Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey star wins eighth straight – NBC10 Philadelphia

Three observations after Embiid Star set a record with eight straight wins originally appeared NBC Sports Philadelphia

Milestones keep rolling and the NBA’s hottest teams keep winning.

Joel Embiid sets new Sixers franchise record At least 30 points in a row in a 141-121 victory over the Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse surpassed that number for the ninth time in a row on Saturday night.

He scored 31 points on 10-of-15 shooting, 7 assists, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks in the Sixers’ eighth straight win.

The Celtics’ loss to the Jazz on Saturday moved the Sixers to second in the Eastern Conference standings, just ahead of Boston. The Sixers are 48-22, and the Celtics are 49-23.

Tyrese Maxey scored 31 and Tobias Harris scored 24.

Aaron Nesmith scored a career-high 25 points with the Pacers but fell to 32-39.

On the second night of the streak, the Sixers lost James Harden (recovering from injury) and PJ Tucker (sore left ankle). Indiana’s Tyrese Halliburton, Benedict Maturin and Chris Duarte were sidelined with injuries.

Here are some thoughts on the Sixers winning final game on a 3-0 road trip.

Melton a stellar alternative starter

The Sixers started DeAnthony Melton and Danuel House Jr. in place of Harden and Tucker. It was House’s third start as a Sixer and first appearance since November 19.

Myles Turner scored Indiana’s first four points and the Sixers struggled early in both ends. Melton and House failed to connect in transition and missed a quick attack opportunity. After House reversed and missed a try on his layup, Jordan Nuwolla scored his 3-pointer in the corner to propel the Pacers to his 12-4 lead.

When Sixers head coach Doc Rivers called a timeout, his team quickly gave Indiana a 14-0 run. That spurt included threes by Maxxie, House and Harris, and Melton’s layup from coast to coast. The Sixers’ defense has also improved significantly. House did a solid job in possession against Turner in the post, forcing a well-contested mistake, with Melton picking up TJ McConnell’s pocket twice. The 24-year-old turned his second stolen base into a buzzing dunk to give the Sixers his 34-24 lead. He’s clearly a great player if you want to extend a few good possessions into a big gameshift run.

In 34 quality minutes, Melton had 14 points, six steals, five assists and five rebounds.

Maxxie is dangerous everywhere

To start the second quarter, the Sixers used Maxie in a typical Harden location with four bench players.

He was very strong and confident in the role. His third-year guard scored smoothly at all three levels, scoring 22 points in the first half on 9-for-11 shooting.Maxxie’s obvious ability to score from anywhere is his He scored a career-high 44 points against the Raptors at the end of October. He performed a variety of tricks including left-handed lay-ins, bank-in runners and fluid pull-up threes.

Harris, Shake Milton and Georges Niang also produced efficient offense with 38 points in the Sixers’ second quarter. However, with Embiid on the bench, the team’s defense was expected to drop. Paul Reed committed his two quick fouls, leading to Dwayne Dedmon’s first stint in the rotation since the Sixers signed him over a month ago. The 33-year-old played just under three of his minutes in the second quarter. Reed recorded swell time in the fourth inning and scored 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting.

Jalen McDaniels is back after missing the last two games with a right hip contusion. His move seemed tentative at times, but when the Pacers stuck with a Milton-Embiid pick-and-roll and left him free for an and-one layup, McDaniels took the Sixers’ final first-quarter possession. profited from McDaniels finally scored him 7 in 16 minutes.

Embiid with full command

Embiid drew a double team all night from his office on the nail and was happy to find an open shooter.

He also had no problem swinging a midrange jumper in isolation against Turner. Sixers all-time scoring list. When the Pacers sent more aggressive help to Embiid on the Sixers’ next possession, he swung the ball to Melton on left field. Melton selflessly moved it to Maxxie, who’s corner three extended the Sixers’ lead to 15 points.

Considering how well Embiid and the Sixers shot their free throws, we already knew their talent was inferior and that other teams arguably have the best players on the court. A significant flaw should be particularly demoralizing for an opponent you already know.The Sixers entered Saturday night with an NBA-best 83.4 free throw percentage. After 10 out of 13 games, Embiid has an 85.5% finish this season.

Impressively, the Sixers needed Embiid for 0 minutes in the 4th quarter on a back-to-back sweep. Charlotte and Indiana. If they beat the Bulls in Philadelphia on Monday, they’ll have the longest winning streak of the season.