Not only did the Philadelphia 76ers defeat the Los Angeles Clippers on the road but they didn’t even allow one of the NBA's best offensive squads to lead at any point in the game. It was a brilliant win for the Sixers, who were in jeopardy of going winless in their four-game road trip. The 121-107 final score reflects how well Philly defended.
Tyrese Maxey scored 24 points (11 in the fourth quarter) and recorded six assists in the 76ers' win. Key performances from Tobias Harris, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Cam Payne also allowed Philly to compete with and defeat LA's star trio. But what set the tone above all, Maxey said, was defense.
“I mean for us, our competitive nature has really stepped up over the last few weeks or so,” Maxey told reporters after the game. “And Coach got on us, I can't remember what game it was after, but he got on us — think it was after the Knicks game — [saying] they just pushed us around. And ever since then, we haven't had that.”
Since the 76ers got flat-out embarrassed by the New York Knicks nearly two weeks ago, they have allowed no more than 115 points in any of their following six games. The league average is 114.6, meaning that Philly has resonated with Nurse's message. Over the last two weeks, the Sixers' defensive rating ranks ninth in the NBA, per Cleaning the Glass.
Of course, Philly's offense has also been very hit-or-miss as of late. The team's offensive rating over that same time is tied for 25th. Maxey pointed to those struggles in the Sixers' recent losses to the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers but maintained that they at least brought defensive intensity.
“I think in Phoenix, we couldn't make a shot. It happens like that,” Maxey said. “But even in the Lakers game, I feel like we were extremely aggressive defensively, we just couldn't make any shots. Couldn't make any shots. And tonight our defense was solid as always but we made some shots, so that was good for us.”
Nick Nurse has not been afraid to get on the 76ers when they lose their edge. He's also more than happy to point out when they bring it and are able to win games.
“I keep saying this, I think the one thing we are doing is getting better defensively,” Nurse said to reporters. “These guys are taking the challenge. You could see how hard they were working. I mean, that's where it starts if they're gonna get up and put that much effort into it and take the challenge. There was just no fear. They were taking all the bumps and working all the way through it. And listen, those guys are athletic and they're long. So you put those two things with some effort and then some team execution on the schemes, you can see some improvement.”
The 76ers are still not a great defensive team without Joel Embiid. But this improvement is a promising sign of competitiveness and competence. They'll end their road trip with a back-to-back against the Sacramento Kings. It won’t be easy to win that game but Philly will surely give itself a chance by going hard on defense.
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