The Philadelphia 76ers entered their current three-game road trip a ridiculous 20-2 at home compared to just 7-14 on the road. However, they are feeling pretty good about themselves after winning both games in New York to start the trip.
On Saturday, they had to buckle down late on defense and hold off a feisty New York Knicks team while on Monday, they had to dig deep and battle back from down double digits to knock off the Brooklyn Nets. The wins may not be all that impressive considering the current state of both teams, but Philadelphia had lost six in a row on the road and getting a win, any win, is big.
“For us, it’s huge knowing our struggles on the road,” said veteran Al Horford. “We haven’t been a good road team and I think we’re at a good turning point for us. We won a tough one against the Knicks and now we come in here against a team that plays well at home and be able to come out with a win, that’s big for us.”
The big thing that coach Brett Brown has always preached with his team on the road has been focusing on the defensive end for the full 48 minutes and that message is beginning to stick. Especially after their previous two road losses to the Dallas Mavericks and the Indiana Pacers where they could not finish in the second half.
“Coach has been on us about being consistent, finishing games, and understanding that our defense is going to put us in position to win and he’s really been hammering that,” Horford added. “Going into this road trip, that’s all he talked about. Against Indiana, I thought we played well, we just didn’t make plays down the stretch. Against Dallas, we fell apart early in the fourth. We were close, we just weren’t quite there. It just feels good to feel like we’re starting to get over that hump.”
A big thing over the first two games of the trip has been the play of Tobias Harris on both ends of the floor. He drilled the go-ahead triple late to beat the Knicks on Saturday and then on Monday, he made a lot of big defensive plays late as he continues to improve on that end. Those are the plays that must be made to win on the road.
“It feels great. I think we know the stigma on us on the road,” said Harris. “We know what we need to get better at too. To come in both games, close games too, and close it out on the road is a great thing for us and we’ve got to continue on to the next game.”
Their next matchup is the defending champion Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. The Scotiabank Arena has been a house of horrors for the Sixers as they have not won a regular-season game there since 2012 and of course, where the shot happened. It will not be easy for Philadelphia to get it done.
“We’ve got to continue to Toronto,” said Ben Simmons. “Get there, rest up, get on the floor and stay locked in, stay sharp. I know everybody in here is willing to do that.”
Wednesday’s matchup will tell a lot about this team. [lawrence-related id=23978,23967,23956]