The Sixers finished the preseason tonight with a perfect record defeating the Indiana Pacers 113-107.
It was another great night for Shake Milton and players like Furkan Korkmaz, Dwight Howard, and more heavily contributed to this win.
As the team prepares for the start of the regular season, there are a few encouraging takeaways from this game.
No Embiid, No Problem
Before the game, it was announced that Sixers’ star Joel Embiid did not travel with the team and would not play in the finale.
There is no need for concern as, while it was illness-related, the absence is not COVID-19 related. In his place stepped the team’s new addition, Dwight Howard.
The potential Hall of Famer performed admirably. While he was on the hook for five turnovers, a few can be chalked up to the rather confusing barrage of whistles that plagued the game in the second quarter.
All said and done, Howard posted 14 points and four rebounds. Those numbers are a little more impressive when you consider that Howard only played for 16 minutes.
It was often lost over the past few seasons that the Sixers did not have a capable backup for Joel Embiid. In Howard, they’ve found their man.
The Sixers’ Bench Might Be A Strength?
Bench scoring in a preseason game is going to be skewed. The fact is that the starters don’t play the minutes they would normally opening up the opportunity for the bench.
Regardless, scoring 67 bench points is an encouraging sign for a team considered to be “top-heavy”. It’s even more impressive when you notice that back-up big Dwight Howard and his 14 points were counted in the starters; numbers.
Led once again by the red hot Shake Milton, the Sixers’ bench looked poised and dangerous. Along with Milton, Furkan Korkmaz had himself a game as well scoring 14 points in 19 minutes.
When you also take into account Tyrese Maxey’s contributions and also the somehow forgotten Matisse Thybulle, this team looks to be a piece or two away on the bench.
They lack a starter quality bench player and could use a secondary ball-handler but the team looks promising heading into the regular season.
This brings us to the team’s former fan-favorite, Mike Scott.
Mike Scott Ain’t No Scrub
Many claimed that Mike Scott was finished after last season. He had a terrible year and that cannot be denied.
What will be curious though is if he sees any sort of revival under his former Head Coach Doc Rivers. If this game was any sort of indicator, he just might have a shot.
Scott played phenomenally finishing with 12 points on 4/6 shooting from deep. When Mike Scott is in he’s really around for one thing and one thing only. Shooting.
The difficulty with Scott was that his shot seemed to leave him last year. He still finished shooting nearly 37% from deep but it just wasn’t the same Scott fans saw the year previous.
He’s not going to score like this every-night but Mike Scott proved he’s far from finished.
Scott once again showed that he ain’t no scrub…or any other word you may choose to use.
Sixers Regular Season Premier
With the preseason officially in the books, the Sixers now prepare for the real test. On December 23rd the team will host Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards.
With the recent addition of Russell Westbrook to the team, the matchup has added a little more spice so be sure to watch or listen.
Tip-off is at 7:00 PM and you can catch the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Or, if you prefer, you can listen as always on 97.5 FM the Fanatic.
Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire
