Sixers beat Suns 100-88, Niang hits 7 from beyond

SOUTH PHILADELPHIA - The Sixers came into tonight on a two-game losing skid, and questioning if their superstar center would even take the floor. Take the floor he did, after being sidelined for the past few games with what was described as a “Non Covid-19 related Illness”, Joel Embiid returned in a big way, Dropping 33 and 10 on a 1st place Phoenix Suns squad.

A lot of struggles have arisen early this season for the Sixers, however many of them seemed to be afterthoughts tonight. For example; the lack of defensive proficiency, tonight may have just been the squad’s single best defensive game to this point in the young season. Another was the constant struggles from the bench, though it was pretty much a one-man show with Georges Niang going 7-10 from beyond with all 21 of his points coming from behind the arc. And finally, the offensive inconsistency that had reared it’s ugly head on multiple occasions, seemed to stay at bay for the majority of the contest. The Sixers maintained a steady flow and were able to score easily at times, though the lead was almost floured late in the 3rd, they pulled back out and began to distance themselves as the 4th quarter came and went.

The Sixers pulled something off tonight that not many teams can do in today’s NBA. realizing the struggles his bench has experienced as of late, Doc Rivers worked a tight 9-man rotation. 9 and 8-man rotations are usually reserved for playoff scenarios but coach Rivers put the trust in his guys tonight and they showed out for him. Despite the shortened rotation, the Sixers still saw minimal production from most of their bench. While Joel Embiid and Georges Niang provided the majority of the squad’s points for the night.

Nights like this where the defense flows will come, but certainly not on a nightly basis. The Sixers will not be able to rely on 90-100 points a night every time out. We’ve seen dramatic improvement from this team already, now it’s the offense’s turn to flip a switch. And we will see if they do so this Thursday when Joel Embiid and company will pay a visit to Trae Young and the Hawks down in the 404.