After disappointing start, Sixers are now the NBA’s hottest team

PORTLAND, Ore. — Through the first 24 games of the NBA season, you could have placed the 76ers alongside the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat as one of the league’s most disappointing teams.

Despite significant roster turnover, it appeared the Sixers would go through the same old song and dance.

They were an injury-prone version of Jekyll and Hyde. On some nights, they looked like a team destined to contend for the Eastern Conference title. On other nights, they looked old and like a squad lacking chemistry, going through the motions with the hopes that their talent could carry them to a victory.

» READ MORE: Making the early case for Sixers star Joel Embiid’s Hall of Fame candidacy

The Sixers’ inconsistency led them to a 12-12 record after a humbling road loss to the last-place Houston Rockets on Dec. 5. In a season in which the East has more serious championship contenders than the West, the Sixers were not one of them.

Was it Doc Rivers? Critics said he should have had better rotations and made more in-game adjustments. Did it center on the pairing of Joel Embiid and James Harden? The belief was the All-NBA cornerstones couldn’t coexist. Or was it team president of basketball operations Daryl Morey? Naysayers felt Morey’s offseason acquisitions weren’t as good as advertised.

While the outside world was pointing fingers, the Sixers, who are now 28-16, got their core healthy, made a few changes, and then went to work. The result? A team that has the NBA on notice.

Since Dec. 9, there has not been a better team than the Sixers. Over the last 20 games, at 16-4, they have the NBA’s best record.

The Sixers have gone from being tied for seventh in the East to third in the standings. A road victory Thursday night over the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center would elevate them into a second-place tie with the Milwaukee Bucks, who have are 29-16, with 37 games remaining.

But there’s plenty of basketball left, and as good as they’ve been lately, the Sixers are far from a finished product.

Their perimeter defense has regressed as they struggle to stop elite scoring wings. That resulted in De’Anthony Melton replacing Tyrese Maxey in the starting lineup because of the urgent need for more perimeter defense.

» READ MORE: Sixers vs. Clippers takeaways: Team’s astounding trend, Tobias Harris’ defense, Joel Embiid’s class

The Sixers will face another test against the Blazers’ Damian Lillard. The point guard, who is a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team, has scored at least 30 points in each of his last six games. That includes a season-high 50-point performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 12, which was followed by 40 points against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday and 44 points against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday.

Lillard is averaging 39 points over those six games, but the Blazers (21-23) have won just two of the six games. So if he gets hot, the Sixers can only hope Thursday’s game becomes another bend-but-don’t-break situation.

That scenario wouldn’t be a new one for the Sixers.

They surrendered 27 points to Kawhi Leonard in Tuesday’s victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. The Sixers escaped with a one-point victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, but gave up 35 points to LeBron James. Russell Westbrook finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. And the Sixers gave up 38 points to Jordan Clarkson in a one-point victory over the Utah Jazz the night before.

All this comes after the Sixers gave up 37 points to Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Jan. 12) and 41 points to Chicago Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine (Jan. 6) in recent home losses.

So while the Sixers are on a roll in the win column, defense is the area Rivers wants to improve upon moving forward.

“And then our pace,” he said. “There’s nights where we lose our pace and that’s where, in the playoffs, you can’t do that.”