Sixers takeaways: Dominick Barlow’s stellar play, solid three-point shooting, and more in win over Clippers

Dominick Barlow is making Paul George’s absence manageable.

Paced by Tyrese Maxey’s season-high seven three-pointers, the 76ers showed why they are tough to beat when they’re making threes.

And facing Ivan Zubac remains a lopsided matchup for Joel Embiid.

These things stood out in a 128-113 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. The win extended the Sixers’ (28-21) winning streak to a season-tying four games heading into Tuesday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

The sixth-place Sixers are a game behind the fourth-place Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference standings.

Monday marked the second game of George’s 25-game suspension due to violating the NBA’s Anti-Drug program. And just like Saturday night’s contest, the nine-time All-Star wasn’t missed. A major reason why was the play of Barlow.

The 6-foot-9 power forward finished with a career-high 26 points to go with 16 rebounds — including a career-high 10 on the offensive boards — to post his second double-double of the season. He also finished with two steals and a block.

» READ MORE: Sixers mailbag: Paul George’s suspension, Joel Embiid’s scoring surge and trade deadline targets

He became the first Sixer with at least 25 points and 10 offensive rebounds since Hall of Famer Charles Barkley did so in November 1990.

“That’s pretty good company,” Barlow said on NBC Sports Philadelphia.

He had 11 points on 4-for-7 shooting, along with seven rebounds — four offensive — in the first quarter. That enabled him to become the league’s first player with at least 10 points, four offensive rebounds, a steal, and a block in a first quarter since Embiid tallied that in a December 2023 game.

“Some of the stuff I was getting was just easy in transition,” Barlow said of the first quarter. “I didn’t really do anything in the half-court for the first quarter, and I had 11. So I was like, ‘OK, if I get some stuff in the half-court and keep running, it’s going to be a big night.”

He was right.

Barlow reentered the game with 4 minutes, 21 seconds remaining in the half, and added four points on 2-for-2 shooting before intermission. Then he finished with 11 points in the second half.

» READ MORE: Paul George’s suspension brings back belief that he was a bad signing for the Sixers. Here’s why.

The fourth-year player has excelled at finding gaps in the opponents’ defense. He routinely cuts to the basket when a teammate has the ball. Always in attack mode, Barlow has a knack for grabbing offensive rebounds.

The Sixers are starting to find their rhythm with their three-point shooting.

They made 22 of 42 three-pointers in their win over the Milwaukee Bucks last week. On Saturday, the Sixers made 17 of 36 threes. Against the Clippers, they went 17-for-39 (43.6%).

Ten of their three-pointers came on 19 attempts in the first half.

Maxey‘s season-high seven three-pointers led to his 29 points to go with six assists and three steals. Kelly Oubre Jr. hit three from long range while scoring 15 points. Meanwhile, Quentin Grimes (15 points) and Jared McCain (six points) each made two.

The Sixers are tough to beat when they’re making three-pointers.

Before Monday, Embiid faced the Clippers center on eight occasions. Zubac averaged eight points and eight rebounds in those contests. Meanwhile, Embiid averaged around 34 points and 10 rebounds.

Embiid wasn’t efficient on Monday. Nor was he a beast on the boards. But he still outplayed his counterpart.

The 7-2, 280-pounder finished with 24 points on 8-for-19 shooting to go with five rebounds, three assists, and one steal. This was his 19th consecutive game with at least 20 points. Meanwhile, Zubac had eight points and nine rebounds in what is becoming a lopsided head-to-head contest.