Sixers Are No Longer League's Laughingstock and Other Saturday NBA Takeaways
The Philadelphia 76ers—supposed NBA laughingstocks—are sick of your tired tanking jokes.
After dispatching the Indiana Pacers, 93-92, in a showdown that featured the clutch stylings of Michael Carter-Williams and Robert Covington, the Sixers have won three of their last four games. It's the first time they've done so since winning four straight from December 2013 to January 2014, a stretch that included wins over the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers.
Philadelphia (7-29) has also now captured back-to-back victories twice this season after doing so against the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat in late December.
According to ESPN Insider Kevin Pelton, the Sixers have actually held their own in relatively tight games this season:
Against the league's No. 2 scoring defense, Philadelphia knocked down 45.8 percent of its threes and boasted five double-figure scorers. Tony Wroten led the way with 20 points off the bench, while Carter-Williams and Covington added 15 and 16 points, respectively.
Thanks to a collection of hungry youngsters who appear to be making incremental progress with each passing game, head coach Brett Brown rebuffed the notion that losing has become an accepted mode of operation in South Philadelphia, according to The Intelligencer's Tom Moore:
And if you haven't caught a glimpse of the Sixers this season, you're missing out on one of the league's more entertaining, unpredictable transition offenses.
While efficiency isn't part of Philadelphia's vernacular just yet, Brown's boys find creative new ways to turn heads each and every night while playing at the league's fourth-fastest pace, per Basketball-Reference.com.
Wroten and high-flying rookie K.J. McDaniels (10 points) proved that point with a little off-the-backboard innovation (h/t CBS Sports' Matt Moore):
This ambitious lob from Wroten to JaKarr Sampson wasn't half-bad, either:
Where the Sixers have really left their mark is on the defensive end of the floor.
Owners of the league's sixth-best defensive rating (99.9) in December, per NBA.com, the Sixers have sustained that pace over this past week. Dating back to Monday's 95-92 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia has held each of its past four opponents under 100 points.
With vicious rim protectors in McDaniels (two blocks) and Nerlens Noel (career-high five blocks) and a rangy 6'6'' point guard in Carter-Williams, the Sixers are gradually putting the pieces together on a defense that's loaded with athletic upside.
According to NBA.com, the three-man unit of Noel, McDaniels and Carter-Williams surrenders a meager 91.3 points per 100 possessions over the course of 258 minutes. To put that number in perspective, the Golden Warriors rank No. 1 overall in defensive rating with a mark of 96.2.
Thriving on defense, and slowly but surely carving out a niche on offense, the Sixers can finally put punch lines behind them.
You can direct those jokes at the New York Knicks now, as Moore references:
"The Knicks are the Sixers we thought the Sixers would be.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) January 11, 2015"
As for the City of Brotherly Love's blossoming ballers, they'll look to capture a third straight win Tuesday evening when they host the Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta Hawks at 7 p.m. ET.
Around the Association
Pau Gasol Solidifies Starting Spot in All-Star Game
With Derrick Rose sidelined due to left knee soreness, Pau Gasol exploded for a career-high 46 points and 18 rebounds in the Chicago Bulls' 95-87 defeat of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Bulls radio producer Jeff Mangurten passed along some fascinating factoids regarding Gasol's monstrous outing:
By dropping 46 points, Gasol tied Carmelo Anthony (Nov. 14 vs. Utah) for the NBA's top single-game scoring total this season. NBA.com/stats shared Gasol's shot chart for his record-setting game:
Gasol should now be considered a shoo-in for a starting gig next to LeBron James in the Eastern Conference frontcourt after leading Anthony by more than 40,000 votes through three rounds of balloting returns.
Dallas' Struggles Against the West Continue
Following a 120-100 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers Saturday afternoon, the Dallas Mavericks have now lost back-to-back games after ripping off six straight wins.
Although Dallas is 10-8 against intra-conference foes, it has struggled mightily against the West's most polished clubs, according to Jeff Caplan:
En route to capturing their fifth win in six games, all five Clippers starters finished in double figures. Blake Griffin led the way with 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Chris Paul chipped in 17 points and a game-high 13 dimes.
DeAndre Jordan put forth a strong effort, too, wreaking havoc on an undersized Dallas front line to the tune of 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds (five offensive).
Knicks Hit New Low With No End in Sight
After trailing 89-44 through three quarters, the Knicks extended their franchise-worst losing streak to 15 games with a 110-82 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
Clashing in a matinee at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks shot 38.8 percent from the field and 27.6 percent from three with just three double-figure scorers in front of those brave enough to attend.
The Hornets, meanwhile, have won five straight and sit 1.5 games back of the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference. Kemba Walker preserved his torrid scoring pace, dropping 28 points (8-of-13 shooting, 4-of-7 from three) in 28 minutes.
Big Men Battle in the Great Northwest
All-Star hopefuls LaMarcus Aldridge and Nikola Vucevic traded blows all night long, but the Portland Trail Blazers escaped with a 103-92 win over the Orlando Magic.
Vucevic led all players with a career-high 34 points and 16 rebounds while Aldridge cleaned up with 25 points on 10-of-22 shooting and six boards.
The Blazers atoned for Damian Lillard’s struggles (16 points on 3-of-10 shooting) by outscoring Orlando, 30-9, from beyond the arc.
As Blazers PR noted, Portland has owned opponents at the three-point line on both ends of the floor all season long:
It's Austin's Daye in Minnesota
Making just his second start of the season, swingman Austin Daye tallied a game-high 22 points (8-of-13 shooting, 4-of-8 from three) and 10 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs dropped the Minnesota Timberwolves, 108-93.
With wins in four of their last five games, the Spurs own a 1.5-game lead on the Phoenix Suns for the Western Conference's seventh seed and sit four games clear of the ninth-place New Orleans Pelicans.
Tim Duncan was predictably efficient against a depleted Timberwolves frontcourt, managing 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, six rebounds, two assists and a block in 21 minutes.
Andrew Wiggins remained relatively hot, compiling 18 points on 5-of-11 shooting and a perfect 8-of-8 at the free-throw line. Wiggins hasn't scored fewer than 18 points in a game since Dec. 27.
Brooklyn's Implosion Continues
The Brooklyn Nets' nightmarish 2015 continued as they fell to the resurgent Detroit Pistons, 98-93. Brooklyn has now lost five straight and sits five games below .500 (16-21).
But thanks to the incendiary state of the Eastern Conference, the Nets continue to occupy the No. 7 seed—a half-game up on the Miami Heat.
Brandon Jennings shredded Brooklyn's starting backcourt of Jarrett Jack and Bojan Bogdanovic by dropping game highs of 20 points and 11 assists as Detroit outscored Brooklyn, 21-6, in transition.
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