Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons Lead 76ers Past DeMar DeRozan, Balanced Spurs

With a four-game road trip coming up, the Philadelphia 76ers needed a victory Wednesday.

Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons made sure they got one.

Embiid had a 33-point, 19-rebound double-double and Simmons added a triple-double as the Sixers earned a 122-120 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.

JJ Redick put Philadelphia ahead for good with a four-point play with one minute remaining. San Antonio had chances to take the lead or tie the game, but Marco Belinelli turned the ball over and DeMar DeRozan had a layup attempt blocked in the final minute. 

The Sixers have won five of their last six games and are 21-5 at home this season. They managed to avoid a home letdown without Jimmy Butler, who sat out his second straight game with a wrist injury.

The Spurs, who have now lost four of their last six games, were led by a 26-point performance from DeRozan. All five San Antonio starters scored in double figures. 

West Road Trip Will Be Biggest Test of Sixers' Season

The Sixers likely will get Jimmy Butler back by the weekend, and they'll need him to help solve their road woes. Philly is 11-12 away from the Wells Fargo Center this year, and that undersells the team's struggles.

The Sixers rank 17th in net rating on the road, getting outscored by 3.2 points per 100 possessions. That's roughly the equivalent of playing like the Orlando Magic. 

The splits are jarring on both ends of the floor:

Sixers home ORTG: 115.2

Sixers road ORTG: 107.0

Sixers home DRTG: 105.8

Sixers road DRTG: 110.2

The difference between the Sixers' home and road differential is the biggest in the league. They go from playing like a title contender to a team that is throwing players overboard in the race for Zion Williamson.

Given that the Sixers' lack of depth forces them to give playoff-like minutes to their starters, that's a huge concern for a theoretical title contender. 

The Sixers will get to test their road mettle starting Saturday. Their four-game road trip includes trips to the top two seeds in the West (Golden State and Denver), a Lakers team that may have LeBron James back in the lineup and the Sacramento Kings, who are .500 this late in January for the first time in what feels like forever.

This is a playoff-worthy test. If the Sixers can get out of that Western gauntlet 2-2 or even 3-1, it will say a lot about their recent road improvements, which have mainly consisted of beating on below-average competition. 

Emergence of Bryn Forbes, Derrick White a Testament to Gregg Popovich's Brilliance

There is no way this Spurs roster should be in playoff contention. Their third-best player coming into the season was Rudy Gay. DeRozan replaced Kawhi Leonard. LaMarcus Aldridge is another year older. Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are gone. 

It seemed like desperately avoiding an inevitable rebuild had finally come back to bite Gregg Popovich. Then he turns guys like Bryn Forbes and Derrick White into legit NBA rotation players, and we're just left to sit back in awe.

White has been a revelation over the last month, scoring at a preposterously efficient clip while knocking down open threes and playing solid defense on the perimeter. He already looks like another late-first-round gem for Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford.

Popovich plucked Forbes from the ranks as an undrafted free agent and allowed him to thrive, essentially by asking him to play the role he did at Michigan State: knock down some threes, play good team defense and don't step outside your lane. Forbes' season stats are almost mirror images of the numbers he put up as a senior in East Lansing.

On Wednesday, White and Forbes combined for 29 points on 11-of-18 shooting, adding 10 rebounds, seven assists and five triples. After being a non-factor as a rookie, White likely would have flamed out of the league in most situations. Forbes may be in the G-League if he weren't in San Antonio.

Popovich is the greatest coach in the history of the sport. Don't let him tell you otherwise. 

What's Next?

The Spurs travel to New Orleans to play the Pelicans on Saturday. The Sixers start a four-game road trip Saturday in Denver.