When the Sixers lost to the Utah Jazz just under a month ago in Salt Lake City, Joel Embiid had just returned from a two-game suspension and Ben Simmons injured his shoulder after only 10 minutes of action. The Jazz won by two points in a game the 76ers truthfully had no business dropping.
Fast forward to December 2 at Wells Fargo Center—the toughest building to play at in the NBA—and order was restored. The Jazz were on night two of a back-to-back, with the first part being a 20-point loss in Toronto, and it was the final stop of a five-game road trip which they were 1-3 on.
As a result, the Sixers dominated Utah most of the way, then held off a late rally to win 103-94, improving to 10-0 in South Philadelphia this season.
"I think we should play every game at home," Tobias Harris joked. "But overall, we say every game before we get out there, 'protect our house.' For our team, we've stated that we want to be a home court team come playoffs and that's a big thing for us, so we're striving for that. But our crowd and the energy and the atmosphere—it's real."
Tobi Stepped Up When It Mattered
Embiid had an off night, Al Horford went cold in the second half and Ben Simmons continues to pass up open three's. So, someone had to step up offensively when the Sixers needed buckets badly in the fourth quarter after the Jazz made a run to shrink the Sixers comfortable lead.
"And I ask myself, at times, the question too—it's like, 'who's the closer?' And what we should all admit is we have options," head coach Brett Brown said.
Harris was that option—leading the Sixers with 26 points, while grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out three assists.
This is a big season for for Harris to prove he can be a primary scorer, especially in crunch time, with Jimmy Butler and JJ Redick elsewhere. Harris showed he's Monday night.
Simmons > Donovan Mitchell
After literally stealing the show a couple nights earlier against the Pacers, Simmons continued being a defensive menace while finding his teammates and contributing with the always timely jam—specifically a lob from Matisse Thybulle in the second quarter.
Simmons and Thybulle made things tough for Donovan Mitchell, who shot poorly from the field.
"I just love guarding great players," Simmons said. "It's one of those things where I take that challenge upon myself."
Thybulle played so well in the first half that Brown started him in the second half in place of Furkan Korkmaz.
Thybulle is playing with confidence on both ends, never hesitant to shoot a three, and always willing to gamble defensively for a steal—sometimes to the team's detriment. Despite some rookie struggles through 21 games, Thybulle has been nice addition to the Sixers so far.
"And I think the shots that he's taking are in his wheelhouse, and then you become a responsible defensive player and there's an interesting, young athlete to be grown," Brown said.
Fans URGING Simmons To Shoot The Ball
The Sixers led comfortably by double digits for the majority of the game, and there were many opportunities for Simmons to pull up from three-point distance with the Jazz were backing off. He didn't shoot, despite the fans urging him too. I felt this was a perfect situation to do so because the lead was so large. If he doesn't practice in an actual game, how will he ever become comfortable to make it a fairly regular part of his repertoire?
Now, in fairness, it would've been a bad idea for Simmons to shoot when fans were pleading as the Sixers tried to run clock late. That wouldn't have made sense.
Horford Found The Fountain Of Youth
Horford, 33-years-young, was doing a little bit of everything in the first half—scoring 12 of his 17 points in the first quarter. He couldn't miss from the floor and was playing his typical solid defense on top of that. Horford looked fresh after rested after sitting Friday night's game at the Knicks, part one of a back-to-back.
It was some of his best play as a Sixers, and it came in timely fashion because Embiid wasn't his best.
"The more games I'm starting to play, the more I'm understanding where my shots are coming from, how I need to play, the things I need to do, so I was happy I was able to get it going there early," Horford said.
Is It Time To Give Embiid A Night Off?
Speaking of rest, there's no reason to sugarcoat the situation—Embiid may need a night off. He shot poorly from the field and got into foul trouble. In addition to that, Rudy Gobert had his way late in the game as the Jazz shrunk the deficit. The Sixers are in Washington Thursday, then host the Cavaliers Saturday before entertaining the Raptors Sunday. He needs to sit one of those, and definitely not the Toronto game.
Mike Scott Ended His Drought
Mike Scott went a few games without making a three-pointer, but ended that slump Monday in the second half. It was a long time coming for Scott, who needs to be one of this team's best three-point shooters off the bench.
Good for him.
