Last Saturday, the Sixers were able to grab a lead inside the final three minutes on the road against a team with an 18-game winning streak. Entering the game tonight against Denver, the transitive property would suggest that they had a decent chance to walk away with a win tonight at home against a team having lost nine of their last ten.
Well, it doesn’t always work like that in sports but it did tonight as Philadelphia shot their way past Denver, 105-97. Riding a big second quarter, which saw them outpace the Nuggets by 15 points, the Sixers won their third straight home game.
Hollis Thompson was the star tonight, converting his first eight shots from the field to help the Sixers get out to such a good first-half start. He finished with a career-high 23 points, and his quick start helped the Sixers take a 61-40 lead into halftime. Thompson did all his work off the bench for the Sixers, a role he has taken on as of late.
The lead would grow to 28 before Denver woke up and started to chip away at the lead. Their big cushion they built in the first half allowed them to still get by with the victory, despite having been outscored in both the third and fourth quarters by a combined margin of 14 points.
Danilo Gallinari led the way for the Nuggets with 22 points, coming off the bench just like the Sixers’ leading scorer. Among four total Nuggets to reach double figures was Chester native and former Big 5 standout for Saint Joseph’s Jameer Nelson. He was actually making his second trip to Philadelphia this season, doing so earlier as a member of the Mavericks, but this was the first time he had a chance to play in front of Philadelphians as he tallied zero minutes last game.
A key to the Sixers’ effective offense was ball distribution. Philadelphia registered 26 assists on their 31 made baskets. They also maintained an even 1:1 assists-to-turnover ratio, something they’ve emphasized doing lately and can be attributed as a big factor for the recent home success.
Among other Sixers standouts were Michael Carter-Williams and Robert Covington. Carter-Williams recorded his third game in the last five contests with at least two categories of double-figures. Covington contributed 17 points in 29 minutes of action. The Sixers shot above 40% from three (40.7%) for the second time in three games, an area they struggled in early.
The Sixers well get a few days of rest before heading north to face Boston on Friday night. Tip-off takes place at 7:30 p.m. that evening.
