Think fast: Which is more rare in the NBA these days? Back-to-back wins by the 76ers or a matchup of talented young centers?
Whatever the answer, both happened Monday in Philadelphia. The 76ers beat the Heat 101-94 for their first back-to-back wins since March of 2015.
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The 76ers got a big effort from their enigmatic centerpiece Joel Embiid, who came up with 22 points in 23 minutes. And they needed all of them as his counterpart, Miami's Hassan Whiteside, was giving them all they could handle. Whiteside finished with 32 points and 13 rebounds.
Philadelphia went 107 games between consecutive wins, which stands as the longest such streak in NBA history.
The Sixers are now 4-10, which is far from a winning record. But for a franchise that has been hampered by bad luck for the last several years, it feels like things are finally turning around. A lot of it starts with Embiid, who is thriving despite being restricted on just how long he can play.
"I think I can help the team so much more by being on the floor," Embiid told reporters after the game, "but I trust those guys and you’ve just got to trust the process."
If Embiid stays healthy and keeps playing like this, it will be hard to keep him on the bench. Sounds like a good problem to have.
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Stud of The Night
When you talk about talented young big men in the NBA, Karl-Anthony Towns is definitely near the top of the list. The Timberwolves center carried the load in his team's 99-93 loss to the Celtics, scoring 27 points and pulling down 18 rebounds.
Dud of The Night
The Pacers won this "honor" as a team. The Pacers came out on the wrong end of a 120-83 score against the Warriors. Playing without several key players, including Miles Turner and Paul George, the Pacers shot just 32 percent from the field.
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Tweet of The Night
🚨🚨🚨BUZZER BEATER ALERT 🚨🚨🚨
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) November 22, 2016
End of 1Q:
LAC 23 | TOR 19#ItTakesEverything pic.twitter.com/BdWRiC1qLW
Looking Ahead
Thunder (8-6) at Lakers (7-7) 10:30 P.M.: The Human Triple-Double, aka Russell Westbrook, will take his team into Los Angeles where the young Lakers are nearly halfway to their win total from last season. With the Lakers' young talent, it should be a fun game at Staples Center.