By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)
The Sixers entered play Wednesday night on a 16-game road losing streak. Playing a tail end of a back-to-back in a tough Denver environment, things looked to be stacked against them for that drought to reach 17. In the end though, it was the Sixers getting back to their early-2015 roots that allowed them to pull off the unlikely and break the skid. Philadelphia dominated on the defensive end late in the game, outscoring Denver 27-9 in the fourth quarter to pull ahead for an easy victory.
The best player on the court was easily Nerlens Noel. First off, he was solid on the offensive end, as there were possessions where the Sixers ran the offense through him on the block and he was also quick enough to blow past opposing Denver forwards and get to the rim on face-up attempts. However, where he impacted the game the most was on the defensive end, as no Denver forward finished in double figures on the night. Noel put up counting stats of 14 points, 15 rebounds, 4 steals, and 4 blocks, which although those numbers seem commonplace for him at this point, are actually fairly remarkable.
The only other Sixer to match these totals? Charles Barkley in 1986. Take notice. pic.twitter.com/PbmhAigaUX
— Philadelphia 76ers (@Sixers) March 26, 2015
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Even before this big night, Noel had recently moved up to No. 1 on NBA.com’s Rookie Ladder! That’s a website run by the league in which he makes a living, not some passionate fans on a local blog making a case for him. Nerlens Noel for Rookie of the Year is becoming a thing. It starts now.
While Noel held down the fort defensively, Robert Covington assumed control on the offensive end, finishing with a game-high 25 points. Bob was 6-11 from three, marking the second straight game he made like Stella and got his groove back. Hopefully, these games allow him to get back in the good graces of Coach Brown and pump his minutes back up to where they were earlier in the season.
Speaking of earning more minutes, Jerami Grant started in place of an injured Luc Mbah a Moute and only went out and recorded 5 blocks. He also seemed to really be getting under the skin of Kenneth Faried, which was enjoyable to watch. I like Luc well enough, but he’s gone in a few weeks. Give Jerami all the minutes he can handle.
Although the win was a negative in the big picture sense, at least the Lakers also won on the evening (they went to OT with Minnesota, somebody had to win). At this point, I’m basically OK with the Sixers just staying in the bottom three. The team will be back home for a Friday night meeting with the Clippers.
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