It’s been a drama-filled last two weeks for the Philadelphia 76ers. After a disastrous road trip, the team was greeted rudely by the home crowd during a pair of wins over the Grizzlies and Bulls, leading to some social media drama with Joel Embiid. All of that was forgotten on Tuesday night, as the Sixers handled the Los Angeles Clippers to go into the All-Star break on a high note.
With a change in the starting lineup that saw Al Horford move to the bench, the Sixers came out energized and ran out to an eight-point advantage at the end of the first quarter.
The Sixers would grow the lead to 12 in the second quarter before watching the Clippers fight all the way back to tie the game heading into halftime.
Philadelphia once again built a double-figure lead in the third quarter, going up by 10, but once again L.A. would claw back. Ultimately, the Sixers would lead by four heading into the final quarter.
Josh Richardson was magnificent in the fourth quarter, and with help from Ben Simmons and Embiid, the Sixers were able to keep the Clippers at arms-length en route to the big 110-103 win.
Ben Simmons paced the Sixers with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists, another triple-double. He was 12-of-22 from the field, and those 22 field goal attempts are encouraging. Simmons also continued to set the tone defensively, capping a spectacular all-around effort for the All-Star.
Simmons had plenty of help. Embiid was very good, matching Simmons’ 26 points and adding nine rebounds, two assists, and a block. After the social media drama of the last 24 hours, Embiid appeared to be back to his old self. He scored the first basket of the game for the Sixers while also getting fouled, and he raised his arms to urge on the crowd while grinning. He also got into a scuffle with Marcus Morris and continued to play to the crowd throughout the night.
We mentioned Richardson, who made big basket after big basket for the Sixers down the stretch. He finished with 21 points, five rebounds, and two blocks.
Tobias Harris chipped in 17 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists, helping the Sixers get contributions from each member of their “big four.”
Horford added nine points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks off the bench, while Glenn Robinson III chipped in six points. Matisse Thybulle provided some good defensive minutes for the Sixers and hit a big 3 late.
It was a really good all-around effort from the Sixers. They showed great energy, committed just six turnovers, and the offense was much more fluid. They were solid on the glass and pulled down 11 offensive rebounds while piling up seven blocks.
In short, they looked like the team we expected them to be this season. They played strong defense, got contributions from multiple sources with Embiid and Simmons leading the way, and played with energy and intensity. And they were fun.
After the 0-4 road trip, the Sixers have now won three-straight and head into the All-Star break on a high note. They are 25-2 at home and 34-21 overall and will get an extended rest as they don’t take the floor again until February 20 when they host the Brooklyn Nets. Tuesday’s result will make that break much more enjoyable for everyone. [lawrence-related id=25573,25538,25530]