USA TODAY International Edition
NBA- best 6- 1 Sixers taking care of business
PHILADELPHIA – Given so many new players, coaches and having to implement Doc Rivers’ system following an abbreviated training camp and preseason, it’s a pleasant surprise that the 76ers are off to the NBA’s best start.
While the 6- 1 Sixers seemed to have the potential to be a very good team, so many moving parts made it appear that Rivers’ squad would take time to figure out how to play well as a group while clubs that have been together longer, such as the Heat and Lakers, would be in a better position for immediate success.
The Sixers jumped from No. 15 to 2 in the nba. com power rankings heading into this week, trailing only the defending champion Lakers despite having committed the third- most turnovers ( 18.2) in the league.
“I think we’re getting great defensive confidence earlier than I thought we would,” Rivers said. “We’ve taken care of business. I’m very happy with that.”
Here’s what we learned from the Sixers’ fourth consecutive win, a 118- 102 victory over the Hornets on Monday night in which seven Philly players scored in double figures:
On the move
The Sixers went into Monday ranked second in the league in ball movement ( 375 passes per 24 minutes of possession), which is the biggest improvement from last season, when they were 14th with 333 passes per under Brett Brown.
Those numbers suggest the Sixers are getting everybody involved on offense and not just running a lot of isolation plays for star center Joel Embiid.
“I’ve always found it easier to shoot the ball when you’ve touched the ball,” said Rivers, who enjoyed a 14- year NBA playing career. “I’ve always thought it’s easier for the better player to attack when the ball is moving than when the ball is in one spot. It’s something that we talk about every day ( and) our guys are buying into it.”
Having said that, Rivers realizes there is room for improvement and he plans to continue stressing the importance of ball movement throughout the 72- game regular season.
“It stops at times and that’s probably when you see me sit up ( and yell) with my mask off,” he said with a laugh, “so that’s an area that you can’t stop doing it. You have to keep doing it through the season.”
Getting the job done
It wasn’t a shock that forward Tobias Harris earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors. The Sixers went 3- 0 last week and Harris averaged 23.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4 assists while shooting .571 from the field ( 28 of 49) and .563 on 3- pointers ( 9 of 16).
“Just great for him, great for the team and great for everyone,” Rivers said. “He really puts in the work.”
Harris has been more aggressive since going 3- for- 13 in the seasonopening win over the Wizards. Rivers wants him to attack and not hesitate while looking for his opportunities, which he clearly has been doing.
Harris added 22 points on 10- for- 16 shooting Monday at Wells Fargo Center, giving him four 20- point games in a row.
“One of the greatest things about putting in the work is seeing the results,” Harris said. “It’s really satisfying to me.”
Test coming Thursday
While the Sixers’ marquee victory so far is a one- sided drubbing of the thenunbeaten Magic in Orlando, it’ll be interesting to see how they fare Thursday evening against Kyrie Irving and the Nets in Brooklyn on TNT after hosting the Wizards on Wednesday night, though the Nets’ Kevin Durant won’t be available due to exposure to COVID- 19.
The Sixers’ wins have been against teams with a combined record of 16- 25 through Monday.
The only loss was to the 4- 3 Cavaliers without Embiid.
“I don’t want to get too excited,” Embiid said. “We’ve got a lot of stuff to work on and we haven’t really played against a contender.”
While the Nets only went into Tuesday with a 3- 4 record, they are regarded as a contender in the East, and, as such, a potential playoff opponent for the Sixers.
Tightening the rotation
With reserve power forward Mike Scott sidelined for a second consecutive game because of a left knee contusion, Rivers again shortened his rotation from 10 to nine.
Starting guard Ben Simmons received the backup “4” minutes that normally would have been Scott’s.
Say it again
The Sixers also defeated the Hornets 127- 112 on Saturday in Philadelphia, so Charlotte has the rare distinction of dropping consecutive regular- season road games to the same opponent.
Beating the Heat on Jan. 12 and 14 at Wells Fargo Center figures to be a bit more difficult.