The Philadelphia 76ers (24-13) faced off against the Sacramento Kings (23-15) on Friday night. In their first matchup of the season, as Joel Embiid missed his third consecutive game, the Sixers came out with a great effort and broke their losing streak with a final score of 112-93.
Let’s break down the Sixers' win.
76ers player notes:
Tyrese Maxey: 21 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 3 steals, 6-17 FG shooting
Nick Nurse has not totally hated the Embiid-less games if only because it gives Maxey a bigger role that could ignite further development. Maxey stepped up in this game with a splendid performance that not only featured lots of tough shots at the rim but also some strong off-ball defense that led to fast breaks. Scoring efficiency wasn’t on his side tonight but it was still a solid outing from Maxey.
Tobias Harris: 37 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 14-25 FG shooting
Harris came to PLAY right out of the gates. He was very strong on defense and just as aggressive on offense, getting right to the rack both with the ball and as a roller. Any time he had even the slightest head of steam going to the hoop, he dunked it down. Defensively, he led the charge against the Kings' star big man, bodying him up and throwing him off his game.
Given Embiid's absence, this was perhaps Harris' best and most impactful game of the season.
Kings player notes:
De'Aaron Fox: 21 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 5-15 FG shooting
Maxey's fellow quickster and Kentucky product was the less impressive Wildcat tonight. A poor shooting night around him hampered his impact, though he also played a big part in it. His proficiency at the charity stripe helped prevent this game from being a total laugher for Sacramento.
Domantas Sabonis: 14 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 6-10 FG shooting
The burly big man looked and played small in this game. The 76ers found a way to keep him at bay despite not having Embiid's presence at the rim. He still managed an efficient double-double, a misleading stat line compared to his impact.
Game recap:
1st half
The 76ers extended their losing streak to a season-worst three games on Wednesday in Atlanta. Now, they were facing a very good Kings team led by a pair of stars while Embiid again sat out due to his left knee injury. Nick Nurse has been trying to make it a point to his team that higher, better effort is needed for them to get back on track.
Kelly Oubre Jr., Robert Covington and Kevin Huerter were both out for this game along with Embiid. Nicolas Batum once again guarded the opponent's star guard as Harris took on Sabonis and Paul Reed matched up with Harrison Barnes. Harris stripped Sabonis of the ball a few times, negating the Kings star's size advantage. He also pinned a foul on him, his second of the first quarter, and dunked through contact as a part of his strong start to the game. Chris Duarte guarded Maxey on the other end, constantly on his heels trying to contain his drives.
Maxey didn’t get most of his early field goals to go but he did draw fouls on consecutive possessions, darting into the paint with force. Danuel House Jr. was bumped into the rotation for wing depth, spending some minutes as the shooting guard in a bigger lineup. Patrick Beverley contributed some buckets to build a big lead at the end of the first quarter as the Sacramento offense failed to launch. Even though the Kings' 38.1 percent shooting from the field was higher than that of the Sixers, an eight-point advantage from free throws gave Philly an edge.
The 76ers struggled to rebound to start the second quarter but did such a good of turning defense into offense that they went on a run that put the lead well into double digits. Mo Bamba had a nice stint backing up Reed, blocking three shots and draining an open three. Maxey had five points in that run with a tough layup through traffic and a catch-and-shoot three, both in the fast break. After a timeout, Harris came down and rose right up for a fast-break triple of his own. Sabonis picked up his third foul fighting for a board with Reed.
Harris was used more like a center without Embiid, as he was used in the pick-and-roll on offense here and there. It matched the aggression and high frequency of dunks he had. As Batum followed up a layup alley-oop from Reed with consecutive triples, the 76ers continued to mount a big lead. Maxey added on with one of the most incredible layups you will ever see.
Tyrese Maxey hangs in the air and finishes the tough layup!
📺 Kings-Sixers | Live on ESPN pic.twitter.com/R3FNN7P3O3
— NBA (@NBA) January 13, 2024
At the half, the 76ers led 65-46. Seriously, how did Maxey get that shot to go in!?
2nd half
The Kings clearly didn’t want to go out like peasants in this nationally televised game. They showed more help on defense to Maxey and Harris and forced Harris to switch off Sabonis. But Philly kept the ball moving and converted on a handful of corner threes, pushing the lead into the 20s for a brief time.
Aside from an errant pass to the corner that wasn’t close to any teammate, Harris continued to make good things happen for Philly. The Kings kept the deficit manageable, opening up space on offense with high pick-and-rolls, but they were weak on the glass, allowing Philly to tap misses out and steal extra possessions. The 76ers could have grown the lead further if not for a brutal shooting night from Marcus Morris Sr., who wasn’t getting up threes and missed each of his face-up attempts.
Despite nearly going scoreless for the final three minutes of the third quarter, the Sixers led by 14 heading into the fourth quarter. None other than Harris got it started with five quick points, securing his second straight 30-point game, a career-first accomplishment. Philly went back up by double digits as Harris chased a career-high scoring night. But he still played within the flow of the offense, making the high-low feed when it opened up.
While these games serve as examples of what Haris can do, they can also serve as points of frustration for the games where he feels invisible or sabotages the team with poor decision-making. The 76ers shouldn’t expect the version of Harris that shoots 66 percent from the field on high volume but they (and he) have to find a way for him to play the game with consistent intensity and priority for more efficient shots.
Harris already notched his career-high as a Sixer by the time the Kings emptied their bench. Nurse left him and some of the starters in for a few more minutes before doing the same. Harris got some chances to get to 40 for the first time in his career but came up empty on some three-point attempts. Still, he had a huge performance in a much-needed win for Philly, whose energy and execution were strong from start to finish.
Random rumblings:
- Nurse said again that Embiid is day-to-day and expected to play soon but he also said the same thing last game, so don’t automatically expect a return the very next game.
The 76ers' next game is against the Houston Rockets on Monday at 1:00 in the afternoon.
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