Through 15 contests in this much anticipated 2019-20 season, the Sixers have won two-thirds of their games. Last time I checked, that's a .666 winning percentage. If that pace continues through an 82-game schedule, that's about 54-55 wins, which probably won't lock down the top seed in the East.
However, Friday's 115-104 over the slumping Spurs at Wells Fargo Center showed signs of promise that maybe this team is kicking it into gear after a somewhat underwhelming and nerve wracking start to their championship quest.
Embiid Got Rest By Accident
Much was made leading up to the game about Joel Embiid playing his first back-to-back of the season with Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat coming to town Saturday. Obviously, that concerns people who would rather see Embiid rest one of the two games for load management purposes.
Luckily for those folks, and maybe even Embiid, the big guy got in foul trouble early—picking up his third personal less than three minutes into the second quarter—limiting him to 12 first half minutes, scoring nine points on four-of-four from the field.
Through 18 minutes of action, Embiid was eight-of-eight for 17 points to go along with nine rebounds. He didn't miss a shot until his ninth attempt, which was a miss right at the basket that he followed with a put back bucket.
Even though you never want to see Embiid foul at that rate, his minutes were limited in Friday night's victory.
Bring on Jimmy.
Tobi In Rhythm
Tobias Harris recently broke out of his slump and continued that positive trend Friday, proving to be the Sixers most effective player on the offensive side of the floor Friday, providing a wide variety of made baskets paired with solid play on defense. His biggest points came late in the fourth quarter on a fast break with Ben Simmons, scoring in transition to go up 108-97.
While Embiid was the most efficient player on floor for the Sixers, Harris deserved player of the game honors.
The Curious Case Of Ben Simmons
Ben Simmons shook South Philadelphia Wednesday when he hit his three-pointer heard around the NBA.
It seems kind of silly now that so much was made of his first ever three because Simmons did very little from a scoring aspect offensively against San Antonio.
While he finished with double digit assists, his lack of scoring production continues to show that even though he may hit a perimeter shot here or there, it's not an integral part of his game—and may never be.
That being said, Simmons collected his first triple-double of the season Friday.
Welcome Back, Al Horford
It's been a struggle for the Sixers unique starting five to find offensive chemistry and groove in this early part of the schedule. You can blame the fact that they've barely played together as a full unit due to injuries, a suspension and, of course, load management.
Al Horford has had a roller coaster start to their season offensively, especially in terms of shooting percentage. That wasn't the case against San Antonio, which was certainly a welcome sight.
Furkan Korkmaz's Value Trending Up
Furkan Korkmaz has gotten his fair share of starts through 15 games because of the number of DNP's for members of the starting five. Because of that extra time with the staters, Korkmaz is clearly playing with tons of confidence. He made two big three-pointers in the fourth to go up 106-97 and 111-100.
James Ennis' Reliability
In my bold perditions before the season, I said James Ennis III could be a potential Sixth Man of the Year winner.
With the way the first 15 games have gone, that likely won't happen because Ennis doesn't stand out enough on a team with the likes of Embiid, Simmons, Harris, Horford and Josh Richardson.
That being said, Ennis is such a reliable member off the bench on both ends. He's solid defensively, can hit a three when needed and even provided an emphatic jam with just under nine minutes to play to make it 98-85.
Dominating The Boards
Gregg Popovich noted pregame how his team has struggled defensively during their losing streak. A product of that poor defense is bad rebounding, which was evident as the Sixers grabbed 13 boards on the offensive glass.
A Pop First
For the first time in the Popovich era, the Spurs have lost eight in a row. In a very puzzling move, he took out his starters with just over two minutes to play only down 11. The game was nowhere near over.
That was definitely an odd move, but I got to give Pop credit—he's taking this losing streak with a remarkable sense of humor. Pregame when asked about the current struggles of his squad, he said, "I think somebody started the rumor that we were losing these games. It didn't happen. It's not true."
There's only one Pop, and he certainly is a basketball treasure, whether on an eight-game winning or losing streak.
