The Sixers knock off the Kings 119-111.
Despite an overall abundance of energy and high-paced play from the Sacramento Kings, the Sixers were able to rally late in the fourth and walk away with a win to kick off their road trip. The Kings – led by budding star De’Aaron Fox – did their best to “outrun” the Eastern Conference-leading Sixers tonight, but some late-game defense from Philly ultimately proved too much for Sacramento to handle.
Despite a 42 point explosion from the Sixers in the first quarter, Philadelphia actually found themselves trailing for the majority of the second and third quarters. Fox and Marvin Bagley III were specifically dominant, with the duo ultimately combining to score 51 points on the night.
Despite the offensive brilliance that the Kings saw from some of their young playmakers, the Sixers flipped the script late in the second half when Doc Rivers made the move to stick Matisse Thybulle on Fox. While Fox still “got his” on occasion, Thybulle did just enough to slow him down in the fourth quarter. This heightened intensity on the defensive side of the ball then paved the way for Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid to really take over down the stretch.
The duo combined for 22 points in the fourth – Harris finishing the game with 22 points and 10 rebounds and Embiid with 25 points, 17 rebounds(!), and 6 assists. Seth Curry poured in an additional 22 points as he looks to have fully recovered from COVID-19, and Ben Simmons (per usual) flirted with a triple-double (14 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds).
Furkan Korkmaz also chipped in a clean 13 off the bench as well.
The game definitely got a little too close for comfort at times, but ultimately speaking this was another strong road win that the Sixers should feel pretty good about. Not only did Philly play exceptionally well down the stretch, but the Kings were 7-1 in their last eight games prior to tonight’s matchup – definitely not an easy team to beat.
Shake Milton did have to leave the game late due to an ankle injury that he suffered via stepping on a defender’s foot. It’s unclear just how serious the injury is at the moment.
The Sixers will remain out west this week, as their next game is this upcoming Thursday night against the Portland Trail Blazers (10 PM ET).
Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire
