For the third time in their first five games, the Sixers took on a team pretty much at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, and for the third time this year, they managed to pull out a victory. After being embarrassed against the Celtics on Tuesday night, the Sixers came out tonight and at least played better, as they held on for a 97-94 win against the New Jersey Nets.
Much like the other Sixer wins this year, it wasn't necessarily the prettiest thing in the world, but it still counts as a win. The Nets could only field eight players today, which certainly helped the Sixers, especially when Eduardo Najera ended up in foul trouble in the first quarter. Despite that, Elton Brand, Thaddeus Young and Samuel Dalembert were all pretty much held in check by New Jersey, as the backcourt of Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams carried the starters. I have to say, I'm impressed with the way Williams has played so far this season, and he showed his athletic ability again tonight, scoring 18 points, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out six assists, with no turnovers. This is the kind of play from the point that the Sixers are going to need. Again, he also has to show it against the better teams in the NBA, but at least he's showing that he can in fact start in this league.
Andre Iguodala had another good game as well, dropping in 16 with four rebounds and four assists. While he hasn't had that game where he's carried the Sixers on his back yet, he's been consistent in the young season, and his abilities helped get Philadelphia a win tonight. The Sixers also got some help off their bench, as Jason Kapono did exactly what he was brought to Philadelphia to do, dropping four of six three point attempts and scoring 14 points, while Marreese Speights had ten points and three boards in 18 minutes. Speights and Kapono have been nice players off the bench, while Jason Smith is starting to come into his own as well, scoring nine points and pulling in three rebounds tonight.
Overall, it wasn't a great game by either side, but the Sixers managed to pull out the win and drop the Nets to 0-6 on the season. The defense for Philadelphia still wasn't great, as New Jersey shot 47% from the field, but the offense did well, trumping New Jersey with a 50% success rate on their shots tonight. I'm still not going to be convinced how solid this team is until they actually manage to beat a few good teams, but for now, I'll take beating up on the weaker teams to make themselves look good. It's something, at least.
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