Sixers Win 2 of 3 This Week, Climbing to 17-27 on the Season

Corey Chmara

This past week, the Sixers played three games: Tuesday at Denver, Friday against Cleveland, and Sunday at Chicago, winning both games against Cleveland and Chicago.

On Tuesday, Philly faced the Denver Nuggets, who entered the game with a 26-16 record. The Sixers were without Joel Embiid, Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin, KJ Martin, and Jared McCain, and they never really stood a chance. The Nuggets came out fast, and the Sixers couldn’t keep up. Tyrese Maxey had a solid performance, scoring 28 points and recording 10 assists. Guerschon Yabusele also played well, putting up 22 points in 24 minutes off the bench. Paul George, whose performance has been inconsistent, contributed just 11 points on 5-of-13 shooting, though he did add 5 rebounds and 9 assists.

Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images

On Friday night, the Sixers hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers at Wells Fargo Center. The Cavs came into the game as the top team in the East (by record), but they were without their young star, Evan Mobley, due to a calf injury. The Sixers, meanwhile, were still without Joel Embiid, who hasn’t played since January 4th. Despite this, I had a feeling the Sixers would bring their best effort at home after a two-game road trip. The Sixers led 39-33 after the first quarter and went back and forth with the Cavs throughout the game. In the fourth quarter, the Sixers got some crucial, timely buckets from Paul George, Eric Gordon, and Jeff Dowtin Jr. The Sixers pulled out a 132-129 victory, with Paul George scoring 30 points and Tyrese Maxey adding 29. Kelly Oubre also contributed 22 points and 13 rebounds, continuing his strong play in Embiid's absence, as he’s been averaging 16.1 points per game over the last 10 games.

After their biggest win in over a month, the Sixers traveled to Chicago to face the Bulls. Paul George only played 12 minutes due to a finger injury and finished with 12 points. The first half was competitive, but Tyrese Maxey stepped up big down the stretch, finishing with 31 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists. Kelly Oubre also played a key role, contributing 22 points and 12 rebounds. His solid play has been crucial with Embiid out. The Sixers managed to edge out the Bulls, winning 109-97.

Looking ahead, the Sixers will play four home games this week, all against teams with winning records. On Tuesday, they’ll face the Los Angeles Lakers at 7:30 PM on TNT. Both Paul George and Joel Embiid have been ruled out for this game. The next night, in the second leg of a back-to-back, the Sixers will host the Sacramento Kings, who are 11-3 in their last 14 games. On Friday, the Sixers will take on the Denver Nuggets, who beat them 144-109 just last week. 

AAron Ontiveroz/Getty Images

While Embiid hasn’t been officially ruled out yet, it's likely he will sit. Paul George's status is also up in the air, as are Caleb Martin's and KJ Martin's. Finally, the Sixers will face the Boston Celtics at home on Sunday night. As with the other games, several player statuses are uncertain, but considering Embiid’s usual absence, it’s likely he’ll be ruled out for this one as well.

At 17-27, it will be interesting to see how the Sixers approach the trade deadline. They’re just one game behind the Chicago Bulls for the final play-in spot, and the NBA trade deadline is Thursday, February 6th—less than a week away.

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