The Sixers’ homestand has been a success, but a true test awaits against Clippers

Will we come to the conclusion that the 76ers are for real? Or will we learn that the current roster needs more help?

Friday night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Wells Fargo Center probably will reveal one of those scenarios. The Sixers (18-12) head into the seventh and final game of their homestand on a six-game winning streak.

While those victories were worth celebrating, the Sacramento Kings, at 17-13, were the only team the Sixers faced with a winning record. The Sixers’ home slate was so favorable that losing to their other opponents — the Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, Golden State Warriors, Toronto Raptors, and Detroit Pistons — would have been a big story.

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The Lakers (13-18), Warriors (15-18), and Raptors (14-18) have been big disappointments. Meanwhile, the Hornets (8-24) and Pistons (8-26) are among the NBA’s worst teams.

“Being at home, in front of these fans, I think was huge for us,” Georges Niang said following Wednesday’s 113-93 victory over the Pistons. “And I think we are taking full advantage of it. We have one more game left, and then we go on another road trip. But needless to say, we are playing at a very good pace. We’re defending.”

But Niang knows the Clippers (19-14) will provide a tough test.

While the Sixers’ defense has looked good, defending Los Angeles’ Kawhi Leonard and Paul George is different than facing Detroit’s Jaden Ivey and Killian Hayes.

And Friday’s game will be the start of a telling stretch for the Sixers. They’ll face the New York Knicks, winners of eight of their last nine games, on Christmas Day at Madison Square Garden.

Then after traveling to D.C. to face the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, they’ll play the New Orleans Pelicans, a Western Conference contender, at the Smoothie King Center on Dec. 30. The Sixers will conclude the road trip at the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 31 before entertaining the Pelicans on Jan. 2.

So we’ll definitely learn a lot about the Sixers in the coming days with or without Tyrese Maxey, whose progress has gone slower than expected.

“I don’t think there’s an update,” coach Doc Rivers said of Maxey’s injury status. “He’s improving, and we will see him at some point. I just don’t know when.”

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There’s no denying that he’s one of the league’s top young talents. The Sixers miss his three-point shooting and play in transition. The standout shooting guard will miss his 16th consecutive game Friday after fracturing his left foot

However, it’s no secret that the Sixers are 2-4 in games when their starting lineup of Tobias Harris, P.J. Tucker, Joel Embiid, James Harden, and Maxey play together. And they were just 2-5 in games that Embiid and Harden, their All-NBA tandem, played together before winning six straight during this homestand.

“For us, it’s just that mentality to understand that we’re a helluva team,” Harris said. “Especially when we play together and as a group, and we’re fighting for one another, we’re a very hard team to beat. So we’ve just got to stay with that type of energy.

“But I think what we’ve seen in these games, and we’ve got another big game coming up, is that we have to protect our court as well. We know how important our home-court advantage is.”

Harris said ball movement and pace are areas where the Sixers have grown the most during this homestand. The Sixers are just 26th in the league in pace at 98.05, but have been 12th (101.15) over the last six games.

They’ve also ranked second in scoring (120.3 points per game), third in three-point percentage (.402), fourth in assists (27.8), and first in steals (9.5) in the last six games.

“I think the one thing people are not talking about is our defensive rating, because we’re in the top five in the league right now in defensive rating,” said guard De’Anthony Melton, who’s starting in place of Maxey. “I think we emphasized that from the beginning of the year. We weren’t really holding ourselves accountable to that.

“So now, I feel like we’ve definitely locked in on the defensive end, which is leading to easy offensive points. And we got some offensive scorers when offense comes a lot easier than defense.”

The Sixers are secondin the league in defensive rating (107.9) and rank third (101.8) over the last six games.

We’ll see how those ratings hold up against the Clippers, who finally have a healthy roster.

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Leonard, a five-time All-NBA selection and two-time Finals MVP, is averaging 15.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 0.9 steals in 12 appearances.

He had missed more than three weeks because of issues with his recovering right knee. This came after Leonard missed all of last season after tearing his ACL in the 2021 playoffs, then coming off the bench in two of this season’s first three games. He has yet to play in both games of a back-to-back.

Leonard had season highs of 31 points and three steals Saturday in a 102-93 victory over the Wizards. The small forward is coming off a 16-point, seven-rebound, four-assist outing Wednesday in a 126-105 win against the Hornets.

George had 22 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and two blocks in that game. That came after the six-time All-NBA selection missed two games with a sore left knee. George also missed seven games earlier this season with a right hamstring tendon strain. In 23 games, he’s averaging 23.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.4 steals.

When healthy, George and Leonard are arguably the league’s best wing tandem.

Clippers reserve guard Luke Kennard is also the league’s top three-point shooter at 48.9%. And Los Angeles is fourth in the league in defensive rating (108.4) and has won five of its last six games.

So this could be a signature win for the Sixers. A loss, depending on how it occurs, would pinpoint what separates them from championship-caliber teams.

Either way, Friday’s game will answer a few probing questions about the Sixers.