For yet another game, the Philadelphia 76ers were able to rest their stars in the fourth quarter of an easy win. In Saturday’s 135-82 win over the Charlotte Hornets, the Sixers sat Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, De’Anthony Melton and Nic Batum for the entire fourth quarter.
These games when the Sixers can get their stars the rest they need are going to pay off in the long run. However, it’s the work they put in during the first three quarters that enabled them to get that rest in the fourth.
“I think we go out and right at the start, you could just tell we were guarding,” coach Nick Nurse told reporters. “We were getting deflections, we were up into bodies, most of the shots they were taking were really challenged, more deflections. We were ready to go from that end, and that is probably going to translate to the other end most nights.”
The Sixers took advantage of a struggling Hornets team that was missing key players LaMelo Ball, PJ Washington, Gordon Hayward and others. Philadelphia led by as many as 53 and was in control throughout.
“They’re playing each possession out with some intensity and with some thought,” Nurse added. “And that’s kind of getting them to the point where they get to take the fourth quarter off.”
The Sixers will play host to the Chicago Bulls on Monday.
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