The 76ers returned to their home court in South Philadelphia for the first time in over nine months Tuesday…
And it was fun to watch.
The group didn’t take long to find a rhythm, and showed promising signs of newfound chemistry.
The starting unit featured Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Danny Green. Shake Milton went on to lead all scorers with 19, while many of his teammates made their (preseason) Sixers debuts.
Listen to a recap of the game on The BroadCast.
Key Contributors:
Joel Embiid
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In his 17 minutes, Embiid recorded 18 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals in the preseason opener, converting all six of his free throw attempts.
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Rivers was impressed with Embiid’s ability to make things happen:
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“We ran our stuff, but we didn’t run his stuff. And he still had 18.”
Tobias Harris
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Harris finished one board away from a double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing nine boards, along with three assists, a steal, and a block, in 26 minutes. He hit seven of his 11 field goal attempts.
Ben Simmons
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Simmons tallied 10 points, along with two rebounds, six assists, and two steals, shooting 3-for-5 from the floor and hitting four of his five free throws.
Shake Milton
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Milton scored a game-high 19 points, including 15 in the third quarter alone (6-9 FG in Q3). Milton also added four rebounds and three assists, shooting 8-for-14 from the field.
Tyrese Maxey
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In his first competitive NBA play, Maxey scored eight points and shared three assists, shooting 4-for-6 from the floor.
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Ben Simmons loved what he saw from the rookie:
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“He dominated.... To me, it’s not a surprise. It’s great to see all that work pay off. He’s going to be great, offensively and defensively. Offensively, he’s got it.”
Quote to Note:
Even without fans, Rivers said it was nice to not only be at home, but to feel at home, at The Center:
“I would still take our fans over what I heard, but… I felt like this was a home game for us, and that was nice.”
@Sixers Social:
File under: Things you love to see.
Up Next:
The Sixers are headed to Indianapolis for a Friday meeting with the Pacers, for their second and final preseason contest.
The Pacers have dropped a pair of matchups with the Cavaliers to begin their preseason.
Domantas Sabonis led the Pacers in each of the team’s first two games, tallying 16 points and 13 rebounds Saturday, and 18 points and nine rebounds Monday.