April 07, 2024
Daniel Dunn/USA TODAY Sports
Kelly Oubre Jr.'s hot streak continued Sunday night in San Antonio.
After dominating the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night, the Sixers completed their final back-to-back of the 2023-24 regular season in San Antonio against face rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs. It was a wild one in Texas, with several late-game swings resulting in not just one overtime period, but two.
Thanks in large part to a signature performance from Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers pulled away with a win, allowing them to leapfrog the Miami Heat into the Eastern Conference's seventh seed. If the Sixers maintain that position, they would host Miami in the Play-In Tournament, rather than having to play in an arena in which they have suffered a lot of heartbreak. They remain one game back of the Indiana Pacers for the coveted sixth seed.
Here is what jumped out from the final road game of the Sixers' season, a 133-126 win:
Lowry has rested in at least one leg of each back-to-back the Sixers have played since arriving in Philadelphia, so his absence in this one was no surprise. Embiid sitting one of the two games was always expected as well, though him logging fewer than 23 minutes on Saturday night made an appearance in San Antonio seem possible. The Sixers played it safe, though.
Harris has missed his third straight game with a knee ailment that does not appear to be a cause of any sort of long-term concern for the Sixers. Harris is expected to return soon.
Bamba missed three straight games with an illness, and his absence coinciding with Embiid's return overshadowed that Bamba was headed out of the team's regular rotation. But with Embiid resting on Sunday, Bamba found himself in line for playing time. However, unlike during Embiid's absence, it was Paul Reed who started with Bamba coming off the bench.
It has been somewhat tough sledding for Maxey of late, at least relatively speaking. Of the Sixers' last five contests entering this one, Maxey only played in three, and in those games averaged 20.0 points per game shooting just 41.4 percent from the field and 26.7 percent from beyond the arc.
There was little rationale for any sort of long-term concern about Maxey, who has become so good that it is now reasonable to shrug off minor bumps in the road like this one. Regardless, it was encouraging to see the first-time All-Star guard get back on track in this one. Even on a night when Maxey's misfortune from beyond the arc continued, he was able to heat up and provide the Sixers' offense with some much-needed stability.
Maxey masterfully weaved his way through San Antonio's defense time and time again, generating rim pressure and finishing at the basket repeatedly — including several clutch baskets that kept the Sixers alive. He had 10 extra minutes to pad his scoring total, sure, but a career-high in points and a third 50-ball in one season is a remarkable feat no matter what.
The best version of Maxey will always be one that is playing alongside Embiid, of course — and even Lowry's arrival has quickly made things considerably easier for Maxey. Maxey has not been the same efficient scorer when he is the primary focus of opposing defenses. In the long run, though, the amount of reps he has taken as the lead scoring option will do him a whole lot of good.
With Embiid, Lowry and Harris out, the Sixers needed "the others" to step up and shoulder the load offensively. Aside from Tyrese Maxey, perhaps it was obvious who would rise to the occasion: the man who has done it all season long, Oubre.
In the first quarter, the scoring aficionado poured in a dozen points on just six shot attempts — going 5-for-6 from the field and 2-2 from beyond the arc — and also grabbed three rebounds while dishing out two assists. With Maxey looking shaky to begin the night, Oubre set the tone with his characteristic assertiveness at all three levels.
It is natural, given the circumstances, that the Sixers might have trouble keeping their foot on the gas for all 48 minutes of this game: they were on the second leg of a back-to-back and the final contest of a road trip, established a healthy lead early, were without their best player and several other key contributors, they were facing a team near the very bottom of the NBA standings, and, of course, it is April.
But as the race to avoid the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament intensifies in the season's final days, the Sixers must treat every game for the remainder of the regular season as if it is a must-win contest, regardless of who is available.
On top of that, the Spurs — even without emerging star wing Devin Vassell — are far more dangerous than their record would indicate due to the massive progression Wembanyama has shown over the last few months — he has become a much-improved scorer while instantly becoming one of the league's single greatest defensive performers.
The Spurs completely dominated the Sixers on both ends of the floor in the second quarter, as the Sixers were outscored 43-20 in those 12 minutes, and after a first quarter that made things seem as if they would cruise to their fifth consecutive victory, they entered intermission trailing by 10 points.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse called an audible to start the fourth quarter, bringing Council, the two-way wing whose energy and defense have sparked the Sixers in the past, into the game. Council, whose two-way contract still has not been converted to a standard NBA deal -—without this happening, Council will not be eligible to participate in the playoffs — was able to make enough plays on both ends to justify Nurse keeping him on the floor for the guts of the game over the likes of starter Cam Payne or a key reserve like Buddy Hield. Council's efforts were rewarded with a remarkable display of trust from Nurse, and in turn that display was rewarded with increasingly impactful play.
Council made several key plays in the final moments of this one which helped the Sixers put the game away — he had 11 points, three assists, two rebounds and four steals in his 22 minutes — which just so happened to be the final 22 minutes of play: the entire fourth quarter and both overtime periods.
Council just swung another game for the Sixers. His conversion from two-way player to standard NBA player before the end of the regular season feels inevitable.
Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam
Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice
