Finally healthy, the Sixers are slowly starting to turn the corner: ‘We’ve come together a lot more’
A Christmas Day win at Boston hints at what the streaking Sixers may be capable of with a healthy Big Three of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George.
BOSTON — Through all of the 76ers’ losses and injuries during their first 17 games, despite all of the struggles to find rhythm, identity, and sustainability on defense, Tyrese Maxey insisted the team would turn around a season that has been disappointing by every possible measure.
On Saturday, Maxey and Co. will face the Utah Jazz (7-22) at the Delta Center in the second leg of their six-game road trip. The Sixers (11-17) will be looking for their ninth win in 12 games, which seemed highly unlikely just a month ago.
That would be a major accomplishment for a team that was 3-14 on Nov. 27.
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“But I said back then, ‘Just give it some time,’” Maxey said. “It was difficult because guys were in and out. When we finally thought we were going to have everybody playing, I got hurt. That sucks. I had a little rhythm going, and then I got injured and we had to restart, figure it all out. I come back, [Joel Embiid] gets hurt. We’ve got to figure it all out again. I think the biggest thing that we’ve really done is we’ve come together a lot more.”
Due to injuries, the Sixers’ Big Three of Embiid, Maxey, and Paul George only played together for a total of 6 minutes, 9 seconds through the first 21 games. The trio has still only played in six games together. This trend could continue with Embiid questionable for Saturday’s game in Utah. But the overall lack of cohesion has been a major reason for the Sixers’ struggles.
“We have a lot of new guys … seven or something like that,” Maxey said. “It’s difficult. You don’t know how you want to play, you don’t know what combinations go with each other. I think we’re finally figuring that out. That’s kudos to our coaching staff and to [coach Nick] Nurse, as well.”
The Sixers, who have eight new players on standard contracts, have also benefited from facing a lot of lackluster opponents lately.
Optimists will point to their 118-114 Christmas Day road victory over the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics. Before that, they defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 111-106, at the Wells Fargo Center.
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At 22-8, the Celtics boast the league’s third-best record heading into Friday’s contest against the Indiana Pacers. Meanwhile, the Spurs head into Friday’s game with the Brooklyn Nets with consecutive losses to the Sixers and New York Knicks. However, they were 15-13 entering their Monday meeting with the Sixers.
The Sixers’ victories over Boston and San Antonio represented their second and third wins against teams standing at .500 or better.
The Sixers should continue their winning ways for the remainder of this road trip.
The Golden State Warriors are the only team they’ll face with a winning record.
The Jazz (7-22) own the Western Conference’s second-worst record. Two days after Saturday’s matchup, the Sixers will be in Portland to face the Trail Blazers, who have West’s third-worst record at 10-20. Then the team heads to Northern California for contests against the 13-18 Sacramento Kings and Warriors (15-14) on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. The Sixers conclude the trip on Jan. 4 against the Nets (12-17) at the Barclays Center.
» READ MORE: Sixers fend off Boston Celtics and secure statement win behind brilliance of Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid
The Sixers are currently 12th in the East standings, mere percentage points behind the 11th-place Nets as of Friday morning. However, the Sixers are only four games out of sixth place with 54 games remaining. They believe Wednesday’s victory was a sign of what the team can do.
“I think, again, we just are finally figuring out roles and rotations, no matter who’s there and who isn’t,” Nurse said. “The organization’s a lot better … just the organization, execution, things like that. And then I think our defense has certainly become a lot more physical and tough. We’re giving ourselves a chance because we’re really guarding way better.”