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The Philadelphia 76ers kept their homestand rolling along Saturday night as the Sacramento Kings came to town. Despite being without their best player in De'Aaron Fox, Sacramento managed to make things interesting. This matchup went down to the final possessions and could have gone either way.
After letting a healthy lead slip away, the Kings still found themselves with an opportunity to steal a win in the final seconds. Harrison Barnes got a fall-away three up as the buzzer sounded but could not get it to fall. In the end, the Sixers picked up their fourth-straight win by a final score of 103-101. Here are some observations from the matchup.
1) Flipping the switch
This has become a bit of a common theme in the last few weeks for the Sixers. Following a lackluster performance in the first half, they manage to regroup and take control in the final two quarters.
Early on, things were not looking good for the Sixers. Sacramento's offense was rolling, and they managed to create some separation. That all changed after both teams took the floor following halftime. The Sixers managed to lock in and take complete control following a strong third-quarter performance.
Falling behind early is never great, but this group has shown it is more than capable of flipping the switch. They have learned from previous mistakes of dropping games to opponents they should easily take care of.
2) Turnover issues
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Part of the reason why the Kings were able to create separation in the first half was because of turnovers. As a whole, the Sixers coughed the ball up 17 times Saturday night, resulting in 22 points for Sacramento.
With this volume of turnovers, it's impressive they managed to come away with a win. No matter the circumstance, turning the ball over close to 20 times and sealing the victory is a rarity in the NBA.
Carelessness with the ball cannot become a habit for the Sixers. Giving opponents extra possessions is a recipe for disaster. Showings like this are also a prime example of the team's lack of ball handlers being a glaring weak point.
3) Joel Embiid wills the Sixers forward
Arguably the biggest driving factor in the Sixers' second-half resurgence was the play of Joel Embiid. The All-Star center yet again dazzled as he continues another MVP campaign.
In 34 minutes of action, Embiid posted 36 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists. He did this while shooting close to 56% from the floor and converted 14 of his 18 free-throw attempts.
Part of what has made Embiid so unguardable this season is his ability to adjust on the fly. When his shots were falling early, he got himself to the foul line for some easy points. After seeing a few go in, he was back to putting his elite skill set at work. Like most of the NBA, the Kings had no answer for the Sixers' big man.
At this point, we have run out of words to describe the run Embiid is on right now. We are witnessing the most dominant stretch from the center position in nearly two decades. As the games keep piling up, Joel Embiid has shown no signs of slowing down.
