76ers vs. Rockets: Player Observations After Sixers Dominate Houston at Home

Last week couldn't have gone better for the Philadelphia 76ers. As they embarked on a three-game road trip, beginning with the Washington Wizards last Sunday night, the Sixers took care of business after a rather disappointing loss at home.

After taking down the Wizards, the Sixers took a trip to Canada to face the Toronto Raptors. In past seasons, the Sixers struggled against the Raptors on the road, but they took advantage of an undermanned Toronto team and put them away.

Although the victory over the Raptors wasn't pretty, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers made it clear that picking up the win was all that mattered and the Sixers did just that. Then, they found success against an Eastern Conference powerhouse the following game.

Taking a second trip to Brooklyn this season, the Sixers closed out 2021 with one of their toughest matchups of the year as they faced Kevin Durant, James Harden, and the Nets. While they lost to the Nets twice before this year, the Sixers are going to avoid a regular-season sweep as they defeated the Nets last Thursday.

With three straight wins, the Sixers looked to make it four in a row on Monday night. As they returned home for the first time in three games, the Sixers hosted the Houston Rockets. Not only have the Rockets been rebuilding, but they also suspended two key players on Monday morning following a team controversy this past weekend.

At first, the Sixers weren't impressing anybody. After playing through the first quarter of action, the Sixers only led the Rockets by four points. When halftime rolled around, the 76ers trailed Houston by one point. 

Being that the Sixers were the more talented and experienced team, they were expected to come out looking much sharper and refreshed in the second half. Fortunately for them, the Sixers did that.

With a dominant third-quarter performance, the Sixers got out in front and led the Rockets by as much as 14 points before going into the fourth quarter. At that point, the Sixers managed to garner a significant lead of as much as 26 points. 

It took longer than expected, but the Sixers put on a dominant showing in South Philly on Monday night. By defeating the Rockets 133-113, the Sixers picked up their 20th win of the year and make it four victories in a row. 

76ers vs. Rockets Player Observations

How did the Sixers individually perform against the Rockets on Monday night?

Danny Green

After missing the last few games in the health and safety protocol, Danny Green made his return to the floor for the Sixers on Monday night. At times, Green has been brought off the bench this year, but with a shorthanded lineup, the Sixers rolled with the veteran forward in the starting lineup. Green had a decent outing as he knocked down two of his three three-point shots for six points. He showed face on the court for 22 minutes in his first game back.

Tobias Harris

The veteran forward was not a fan favorite on Monday night. In the first half, Harris had a rough shooting outing as he drained just three of his ten shot attempts for six points. When he came out and played for seven minutes in the third quarter, Harris attempted zero shots. While he had a much better fourth quarter by draining three of his five shots for eight points, Harris’ fourth quarter performance probably won’t erase the criticism he’ll receive from his 14-point outing after spending 35 minutes on the floor against Houston on Monday.

Joel Embiid

Per usual, Joel Embiid was the best player on the floor on Monday night. The big man was doing it all for the Sixers as he bullied his opponents down low, shot well from mid-court, rebounded at a high rate, and got to the free throw line and knocked down all but one of his seven attempts. Best of all? He played in under 30 minutes. Therefore, he got some more rest, which is always a must-need for the four-time All-Star big man. In the end, Embiid wrapped up the night with a game-high of 31 points in 29 minutes. He made it a triple double with 15 rebounds and ten assists as well. 

Furkan Korkmaz

If there is one guy on the Sixers that needed a lesser opponent to beat up on and gain their confidence back, it’s Furkan Korkmaz. While the Turkish sharpshooter has looked a lot better lately, the bar of expectations for Korkmaz has been incredibly low. However, he shattered expectations on Monday as he went 8-14 from the field. He also knocked down three threes and finished the night with 24 points, just behind Joel Embiid on the Sixers’ scoring leaders. Korkmaz still has a lot to prove but Monday’s game was a step in the right direction.

Seth Curry

The veteran sharpshooter’s first-half performance was rough. Not only did he put up just six shots in 12 minutes, which marked the second-fewest attempts from all starters, but Curry didn’t drain a single one of those shots. Fortunately, he picked it up in the second half, which helped the Sixers find some separation. Overall, Curry finished the night with 15 points. Seeing him chuck up eight three-point attempts was a promising sign since he should be shooting more, but he wasn’t as efficient as he typically is as just three of those shots went in.

Shake Milton

Just like Thursday night’s game, where Milton made his return from a battle with COVID-19, the veteran guard didn’t look so sharp. Understandably, Milton is likely looking for his rhythm still. Also, he suffered a lower-back contusion after 20 minutes and couldn’t return to the game. Milton wrapped up the night with just five points. 

Isaiah Joe

It’s not every night Isaiah Joe picks up some quality minutes off the bench. But with several players out, Joe found himself checking in for exactly 21 minutes on Monday. The second-year guard had himself a stellar outing too, as he knocked down six of his nine shots from the field, with five of those makes coming from beyond the arc. Joe finished the night with 18 points, leading the Sixers’ bench in scoring.

Georges Niang

In 18 minutes, Niang didn’t get a ton of shots up, but he was efficient when he did as he knocked down 50-percent of his shots for eight points. The Sixers didn’t need Niang to go off as Joe led the charge for the bench, but the veteran forward had a quietly solid performance.

Andre Drummond

It took a while for Dan Burke to utilize Andre Drummond on Monday. As the Sixers went through the first quarter, Drummond didn’t see a single minute on the court. It wasn’t until the second quarter when Drummond picked up his first six minutes of action. The veteran forward didn’t play a ton, but he was decent when he was on the floor as he put up eight points, seven rebounds, two assists, and blocked a shot. 

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