Philadelphia 76ers are Encouraged Following Three-Game Road Sweep

The Philadelphia 76ers had two identities last season. They looked like NBA Finals contenders at home as they possessed the best home record in the league. On the road, they were hardly playoff contenders as they lost more than they won.

Coming into the organization for his first season as the Sixers' head coach, Doc Rivers made it a priority to help the team figure out its road woes. While they haven't necessarily been dominant away from home this season, they have recently accomplished something they couldn't do last season by picking up a three-game sweep on the road.

On Friday night, the Sixers took on the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center and defeated them with ease by winning 118-94. On Sunday, they met with the Indiana Pacers at the Bankers Life Field House. Without Joel Embiid, the Sixers' chances of winning seemed slim considering they were 0-4 when he's off the floor this year.

But a fourth-quarter comeback gave the 76ers newfound confidence. With a 119-110 win over the Pacers, Philly felt great heading into Wednesday night's game at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Sixers put on a dominant first half against the Hornets on Wednesday. Although they coasted through the second-half and allowed the Hornets to creep in on their lead, Philly ultimately took home the victory by winning 118-111. Nearly losing a large lead was concerning for the Sixers, but head coach Doc Rivers won't complain about how they won the game.

“We did enough to win on the road, I’ll take that,” Rivers said after Wednesday's game. “A lot of teaching moments for us, and that’s the way I took them after the game that we’re better than we played in the second half, but we couldn’t play much better in the first half. I try to look at it the whole way, but going on the trip 3-0, that was our goal coming out, and that’s what we did.”

Tobias Harris, who has seen the Sixers' road struggles firsthand last season, couldn't help but look at just the positives as well. “Right now, I’m feeling good about that,” Harris said in regards to going 3-0 on the latest road trip. "We just got to keep it going. We have to stay focused, but at the same time, we also have to want more from what we’re showing and want more from each other on the floor to be that great team and get to that level we want to get to.”

Although the Sixers didn't have an answer to their road struggles last year, a lot of players believed a lack of focus and effort played into the losing record. 22 games into the 2020-2021 NBA season, Shake Milton doesn't see that.

“It feels good,” Milton said after Wednesday's win. “I feel like guys were all locked in. Heading on the road, we knew what we had to do, and I feel like we stuck together these last three games and were able to put out W’s in each one, so it was good.”

The Sixers' recent three-game road sweep marks the first time they've won three-straight road games since January of 2014. The three victories allowed the Sixers to acquire a winning road record for the time being as they advanced to 6-5 away from home. Now, they'll have a quick turnaround as they return home on Thursday night for a matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers.

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