By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)
Philadelphia 111, Phoenix 104 – Box Score
No matter what you think about the long-term implications of the Jerry Colangelo-Mike D’Antoni era, it’s hard to argue at the moment that they don’t get results. With new associate coach D’Antoni on the bench for the first time, Colangelo in the building in his hometown Phoenix, and most importantly, their first substantial roster addition Ish Smith starting at point guard, the Sixers had a new feel to them on the day after Christmas.
That new feel was certainly a welcome change from the first two months of the season. I mentioned in my piece for Today’s Fast Break Saturday how Smith should help the on-court product, particularly Nerlens Noel. That duo wasted no time in re-establishing their old connection in Saturday night’s contest against the Suns. With Ish feeding him in the paint and Jahlil Okafor out with right knee soreness, Noel looked as comfortable as he has all season and responded with one of his best games, recording 14 points on 6-7 shooting, 11 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.
Smith himself had 14 points and 5 assists, and crucially hit some clutch shots down the stretch of the fourth quarter, during a time when Sixers fans have seen the team collapse all too often this season. Having a point guard able penetrate the lane helped open up things on the outside, as the Sixers shot 12-27 from three as a team. Isaiah Canaan was 4-8 from downtown for a game-high 22 points, while Nik Stauskas had 17 points in 23 minutes off the bench.
Stauskas gave it his all to such a degree that he looked physically exhausted and had to come out after a stretch in the fourth quarter (which was actually somewhat concerning conditioning-wise and would normally be a topic of conversation, except did I mention the Sixers won?!). Also off the bench, Carl Landry had a nice follow-up to his Sixers debut against Milwaukee, dropping 16 points and 8 rebounds in just over 22 minutes of action.
Philadelphia did catch a break when the Suns best player, Eric Bledsoe, had to leave early in the game with a knee sprain after colliding with Robert Covington. Phoenix’s playing time rotations have already been a mess this season and that only served to worsen the chaos for the Suns. Still, given the number of injuries the Sixers have dealt with recently, fans shouldn’t waste their team feeling sorry for anyone else.
With Ish Smith back at the point and Nerlens Noel looking like his old self, Saturday night had a very 2014-15 fun-loving feel to it, when the Sixers were still bad, but could take advantage of a team on a bad night. Hopefully, this win against the Suns wasn’t a one-game aberration, and most importantly, Philadelphia fans have to hope it continues with Jahlil Okafor back in the lineup. A return to 2014-15 was fun for a night, but it’s 2016 and beyond the Sixers really have to worry about.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
