Winners of seven straight games, the Philadelphia 76ers look to win number eight tonight against a young and exciting team, the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets are led by rising star LaMelo Ball, who was inactive the previous two matchups against the Sixers.
The Sixers are currently 5th with a 23-6 record and only 4.5 games out of first place in the Eastern Conference. The 76ers have the most road wins in the NBA at 15-8, going 8-2 in their last 10 games. This is impressive considering players/coaches being in and out of the lineup, which seemed to be on a nightly basis. The team will look to continue these trends going into tonight’s game, leaning on their franchise big man Joel Embiid who has been leading and playing as one of the top players in the NBA.
Joel Embiid
The Process has been playing at an MVP level this year, scoring 30 or more points in the last seven games. Embiid has been simply dominant in imposing his well on defenders and scoring with little to no resistance. What has been more impressive is his leadership and playmaking.
Joel not only leads this Sixers team with his play, but he also has been very vocal on and off the court. Whether he’s directing traffic on defense or pushing young players like Matisse Thybulle to shoot the ball more and be aggressive.
Embiid also has displayed some of the best ball-handling and playmaking this far into his career, which has elevated his game to new levels, which can only translate to more wins and success for this team as they go through this season.
Role Players
The role players of the Sixers have shown growth and the ability to adapt to a season with so many unknowns. Players have been in and out of the lineup on a nightly basis for the 76ers, which forced the team to experiment with many lineup changes and player roles. Although its adjustment, the players have adapted and made the best out of the situation.
Whether it’s more minutes for George Niang or Furkan Korkmaz starting at point guard, these were roles that needed to be filled, and players stepped up to the plate. As the team continues to find consistency and chemistry, being able to know that players will step up as they take on more minutes and expanded roles will be big for the Sixers.
Getting Healthy
The 76ers have battled injuries and covid most of the year, with players being in and out of the lineups, calling players up from G league, even signing players off the street to 10-Day contracts. The team even lost their head coach Doc Rivers for two games and still managed to win games in the process. In recent weeks the team looks to be getting healthier, despite Seth Curry missing the last game due to a sore ankle.
The Sixers look to get healthier tonight with the return of their starting point guard Tyrese Maxey who missed the last four games due to Covid. As the Sixers enter the second quarter of the season, approaching the All-Star Break, the hope is the worst of it is over and that the team can stay relatively healthy for the rest of the year. As the team looks to continue their success as the season moves on, they will need all hands on deck if a legitimate run for a title is in their future, looming any roster changes being made via trade.
