76ers Explain What's Clicking After Improving Streak vs. Warriors
Doc Rivers mentioned at the beginning of the 2022-2023 NBA season that the Philadelphia 76ers didn’t know how to win as a team just yet. While they could snag a victory here and there, a notable win streak wouldn’t come until things begin to click for Philadelphia.
In the first five games of the season, the Sixers got off to a 1-4 start. When they picked up their second win of the year against the Toronto Raptors on October 28, the Sixers formed their first win streak of the year.
After three-straight wins, Philadelphia dropped two games. Their next win streak would take place between November 12 and 18. A matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves once again prevented the Sixers from winning four in a row.
Two wins over the Orlando Magic and a victory against the Atlanta Hawks in late November helped the Sixers snag three in a row for the third time this year, but once again, the Sixers were stopped there and took on three-straight losses.
Last Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers was the start of another positive streak. An 11-point victory over Los Angeles, along with an 18-point blowout against Charlotte, followed by a 20-point beatdown versus Sacramento, allowed the Sixers to fire up another three-game win streak.
Friday’s game against the Golden State Warriors became another opportunity for the Sixers to form their biggest win streak of the year. Although they faced a depleted Warriors team, the Sixers won as expected and snagged their fourth win in a row.
After Friday’s victory, Doc Rivers explained what’s gone into Philly’s recent success.
“We're healthier, we're getting there slowly,” said Rivers. “We're playing better basketball. We've kind of found, and we're still not there because we need everyone back, but we're finding who we are. I think our guys are finally seeing like this is who we are, this is how we have to play. They know it. They're starting to visualize what we are, and that's a good thing.”
The Sixers aren’t fully healthy just yet. By missing Friday’s game, Tyrese Maxey was absent for the 13th-straight game. While Maxey remains the only Sixers player to deal with an injury that required multiple weeks of recovery, the Sixers continue to see guys go in and out of the lineup due to minor setbacks. While the injuries shake the roster up consistently, Philadelphia’s star center Joel Embiid believes his team’s mentality helps them still find success.
“It's next man up mentality,” Embiid explained. “We are missing our best player in Tyrese. Tobias has been great this year. He's doing his thing and being efficient. Defensively, he's been great. When you are missing these types of guys, it's hard, but I think we have enough talent. Guys like Shake, and Matisse, they've been playing really well. Can't talk enough about De'Anthony [Melton], he's been amazing. All of them; D-House, Georges, Furk, all of those guys are definitely doing their job. I think the main thing is that everyone has bought in.”
With everyone buying into what the Sixers are trying to do on a nightly basis, they’ve seen a boost in energy, and PJ Tucker sees that translating into positive results.
“I say the biggest thing is just our energy and effort towards each other, helping each other be successful,” said Tucker. “I always like saying, like Coach [Erik Spoelstra]'s favorite sayings, ‘Enjoy somebody else's success,’ and I feel like that's like huge when it comes to the bench, and everybody's just having that good energy and good karma towards everybody. I feel like that's picked up a lot, and everybody's spirit has gotten better as a team.”
The Sixers are still a work in progress and will continue to be as long as they remain shorthanded. However, they feel encouraged after forming their biggest win streak of the year by snagging their fourth in a row on Friday night by defeating the short-staffed Golden State Warriors.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
