Sixers win 10th straight
CHARLOTTE, N.C. » The passhappy approach is paying off for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Ben Simmons and the Sixers posted their 10th straight victory for their longest winning string since 2003, beating the Charlotte Hornets 119-102 Sunday.
Playing without injured star Joel Embiid, the Sixers kept sharing the ball. Simmons led the way with 20 points and 15 assists.
The Sixers set a team record with their ninth straight game of 30 or more assists — they had 36 on their 48 baskets.
“We’re having fun on the court and that’s really important for us,” said reserve guard Marco Belinelli, who led Philadelphia with 22 points on 9-for-10 shooting. “For sure, we miss Joel out there on defense. But we know that everybody needs to step up and be aggressive on offense and defense and just play together.”
Embiid suffered an orbital fracture of his left eye last week and underwent surgery Saturday. His projected return is as soon as two weeks, right about the time the Sixers would open the playoffs.
“You’re in the NBA current that pulls you along in good ways and sometimes it can suck you out to sea,” said Philadelphia coach Brett Brown, whose team remained in fourth place of a tight Eastern Conference race. “It’s a violent thing you go through and it’s just never-ending. We’re in a good current right now. So that moves us along. We want more and we know we always have to play better defense and bide time without Joel.