NEW YORK — The Philadelphia 76ers concluded their six-game road trip with a 4-2 record and a resounding win over the Brooklyn Nets. Slowly but surely, the Sixers — now with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George getting plenty of playing time together — are starting to work their way out of the basement of the Eastern Conference standings.
The Sixers pummeling the injury-riddled Nets, 123-94, in perhaps their most uneventful win of the season — and that's a good thing. An easy win was the perfect way to bounce back from a pair of embarrassing losses on a back-to-back. Those losses show how much work Philly still has to do. But the wins show that this team is much better than it let on earlier in the season.
The Sixers' road trip started with a win over the Boston Celtics, a statement performance in the middle of the Christmas Day slate, and then featured wins over the Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers, the latter of which was another blowout. The fourth-quarter debacle against the Sacramento Kings and getting blown to smithereens by the Golden State Warriors soured the previous successes before they took care of business in Brooklyn.
For George, spending that much time together and simply getting more experience on the court with his co-stars goes a long way.
Paul George sees 76ers' chemistry growing following road trip
“The injuries just haven't been on our side but I think we're gelling. We're starting to enjoy each other out on the floor. The stuff off the court is starting to trickle on the court and that's a great sign,” he said.
The 76ers letting that game against the Kings slip will hurt for a little while. It underscored that Maxey and George still have to improve at leading the way without Embiid, especially in close games. Philly has won six of its last seven games with the big man in the lineup.
At 14-19, the 76ers are a game behind the Chicago Bulls for the 10th seed. They've got a three-game homestand against teams with losing records before embarking on a gauntlet of playoff-caliber opponents. Although the road trip wasn’t as successful as it could have been, it can still propel the Sixers forward.
“We should have easily went 5-1 this trip,” George said. “But I thought more than anything we gelled, we bonded. It was just great for us to be together. I think you look at road trips, that's really where teams come out strong. This is the longest I think that we've been together, day in, day night, through the season. I think it showed and we caught a rhythm.”