The Philadelphia 76ers extended their win streak to six games last week after dominating performances over the Washington Wizards, the Detroit Pistons twice, and the Charlotte Hornets. Philadelphia has moved up since last week to the three seed in the Eastern Conference, just a half-game behind the Milwaukee Mucks, and two behind the Boston Celtics. The competition for this week of play ramps up, but the Sixers have shown all the signs of a contender so far this year.
The Sixer’s Hot Six-Game Win Streak
Just a week ago, the 76ers dominated the Wizards at home with a 146-101 victory. The team followed up with wins against the Pistons on the road on Wednesday and at home on Friday, 129-111 and 124-92, respectively. Lastly, Philadelphia traveled to Charlotte and beat the Hornets 135-82. While last week’s four games were against lackluster opponents, the Sixers came away with meaningful wins in an assertive manner. Philadelphia clamped down on an area that they struggled in earlier this season, team defense. The team answered by allowing an average of a mere 96.5 points to their four opponents last week. Not to mention, Joel Embiid is proving again why he is an MVP-level player, averaging 38 points and 12.5 rebounds in last week’s games. This impressive stretch will need to continue as they face tougher opponents and continue to make the quest to the one seed.
Philadelphia Hosts Three Straight Opponents This Week
Monday, the 76ers will play the Chicago Bulls at home, their seventh-consecutive game against a team with a losing record. However, this stretch is interrupted by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. This game will be interesting to see how the Sixers fare against one of the better teams in the Western Conference, and even the entire league. Finally, the Toronto Raptors head to Philadelphia before the 76ers’ two-game break before playing the Miami Heat on Christmas Day. While the Raptors and Bulls have only won a combination of 6 games on the road out of 24 this season, the Timberwolves pose a real threat to snap the Sixers’ win-streak. Even though it has been the Embiid show this season, other players on the team have been contributing just as much as the team needs, and the team’s defense needs to continue to succeed this upcoming week.
