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76ers top Kings to earn first back-to-back wins since November

Lavoy Allen tries for the loose ball with the Kings' DeMarcus Cousins during the second quarter at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Friday, February 1, 2013. (Steven M. Falk/Staff Photographer)

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John N. Mitchell, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Posted: Friday, February 1, 2013, 10:05 PM

The drought, at last, is over.

The 76ers, in search of back-to-back wins for what has seemed an eternity, defeated the Sacramento Kings on Friday at the Wells Fargo Center, 89-80, giving the team its first two-game winning streak in more than two months.

Before Friday, the Sixers (20-26) hadn't won games in succession since sweeping a trio of games against Phoenix, Dallas, and Charlotte from Nov. 25 to 30.

The only team in the league to have a longer such stretch is Charlotte, which started an 18-game losing streak the same week the Sixers last won back-to-back games before Friday night.

To secure the win, the Sixers needed big games out of Thaddeus Young (23 points, 15 rebounds), Jrue Holiday (21 points, 7 assists, and 8 turnovers), and Nick Young (20 points). The game marked the third time in the last five games that the Sixers have had three players score 20 or more.

But the Sixers, who defeated woeful Washington on Wednesday, had to overcome the complacency that has been a problem for them.

Bumbling their way through a stretch of the third and fourth quarters, the Sixers allowed the Kings (17-31) a 34-14 run. That surge turned what had been a cozy, 58-40 lead into a 73-72 Kings advantage and had the crowd of 17,927 fearing the worst with 10 minutes, 35 seconds remaining.

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But a 17-2 Sixers run, capped by a Holiday layup with 3:56 remaining, killed any hope that the Kings might earn their sixth road win of the season.

"We sure don't make things easy, do we?" Sixers coach Doug Collins said. "We got off to a decent start in the third quarter, and then we just started throwing the ball around."

Collins said the insertion of the team's "better defensive players" - such as Royal Ivey and Lavoy Allen - proved to be the difference down the stretch. They helped hold Sacramento to just 12 points in the fourth quarter.

"We started hitting shots, and they were missing shots," Holiday said when asked what turned the game in the Sixers' favor down the stretch. "They got a lot of fast-break points in the third quarter. We kind of cut that out with our defense down the stretch. We played defense down the stretch really well."

The Kings were led by Chester's Tyreke Evans, who led all scorers with 29 points. Backcourt mate Isaiah Thomas added 24 points for the Kings (17-31), losers of six of their last seven games.

The win came in the third game of a season-long eight-game homestand for the Sixers, who host Orlando on Monday. They are 2-1 on the stand, their lone loss coming against Memphis in a game they led by 17 points.

"Overall it's a good win for us," Thaddeus Young said. "We'll take it and try to go out and get this next one. We let one get away, but it feels like we are starting to turn a corner."

Contact John N. Mitchell at jmitchell@philly.com, or follow on Twitter @JmitchInquirer.

John N. Mitchell INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

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Comments (72)

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:41 PM, 02/01/2013

Here we go again, winning meaningless games and earning a meaningless #8 playoff seed and the Zumoff-erreds dancing the Can-can about how great this "young core" is, led by "our All-Star point guard". Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Only this time that #8 date before the Heat terminators will cost a #1 draft pick, thereby guaranteeing yet another year with an 8th rate roster. Stop it. Just stop it.

Occupy the WFC.
Demand that the organization builds a real team with a real chance.
Don't settle for this.

§

— Quixote II

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:59 PM, 02/01/2013

"Zumoff-ettes" (Sorry).

— Quixote II

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 12:24 AM, 02/02/2013

While one should be happy that this new starting lineup is getting more productive with back to back wins (albeit against bottom feeders, with tonight's team 3,000 miles from their hometown, which will change next season anyway)...one still notices the tight first half rotation that burned the effective starters into a sloppy second half, and a bench that gave the team but 7 points for the whole game....This fan's still looking for a change to the roster. Can't help but notice the excitement generated (sellout in Toronto)in Rudy Gy's first game with the Raptors, as they handed the Clippers a backyard beating...Maybe we get a dose of that in 3 weeks?...I say let's get greedy and make it 3 in Nik Vucevic's first trip back on Monday, cause Wednesday's date with Indiana at the WFC ain't gonna be pretty...Wondering where Tyreke will be playing next year, as that guy's talented... Loved seeing N Young get to FT line, as he's money from the stripe.

— bearsfriend

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:27 AM, 02/02/2013

Hope NH treating you well Dan. Agree re Nick getting FTs...finally someone that looks a little Lou-like! DC needs a backup PG...Evan is terrible, looks slow, sloppy passes, pouting again. Hope all,the calls for Evan as PG of future are over. Spence is so inconsistent, no growth from him, afraid he is a role player for life. I have noticed Lavoy making extra effort on boards even if it is just keeping it alive as he did last night.
Cousins looked awful, slow and disinterested. Tyreke is a scorer, a bull...he sure took Evan to school.

— JBP

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:26 AM, 02/02/2013

So Turner involves his teamates at the expense of taking his own shots, turns the ball over half the time that Holiday does, and he's the problem at the point? Makes no sense. And he got torched by Evans last night, true, but Evans would have torched anyone that night, and did, because he also scored a fair amount when Turner was on the bench too. But Turner is out there every night guarding the opposing teams best guard/forward, gets no credit at all from Collins, watches Jrue expend absolutely no effort on the defensive end, gets to do whatever he wants on the offensive end, and then gets praised to high heavens. How would you feel if that were you? Did anyone notice that when the Kings made their comeback, it was while Turner was mostly on the bench? That happens a lot, where the Sixers can't keep a lead, and Collins is forced to put ET back in. And you can see by the look on Doug's face he doesn't want to do it, but he has to.

— mjc1

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:32 AM, 02/02/2013

Thanks, this place is pretty, but f__ing cold.

— bearsfriend

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:02 AM, 02/02/2013

Holiday is NOT a all-star yet! Way too many turnovers and poor shot selection at times. This team is not very good and until either the players or Collins wakeup they are at best no more than a 500 team. I think ET will never be the player he was in college and maybe trading him could make ths roster better. I don't think getting AB back is the big fix. I would take a chance with Cousins for the right price because he is a skilled big man who can rebounf and score. Sure don't hear much from the owners or the gm.

— bill poore

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:47 AM, 02/02/2013

I'm starting to notice true baskeball IQ is a not a strong suit with fans in this city... I'm finding out that a lot of fans have a basketball fantasy IQ. They are good at stats but don't understand the game, nor do they understand talent of players.

— male

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:02 AM, 02/02/2013

So if you invested heavily in Evan Turner (as you have), where has that gotten you?..Where do you believe his value is around the league?...A guy that possesses unique qualities to offer triple double games quite easily at times,but who needs ISO's to be effective (given,he has improved his corner 3's this year). He's still unable to beat his man off the ball in tight spaces, is unbelievable slower in second halves, and has a problem getting his shot off when being guarded by longer defenders?...Unless he's used exclusively as a big guard (where his rebounding prowess takes over) who can post up smaller guards, while maintaining a "pass first" attitude when AB arrives on the scene, it's not going to work out (because of a lack of foot speed, would be better suited playing besides a jet, like Jennings or Lawson)...Mid range has got to be his ticket, as well as minutes not going into the high 30's.

— bearsfriend

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:42 AM, 02/02/2013

You can ask the same question about Holiday. His value is higher than Turner's, but so what? Can he carry a team, put it on his back? (and I'm not talking about Washington and Sacramento, I'm talking about the good teams.)I don't see it, just like I don't see Turner able to consistently carry a team. You invested much more in Holiday than Turner, and other than ownership and the broadcast team shoving his "greatness" down our throats, is he really that great? We all keep on looking at it as if it's Holiday vs. Turner, but it's not. It's about building the best team you can, with players with varying skills working together to maximize their potential. Let's face it, to paraphrase Rick Pitino, "LeBron James isn't walking through that door; Kevin Durant isn't walking through that door." Since other than Bynum, no other great player is coming here. The team needs to work with the players they have, because they probably can't get better ones, certainly by trading Turner, who's value is minimized. I really think that a different coach is needed.

— mjc1

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:57 AM, 02/02/2013

There's not a team in the league that wouldn't want Jrue Holiday...As far as "investment", Jrue has played for peanuts for what he's given the Sixers, and his deal begins next year...More has been invested in ET, and I'm thinking no way does he get a fat extension...thus selling for a better fit (size that's blocked elswhere has been my theory for over a year now)..Regarding Jrue, his rep around the league at 22 is MUCH higher than what you're feeling right now...Not my opinion, but that of opposing broadcasters (and pundits) that I hear daily when I watch the Sixers as a now far away fan.

— bearsfriend

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:49 AM, 02/02/2013

The one interesting fact in this article was that almost 18,000 souls witnessed this game in person. How'd that happen? Was it Jesus bobble head night?

— bobcitydoc

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 8:06 AM, 02/02/2013

We don't have a back up center; Lavoy tries to give us his best impression of one night after night, but it's obvious that he's barely serviceable at that position. In fact it could be argued that we don't we really have a center at all, since Spencer was going to be the power forward after Elton left for Dallas. Of course Kwamme Brown sits on the bench with the tag as a center , but that's it. His liability as a player on the court was fully established in the game against the Lakers. They essentially ignored him, when he was an offensive player twice daring him to shoot from 5 feet out; he passed up the shot the first time and missed the second. Regardless of how good Kwame is on the defensive side of the ball, you can't play a player who offers nothing, not even a distraction on the offensive side. Sixers fans have to hope that Bynum actually leaves an impact this season, but Doug's tenure as a Sixer literally demands it. His decision to bring Kwame in, as a Sixer, is that bad.

— NMsixer

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 8:11 AM, 02/02/2013

Our mediocre team beating another mediocre team at home.

And we're supposed to be excited about that!!

— wordsword

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 8:12 AM, 02/02/2013

Holiday's turnover problems are partly attributable to playing with teammates than don't move or make themselves accessible. Case in point---Evan Turnover. Can't play at speed level. He is most comfortable on the D boards and lollying with the ball to center court. Once he crosses half court, he is like a fearful swimmer on a diving board---bleary-eyed, hesitant, and sloppy. A Buckeye lifer.

— lake

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