76ers Keep Win Streak Alive After Taking Down Trail Blazers

The Philadelphia 76ers went toe-to-toe with the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night for the first time this season. The matchup was the fourth-straight road game the Sixers took on.

When Philadelphia kicked off its multi-game road trip out West, they started off with a Saturday night matchup against the Utah Jazz. Although the Sixers lost momentum after a red-hot start, they would never fully lose control of the game. The Sixers ended up defeating the Jazz by one point.

One night later, the Sixers and the Los Angeles Lakers faced each other. For the second time this season, the Sixers and the Lakers went down to the wire, with the Sixers coming out on top. Once again, it was a one-point victory for Philly.

Then two nights later, the Sixers wrapped up their two-game stint in Los Angeles with a game against the Clippers. A ten-point victory for the 76ers allowed Philadelphia to pick up its third-straight win before taking a trip to Portland.

Looking to extend their win streak to four in a row, the Sixers got off to a hot start on Thursday night. Holding the Blazers to just 6-22 from the field and forcing five turnovers, the Sixers managed to outscore Portland 26-14 in the first quarter.

Typically, the Sixers see their opponents make quick adjustments and improvements in the second quarter, but the Blazers couldn’t help themselves on Tuesday. Taking 20 more shots from the field, Portland hit on just 35 percent of their attempts. Eight of their shots came from beyond the arc, and just one of them was successful.

Turning the ball over seven times, the Blazers continued to give the Sixers plenty of opportunities to build on their early lead. The Sixers ended up going into halftime with a 23-point lead. Sixers center Joel Embiid led the team with 17 points, while Tyrese Maxey had 13 points off the bench.

After the intermission, the Blazers showed some life. Keeping their star guard Damian Lillard on the floor for the entire third quarter, Portland found success from the free throw line. Lillard collected half of his ten points from the charity stripe as his struggles from the field persisted.

Meanwhile, the Blazers knocked down nearly 50 percent of their shots from the field as a team, outscoring the Sixers 31-22 coming out of the half. While the Blazers showed life in the third quarter, they were still down 79-65 going into the fourth quarter.

One thing the Sixers have done well lately is closing out games when they are in control. On Thursday, they found success once again. With Embiid scoring nine points in eight minutes, and Georges Niang knocking down a couple of threes, the Sixers scored enough to prevent the Blazers from making it a close game in crunch time.

While Portland once again outscored the Sixers in the fourth quarter, it wasn’t nearly enough to build a comeback. The Sixers made it out of Portland with a 105-95 win. Embiid finished the night with 32 points on 12-22 shooting. Maxey and Shake Milton led the bench, combining for 25 points.

With another win, the Sixers collected their fourth-straight victory on their current road trip. With a matchup in Sacramento on Saturday, the Sixers have a chance to finish with a perfect 5-0 record out on the West Coast.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.