The positives and negatives of the Sixers’ six-game road trip | Off the Dribble

Good morning, 76ers fans. The Sixers just ended their longest road trip of the season, going 4-2, all without Joel Embiid, who has missed the last 10 games with a bone bruise in his left knee.

At 33-15, the Sixers trail the Brooklyn Nets (34-15) by a half-game in the Eastern Conference standings. The Sixers have 24 games left, with 13 of them at the Wells Fargo Center.

After taking Friday off, the Sixers will return to action Saturday with a home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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— Marc Narducci (offthedribble@inquirer.com)

There were many positives and some negatives to the recently completed road trip. Here is a look at both:

POSITIVES

1. The Sixers continued to show that they can win games without Embiid. Earlier this season, the Sixers were 1-5 without Embiid, but since then, they have gone 8-3.

2. Shake Milton was the consistent scorer the Sixers need to lead the second unit. In the six games, he averaged 16.5 points and shot 38-for-72 (52.8), including 9-for-20 from three-point range (45%).

3. Danny Green continues to find his three-point stroke. During the six games, Green shot 24-for-46 (52.2%) from three-point range. He also shot 88.9% from the foul line en route to averaging 14.3 points, more than 4.5 above his season average.

4. The Sixers played strong defense, with the exception of a 122-112 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers and the first quarter of their 104-95 loss at Denver. Even counting the Clippers game, the Sixers allowed just 103.1 points per game. To put this figure in perspective, the New York Knicks lead the NBA in opponents’ points per game, allowing teams to score 104.5.

5. The Sixers’ bench played well. Their reserves outscored their opponents in five of the six games and held a 244-159 advantage in the six games.

6. Even though he was ejected from two games with technical fouls, Dwight Howard continued to provide great energy and rebounding, with some timely offense. He averaged 8.2 points and 10.1 rebounds in 19.6 minutes. Howard makes the most of his minutes. He is third in the NBA in rebounds per 36 minutes (17.1).

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid can’t allow his MVP fantasy to dash the Sixers’ postseason dreams | David Murphy

NEGATIVES

1. Ben Simmons continues to struggle. In the six games, he shot just 28-for-67 (41.8%). He is getting to the basket, but just like early in the season, Simmons is having trouble finishing. Simmons also averaged 5.0 assists compared to 4.5 turnovers.

2. The Sixers averaged 15.5 turnovers. For the season, the Sixers average 15.3 turnovers, 26th in the NBA.

3. Even though they were without Embiid, the Sixers lost to the two NBA title contenders they faced on the trip (the Clippers and Denver). Against the Clippers, the Sixers couldn’t stop Terance Mann, who scored 23 points, well more than his 6.4 average. Against Denver, the Sixers were really out of the game after being outscored by 44-22 in the first quarter.

Keith Pompey has all the details of the Sixers’ 114-94 win Thursday over the Cavaliers.

Pompey writes that Danny Green feels that patience and limiting turnovers will help Ben Simmons end his slump.

Here is a look at Simmons’ slump since the All-Star break.

After the coach was criticized by Vincent Poirier, Pompey writes about Doc Rivers’ reaction. Rivers: ”I don’t get involved in that crap.”

Our three reasons that the Sixers beat the Cavaliers, beginning with the play of the bench.

Karl-Anthony Towns is an example of how the NBA game has evolved over the last decade, with three-point shooting dominating from virtually all positions. The 6-foot-11 Towns, whose Minnesota Timberwolves will visit the Sixers on Saturday after visiting Memphis on Friday, is the franchise’s all-time leader in three-point field goals made at the age of 25.

» READ MORE: Energetic Paul Reed biding his time as a Sixers rookie

Here are the franchise’s all-time leaders in three-point field goals, courtesy of Timberwolves game notes:

1. Karl-Anthony Towns, 573

2. Andrew Wiggins, 520

3. Anthony Peeler, 465

4. Kevin Love, 440

5. Wally Szczerbiak, 343

6. Zach LaVine, 300

7. Isaiah Rider, 295

8. Troy Hudson, 285

To demonstrate how the game has changed, the Wolves’ all-time leading scorer is forward-center Kevin Garnett with 19,201 points during his 14 seasons in Minnesota. In that time, Garnett attempted fewer threes (569) than Towns has made (573) through this, his sixth season.

For a big man, Towns is a more-than-capable three-point shooter. This season, he is hitting 40% of his attempts, and for his career, he is at 39.7%.

Saturday: Minnesota Timberwolves at Sixers, 8 p.m. Wells Fargo Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus

Sunday: Memphis Grizzlies at Sixers, 7 p.m. Wells Fargo Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Tuesday: Sixers at Boston Celtics, 7:30 p.m., TD Garden, NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus/TNT

April 9: Sixers at New Orleans Pelicans, 8 p.m. Smoothie King Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia

April 10: Sixers at Oklahoma City Thunder, 9 p.m. Chesapeake Energy Arena, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Question: How has Brooklyn been able to fit all these salaries under the cap? — Peter Cornish via email

Answer: Griffin and Aldridge were bought out by the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs, respectively. Both signed with the Nets for the prorated veteran minimum. According to Hoopshype.com, the Nets are paying Griffin $1.29 million and Aldridge $878,340. This is one of the complaints of the buyout system: Veterans choose contenders because they have made their money and are chasing a ring.

Send questions by email to mnarducci@inquirer.com or @sjnard on Twitter.