Sixers Notes: Brown's team forges its own personality

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The 76ers have established an identity.

Win or lose, they're known for playing with energy, getting up and down the floor and going to the rim.

"To come in and have the responsibility to try to build a culture and create a system and coach new guys and bring new guys in as a team, I'm proud of where we are at," first-year coach Brett Brown said.

In the new year, the Sixers are winning, as well. On Wednesday night, they posted a 114-102 victory over Denver at the Pepsi Center.

The win came after a road victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night, giving the Sixers back-to-back triumphs.

The Sixers improved to 3-13 on the road heading into Thursday night's game against the Kings. They were enjoying their first winning streak since beating Miami, Washington, and Chicago to start the season.

The Sixers have only six players from last season's squad. Two of them - Arnett Moultrie (ankle) and Jason Richardson (knee) - have yet to play because of injuries. Rookie free-agent forward Brandon Davies signed right before the start of the season. Free-agent guard Elliot Williams and rookie guard Lorenzo Brown, who is playing for the Delaware 87ers, were acquired by the Sixers on Nov. 20.

"Just being thrown together for the last 31/2 months, and to lead the NBA in pace [at 105.5 possessions per game] . . . we said [that was a goal] from day one," Brown said. "And we've done that."

In the process, they are playing a little bit better than expected.

The Sixers, who were picked by many to finish last in the NBA, headed into Thursday's game with a 10-21 record.