 points apiece, while Matisse Thybulle chipped in three points, four rebounds, four steals, three assists, and a block.
Korkmaz contributed 10 points off the bench, while Mike Scott added eight points and eight rebounds, including five on the offensive glass.
This game was a perfect example of the importance of defense to this team and what it can accomplish when it is committed on that end. The struggles guarding the Nets and the Sixers’ uneven defensive effort were on display in the first half, where the Nets scored 68 points and took a four-point lead. In the second half, Brooklyn managed just 43 points, and the Nets were absolutely suffocated in the fourth quarter, scoring 20 points and committing 11 turnovers.
There’s no doubt this game was won on the defensive end. The Sixers forced 22 turnovers while only committing 12 of their own. Philadelphia didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, but it doesn’t need to shoot the lights out when it plays defense like that.
It was great to see the impact that Simmons made, and was good to see the team lock-down defensively in the second half. The Sixers have now won four straight games and two straight on the road. They’ll look to keep things going Wednesday when they take on the Raptors in Toronto in an important Eastern Conference clash.