The Philadelphia 76ers marched in the opening night with a 113-107 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday and can thank their bench. The initial unit had difficulties when the problems started working while they were also working using a new system and the bench came in and provided a large lift.
Shake Milton added 19 points while playing a flawless defense against Wizards stars Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal, Furkan Korkmaz had 11, Tyrese Maxey had six and Dwight Howard had 10 rebounds. The Sixers needed it all to win this game as the starters off Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons struggled a bit.
“There will be games that the starting unit will play very well,” Korkmaz said Thursday after practice. “Then the second unit will play a little badly. Yesterday (Wednesday), I think the second unit did a great job. “
The second unit helped the Sixers gain a 50-37 lead at the end of the second quarter before the starters came back in and the Wizards made a great run to take advantage at the break. It was followed by the sad third quarter of Philadelphia, where the starters could not gather any buckets until 6:04 of the third quarter.
Coach Doc Rivers put the bench back in there and helped get the team back on track a bit and then they helped space the floor so Embiid could dominate the stretch.
“In the first half, we got a big lead,” Korkmaz added. “I think in the game we won 12 points in the first half, but it was a game, I think, at the end of the day winning is winning, but I think the second unit did a great job.”
For Simmons, he was glad to see his teammates increase at a great time. To get where they want to be, they will need everyone on the team to be able to step up and contribute. Not only can they be beginners every night, so it’s a good sign for them as a group.
“It’s huge,” Simmons said on the bench. “It’s great to see guys come in, perform plays and get to our stuff. Then, on the defensive side, stop and feel proud of our defensive confrontations. Everyone should be on the same page, especially if it’s the other way around. Our second group fails, the boys have to speed up. This team is based on that ”.
Performances like Wednesday’s also help relieve some of the pressure on the headlines. On nights when they won’t have it like this, the bank can come in and produce. The team has had off-the-bench fights in the past, but this is a different team right now. The bench can also push starters to perform better.
“It’s not pressure, it’s more, it feeds us,” Simmons concluded. “We also want to start. When we see them killing and it’s time to go back, we want to do the same, and that’s basketball championship. Everyone has to play their part and get it done. ”
Philadelphia will try to keep growing as a team when it faces the New York Knicks on the road on Saturday.