PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Sixers have won 19 in a row at Wells Fargo Center thanks to their 118-101 victory over the Hornets on Monday.
It was another big night for Tobias Harris. Before the game, the NBA named him Eastern Conference Player of the Week. Then he scored 22 points on 10 of 16 from the floor.
It's his fourth game in a row with at least 20. Harris is averaging 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists a game.
"It's an amazing honor. You don't get that type of honor without going 3-0," he said. But he remained nonchalant.
"It's still early. We all know that, and — for me — you can't really get too focused on numbers this early on. Only numbers that truly matter right now is our record. "
That Sixers' record is 6-1 — tops in the NBA.
Harris had a bad opening night, but since then he has picked it up, showing the same kind of results as when he last played for Doc Rivers on the Clippers.
"He's not forcing it. It's just coming. He's taking what they're giving him. He's making quick decisions. We just got to keep him in that mode," Rivers said of Harris.
"He really puts in the work, so very proud of him, obviously. As I always say — an individual honor is usually due to team execution."
Six other players were in double figures, including Joel Embiid, who dropped 14 and 11 and was affecting the game in ways that don't appear in the box score. He continues to welcome the double teams so his teammates can get open shots.
"I just gotta keep making the right passes. I might not get a lot of assists, but the whole goal of it is to get someone else open. Invite the double or the triple team and just get a lot of hockey assists," he said.
Ben Simmons scored 12 points with 10 rebounds and six assists. Seth Curry chipped in with 11 points on four of seven from the floor, including two of two from behind the arc. Danny Green scored 13 points with six rebonds and three assists. Rookie Tyrese Maxey contributed 11 off the bench, while Shake Milton had 10.
Green briefly left the game after appearing to aggravate his hand, but he returned. Afterwards, Rivers said he thinks Green got an X-Ray and said he was fine.
Despite the 6-1 record, Embiid says he doesn't want to get too excited.
"We got a lot of stuff to work on, and we haven't really played against a contender," he said.
