76ers Conduct Longest Winning Streak vs. Kings on Friday

The Sacramento Kings paid a visit to the Philadelphia 76ers for the first and only time this season on Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

Heading into the matchup, the Sixers expected to miss a key starter and reserve. Once again, the MVP-winning center Joel Embiid was ruled out with lingering swelling in his knee. The reserve, Robert Covington, who is dealing with a similar issue, also sat out for the night.

The Sixers lost another key player less than two hours before tipping off, as Kelly Oubre Jr. was ruled out due to toe soreness. With three rotational veterans taking a seat, the Sixers needed guys to step up in a big way to avoid building on their biggest losing streak of the year.

Typically, the Sixers receive a notable scoring boost from Tyrese Maxey with and without Embiid on the court, but the starting point guard didn’t lead the pack this time around. Instead, it was the veteran forward Tobias Harris who put together a dominant showing.

Picking up 36 minutes of action, Harris attempted 25 shots from the field. Gaining a rhythm, he knocked down 14 of his overall shot attempts and drilled a few threes. Adding six points from the charity stripe, Harris scored a game-high 37 points against Sacramento.

Maxey added another 21 points himself by going 6-17 from the field and knocking down all six of his free throws. And with the Sixers’ defense holding Sacramento to just 33 percent from the field, the Sixers had a dominant showing on both sides of the floor, picking up a 113-93 win over the Kings.

With that victory, the Sixers extended their winning streak against the Kings to ten in a row. That’s now the Sixers’ biggest win streak over the Kings, exceeding their nine-in-a-row accomplishment, which they constructed twice throughout their history of 301 regular season games.

The last time the Kings defeated the Sixers was on February 2, 2019. At the time, the Sixers employed former standouts such as Jimmy Butler, Ben Simmons, and TJ McConnell alongside Joel Embiid. The next time the Kings will have an opportunity to try and snap the streak will be on March 25 in Sacramento.