What to make of the Sixers’ early season road woes
On Sunday evening, the Philadelphia 76ers found themselves back in the win column, routing the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-95. Coming off two straight road losses against sub .500 opponents, the Sixers were desperate for a win and weren’t going to get swept on the road by a team they just narrowly defeated five days earlier.
The Sixers, with all five of their regular starters back in the lineup, came out firing, scoring a season-high 33 points in the first quarter. Tobias Harris led the way with 27 points on 12/14 shooting, while Ben Simmons recorded a double-double, chipping in 10 points to go along with 11 assists.
The win was an encouraging one, as the Sixers finally looked back to being the team we saw start the year 5-0. They distributed the ball (33 assists to Cleveland’s 14), shot the rock well (54.8 percent from the field), and locked down the Cavs on defense (Held Cleveland to 37.8 percent shooting). For the first time this year, the Sixers didn’t play down to their competition on the road, as they controlled the game from the tip and never looked back.
The team’s road woes have been no secret, as they’re a disappointing 4-5 when they’re not playing at the Wells Fargo Center. Their first road trip was one to forget as they went 1-3 during that slate against some tough west coast opponents. This three-game set wasn’t much easier, as they almost got swept by all sub .500 teams.
So what should we make of these early season hiccups on the road?
Well, first of all, the Sixers have played the most road games out of any NBA team so far (9), so some jet lag and lackluster play are to be expected. Also, the Sixers have had some bad luck with injuries and Embiid’s suspension as they’ve only had six total games where all five regular starters have played together, and that’s including the Jazz game where Simmons only played ten minutes before injuring his shoulder. When Simmons, Richardson, Harris, Horford, and Embiid all start and finish a game together, they’re 4-1. The fact that they have already played eight games without all five starters playing together is unfortunate and just simply unpredictable.
Now, what’s impressive is that in those games without the regular starting five, they’re 4-4, so even though the bench has gotten some heat for their lack of productivity, they have answered the call when needed to and kept this team afloat.
At the moment, the Sixers now have their normal starting lineup back in the fold and they play their next nine of 12 games at home, a place where they’re undefeated this season (4-0). Also, after two long early-season road trips, the Sixers enjoy a schedule where they travel the second least out of any NBA team.
So, even though we have seen the Sixers struggle a bit early on, we must take into consideration the erratic and irregular circumstances that have come with this team’s first thirteen games.
