Sixers riding high; three real tests await
There's something to this four-game home winning streak. There's a feeling that even though this isn't a good 76ers team, the tanking is over.
There's something to this four-game home winning streak. There's a feeling that even though this isn't a good 76ers team, the tanking is over.
Feels good, right? I mean, it's been a while.
But watch these next three home games if you want to know how far the Sixers have come and, more likely, how far they have to go.
The Memphis Grizzlies, Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers will be more of a reality check at the Wells Fargo Center than the struggling teams the 4-10 Sixers defeated during the home streak.
The Grizzlies (9-5) will visit Wednesday night with a five-game winning streak. The Sixers then will entertain a Bulls squad (9-5) on Friday that had won five of six games heading into Tuesday's matchup against the Denver Nuggets. And they'll host the defending champion Cavaliers (10-2) on Sunday.
The Sixers' four wins have come against the Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, Phoenix Suns, and Miami Heat, teams with a combined record of 19-37.
"Memphis historically has always been a grind-it-out team," 76ers coach Brett Brown said. "They are very physical. They are very defensive-oriented. . . . They are very surgical with their approach."
The Grizzlies have one of Brown's favorite centers in 7-foot-1, 255-pounder Marc Gasol. Memphis point guard Mike Conley is also showing why he received a five-year, $153 million deal in July.
The 10th-year veteran is averaging a career-best 19.2 points per game to go with 5.6 assists. He made five three-pointers and scored 31 points Monday in a 105-90 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
The Bulls are led by swingman Jimmy Butler, who had 40 points against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. Butler was averaging 25.1 points as of Monday.
The team also features future Hall of Famers in Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo.
"I think what Chicago's doing is going with some imminent Hall of Fame players," Brown said. "It's really going to be a good test for us."
The same can be said about the LeBron-James led Cavs, who escaped with a 102-101 victory over the Sixers at the Wells Fargo Center on Nov. 5.
But who can argue with a Sixers squad that went 10-72 last season being overjoyed about winning four consecutive home games? Their last two victories, against the Suns and the Heat, marked the first time they won back-to-back games overall since March 2015, when they defeated the Detroit Pistons and the New York Knicks.
We'll learn a lot about this squad on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Rookie returns
The Sixers recalled rookie swingman Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot on Tuesday from the Delaware 87ers, their NBA Development League affiliate.
@PompeyOnSixers