It was as if all the odds were stacked against us. Joel Embiid out. Josh Richardson out, and the Lakers were rolling into town, fully healthy, ready to do battle. But the Sixers prevailed, and how'd they do it?
This game was so cool because we finally got to see Ben Simmons take full reign of the Philadelphia offense, something that many close to the Sixers have been waiting for. In normal Ben Simmons fashion, he shined. With the cards stacked against him, Ben Simmons proved that he can be a leader on this team, and a dominant force for years to come.
Ben Simmons Saturday night was the aggressive and confident monster that all of Philadelphia has been praying to see. The unselfish point-forward logged 28 points,10 Rebounds, and 8 assist in 41 minutes of play. He shot 80% from the field, and seemed to be the floor general on offense, dishing in transition, pick and roll sets with Korkmaz and Milton, and on set plays Brett Brown actually drew up.
However Ben Simmons wasn't the lone bright spot, in fact, the underrated Forward Tobais Harris, a guy that most of the media fails to point out, was deadly too. When Harris gets going from Mid Range, and on wing threes, he can be a deadly weapon that is hard to slow down.
Harris on Saturday went 10 for 20 from the field, and 3-8 from down town, for a total of 29 points. The offensive scoring leader for the Sixers showed why he deserved a max extension contract last offseason.
Not only on the offensive end were there standouts, on the defensive end we saw pure domination too. The Sixers allowed Lakers stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James to 31 and 29 respectively on near 50% shooting from the field. However the rest of the team was held in check, Dwight Howard who we all knew loves shooting free throws, was held to just two points going 0-4 from the free throw line. Kyle Kuzma and Danny Green were held to 4 and 2 points.
And it may all boil down to the elite perimeter defense that both Ben Simmons and Matisse Thybulle provide. The Lakers shot an underwhelming 19.8% from three against the Sixers, a testament to how far the Philly defense has come this year.
Sunday's Events
Sadly though I can't get through this whole blog without at least recognizing the terrible and sad events that happened on Sunday afternoon, as a helicopter with nine people including Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna crashed in California. The legacy that Kobe left prevailed today though all the sadness that comes with such a tragedy like this.
I'll talk more about it in my podcast episode on January 30th, but my favorite Kobe Bryant memory was the last championship run that he made. At this moment in my life, I was just starting to get into basketball, and to watch him transform the game like he did was something to see. I would spend time in my basement hitting his signature fadeaway on my mini hoop that was duck taped to the wall. Dunking and flying through the air like he did too. I was also inspired by the tenacious work ethic that Kobe put into every second of practice. He always said that practice should be harder than the game, something that sticks with me through all of my practices, and the work I put in everyday.
Outstanding individual, and it's sad to see him go so soon.
Warriors Defeat
I would have to say this one was all about the bench and specifically Raul Neto, and I know that some of you are asking who?
Yes, Raul Neto, who to most Sixers fans, was a nobody until Tuesdays game against the Warriors. Neto was on fire hitting almost anything that he put up in the second quarter. In one instance he stepped up and drained a three seemingly out of nowhere. Korkmaz, Thybulle, Ennis, and Scott looked good as well in this one which became almost like a rest game for some of the Sixers starters.
Oh wait you thought I forgot? Well, Joel Embiid came back in this one too, and he looked about as good as you thought he might look after missing about three weeks of work. Nothing bad on his end, he drained a few shots form Mid-Range, and decided to try his luck from three as well. He finished with 24, a block, and 10 rebounds.
That's all for this week, listen to the show that'll go live Thursday night around 10 ET.