After a tumultuous road trip, the Philadelphia 76ers (3-12) hosted the Brooklyn Nets (6-10). Ben Simmons had the chance to stick it to his old team even further by leading his plucky squad to a win. But, as if this chance was an open layup, he and the Nets flubbed it, allowing the Sixers to win 113-98.
Paul George was back on the sideline after another left knee hyperextension, though he may not miss as many games as he did last time. Joel Embiid joined him, missing yet another game due to left knee injury management. He will be sidelined for at least one more because of swelling, making this dreadful start to the season even worse. Fortunately for Sixers fans, they got to clap their hands and stomp their feet after a win that finally did not come down to the wire.
Here are three takeaways from the 76ers’ third win of the season.
Maxey and McCain take charge
The Sixers would benefit the most from having Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain starting together, as they complement each other and are simply two of the best players on the whole team. However, in this game, Nick Nurse had to stagger their minutes to make sure a reliable creator/shooter was on the floor at all times. Still, they were brilliant enough to get Philly into the W column.
McCain was one of the first players to be subbed out for the Sixers and Maxey was given a break a few minutes later, with McCain and Reggie Jackson coming in together. Maxey’s veteran pairing was Eric Gordon. There was plenty of overlap and the two veterans playing with one of the youngsters but this was how Nurse kept continuity in his lineups. The forwards rotated around while Guerschon Yabusele and Andre Drummond swapped in and out at center.
McCain got a few threes to fall late in the first quarter, including a heave at the end of the shot clock. He worked his way into the paint with spin moves and bumps to his defender, etching yet another 20-point game. His propensity for high-scoring games as a neophyte has only been matched in 76ers history by Embiid and Allen Iverson.
.@J_mccain_24 has scored 20-or-more points in seven consecutive games. The only @sixers rookies with longer such streaks are @alleniverson (11 in 96-97), @JoelEmbiid (10 in 16-17) and @jerrystackhouse (eight in 95-96).
h/t @Stathead
— Sixers Stats (@SixersStats) November 23, 2024
Maxey, who was still seemingly on a light minutes restriction, led the Sixers in scoring at halftime with 10 points and fired right out of the gate in the third quarter. He stayed hot in the fourth quarter, scoring on fast breaks and draining a triple off the dribble to keep a Philly run going. Half of his threes found the bottom of the net for the first time all season.
In the fourth quarter, Maxey and McCain played hot potato to open the latter up for a lefty layup. They kept moving and passing, twisting the Nets defense as it tried to keep up. They scored 23 of Philly’s 34 points in the fourth quarter. Impressive stat lines from both the rookie (30 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals, 11-20 FG shooting) and the vet (26 points, five assists, four rebounds, four steals, 11-17 FG shooting) sparked the Philly victory.
The synergy between the two sparkplug guards will come when they get the chance to play more minutes together. Maxey is always in McCain’s ear helping him out, so they can still generate some chemistry as the rookie continues to establish himself in the league. Even in the early stages of their time on the court, they looked really solid tonight.
Lack of spacing causes challenges
The Sixers’ lack of size on the wing didn’t do them any favors against a Nets team with plenty of forward-sized forwards. They had to play small with Yabusele at center in order to operate somewhat functionally on offense.
Nurse deployed lineups with Drummond and two of Kelly Oubre Jr., Caleb Martin or KJ Martin. Just two of them make a crowd, so three struggle to stay on the floor together. The Sixers were able to penetrate the perimeter and get out on fast breaks to make some stuff happen but the struggle was real in the halfcourt.
The Sixers loading all their shooting prowess in the backcourt hurts when playing more than two of them at a time. Even just having two of them makes them small. When the tandem isn’t Maxey and McCain, the juice on offense just isn’t there. Although they managed to beat the Nets, it’s something that will seriously hold them back in other games.
Compounding all of these problems is the simplicity of the 76ers’ offense. Guys still stand around for too long and the ball just stops in place for chunks of seconds at a time. The fast break allowed Philly to overcome its inevitable cold shooting spell, which struck in the third quarter.
Was any of this sustainable?
The 76ers finally earned their first regulation win of the season on top of their first NBA Cup win, though their hopes of winning the group were already cooked. As they try to make this happen more without Embiid and George, they’ll have to hone in on what worked. They’re gonna need to win more games like these going forward.
Because the Nets didn’t get to the line that much (seven free-throw attempts) and coughed the ball up a bunch (19 turnovers), their 53.8 shooting from the field wasn’t enough to have the halftime lead over the 76ers, who shot 39.5 percent. The Sixers have turned opponents over at a high rate but they have allowed a lot of foul shots. Either way, their success in each area in this game seems unsustainably high. They aren’t gonna get 28 points off of turnovers very often.
The 76ers’ lack of size on the wings may make it harder to play Yabusele at the five for extended minutes. However, any problems are not because of him. He’s such a solid player who gives them versatility on both ends of the court. He should get plenty more minutes, as will Maxey, who played just 26 minutes as he works his way back from a hamstring injury. Once he can play 30+ again, it’ll be that much easier for Philly to compete.
Another major factor in the Sixers’ victory was their 15-7 advantage on offensive rebounds. That was something they did a great job of early in the season and must become really good again. Because of their lack of stellar shooting, they’ll have plenty of chances to get second possessions. They have to take advantage of it.
Other takeaways
- Simmons still got plenty of boos from the Philly faithful. He earned some laughter when he absolutely smoked a layup off of a great cut and otherwise didn’t do much. Drummond one-upped him with an even worse missed dunk in the second half.
- NBC Sports Philadelphia must get rid of that overhead camera angle. Please.
- Shoutout to Eric Gordon for notching five stocks! Two blocks and three steals get it done.
The 76ers will face the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday and debut their new City Edition uniforms.
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