Skip to content
Sixers
Link copied to clipboard

Sixers regroup for rare road win

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Sunday's 76ers-Kings game was played at Sleep Train Arena. Neither team needed any training when it came to defense, as they slept through that part of the game most of the night.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - When a road losing streak as long as the one endured by the 76ers is about to come to an end, usually strange happenings surround it.

The game against Sacramento began with former King Spencer Hawes getting lustily booed, and ended with the light-scoring Sixers posting 117 points in a 117-103 victory, thus ending their 15-game road skid and improving to 27-42.

The demonstrative crowd took out their anger on Hawes for his comments about the organization's impending move to Seattle. Hawes said he was in favor of such a move, mainly because he grew up in Seattle and was a huge SuperSonics fan.

So when he touched the ball for the first time at Sleep Train Arena, the crowd erupted. Hawes responded with a 20-footer for the first two points of the game. He ended up with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

"I like that. I'm a little bit different so that stuff told me it was going to be fun," said Hawes. "It made the game have a little bit more extra meaning."

As if ending 15-game losing streak wasn't enough incentive, but the Sixers played with purpose. They got balanced scoring, tough defense when needed and great bench performances from Dorell Wright (22 points) and Lavoy Allen (20).

Jrue Holiday collected 21 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and five steals, Damien Wilkins added 17 points and Thaddeus Young had 14 for the Sixers.

"We were too frenetic to start the game," said coach Doug Collins, whose team fell behind by 31-22 after 12 minutes. "We took 27 shots in the first quarter and I told our guys that we can't play at that pace. We took 21 shots in the second quarter and I think 12 free throws and scored 36 points. They had 11 points off turnovers in the first half and they wound up with 13. So 31 assists and nine turnovers [for the game]."

The better play by the Sixers of late - winners of four of seven - has been a direct result of the ball-sharing that they have exhibited. That was never more evident than it was Sunday with six players in double figures in scoring.

"It was a great feeling to go out there and play as a team," said Wright, who made six of 10 three-pointers and also dealt six assists. "The No. 1 thing was ending all those losses. It felt good, the ball moved around, everybody got shots in their spots. It's a good win, a real good win."

But against a high-scoring team like the Kings, who have averaged 110 since the All-Star break, leads are about as safe as being a high-seed in this year's NCAA Tournament. So when the game got a little scattered with a couple minutes to play and the Sixers holding a seemingly comfortable lead, it felt anything but comfortable.

"That's the NBA," said Wright. "When you're playing a team like that who scores that many points and guys can get hot at any time, they shoot a lot of threes and that's part of the game. That had a lot to do with it, but I think we did a good job of closing the game out."

Diminutive Isaiah Thomas paced the Kings with 25 points, while Marcus Thornton came off the bench for 22. Chester's Tyreke Evans scored 19 points and dealt eight assists for Sacramento, which fell to 25-46.

As the teams showered and headed out of the building, fans were still standing and cheering for the city in hopes of saving their beloved franchise. For the first time since Jan. 1, the away crowd wasn't cheering because of a win against the Sixers.

"It finally feels good to win on the road," said Collins. "I'm so happy with our guys, especially the way they bounced back after that tough, tough loss in Denver. It shows a lot about our guys at this stage of the season to come out and fight.

"And I love Spencer. They were booing him all night and the first time he comes out and touches the ball he knocked in a 20-foot jump shot. It was good for Spencer. It was just a great win for us."