Scene Setter:
With the 76ers’ (19-9) bench coming off one of its most potent and needed performances of the season, the timing seemed right Tuesday to check in with Brett Brown, and get his thoughts on how the group has been faring lately.
In Monday’s 116-102 win over the Detroit Pistons, the Sixers’ second-stringers combined for 54 points, four games after bursting for 62 points in the club’s rout of the Washington Wizards.
The scoring totals were the two highest of the season for the bench, which Brown believes is making collective and individual progress.
Against Detroit, with more minutes available following Jimmy Butler’s early exit (groin strain), Furkan Korkmaz provided a particularly nice boost, going for a career-best 18 points and seven rebounds.
He used a pair of 3-pointers late in the first quarter to push the Sixers’ lead back to double-figures, then strung together a flurry of baskets in the fourth quarter to help put the game out of reach.
T.J. McConnell, meanwhile, was a steadying presence in the final stages of Monday’s first half. When the Pistons were in the midst of a 13-0 run, he came in, and made sure momentum stayed on the Sixers’ side.
Other members of the reserve contingent left their mark, too. Landry Shamet dialed up a triple to widen the gap to 15, 107-92, with four minutes to go, en route to finishing with 10 points.
On the heels of a spirited showing in Joel Embiid’s absence Friday at Detroit, Mike Muscala posted 10 points, two 3-pointers, and four rebounds. His improved health, according to Brown, has been one of the keys to the solidifying of the Sixers’ bench.
“The opportunity for him to play, that has helped. You’ve seen what can happen when Landry’s going, he really can help us. Furkan, him making threes, and the threat of making threes has produced better spacing and a way we can score. T.J. is T.J.”
“I think those types of people and players as an example have certainly helped our bench.”
Nearly 30 games into the season, Brown’s becoming more comfortable with his substitution patterns, but acknowledged that there are instances, depending on the personnel on the floor, that the Sixers will need their bench players to bring a scoring punch.
“When that group comes on, you need firepower, you need someone to score the basketball. We need some help, we can’t dump it all on our starters.”
Monday, Brown got precisely what he was looking for.
Opponent Outlook:
The Sixers have plenty of reasons to be wary of the the Brooklyn Nets, which beat the Sixers, 122-97, November 4th, only to give them a run for their money three weeks later. That night, Jimmy Butler came to the rescue, hitting the game-winner in a 127-125 victory at Barclays Center.
Brooklyn will arrive at The Center Wednesday coming off a back-to-back sweep of Toronto and New York last Friday and Saturday, respectively. The victories snapped the Nets’ season-high eight-game losing streak, during which five of the team’s defeats came by six points or less.
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