Brown: Day-to-day work paying off in wins for Sixers

MILWAUKEE - The NBA schedule being what it is, there really was no time for the 76ers to bask in the glory of one of their best wins of the season, when they erased a 19-point third quarter lead to beat the Los Angeles Clippers by 121-110, on Tuesday night.

Just after that victory, their ninth in 12 games, players were recharging with either food or rest on the team's charter plane, while coaches poured through film of the Milwaukee Bucks, Wednesday's opponent and a team the Sixers had just visited on Jan. 16.

"I think it's the day-to-day stuff that the players put in and the reflection of a coaching staff that I'm very proud of," coach Brett Brown said of Tuesday's improbable comeback. "We don't have new players, we don't have new plays. We feel we're doing the right thing in trying to grow the program responsibly. The only thing that has happened is that our players have improved. Their confidence has improved, because you get rewarded with some wins, closing out games. But, I think, down deep they feel we're doing the right thing at practice and in the video room and in the weight room. We're experiencing a lot of good days adding up to produce some good results.

"If we could ever have our offense reach our defense, we'd be in good shape. Right now, it's not even close. Our defense is way ahead of our offense. We're trying to take the realities of our roster and play as a team. We have to play as a team."

The NBA announced Wednesday that Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor and Dario Saric had been voted to compete in the Rising Stars Challenge game during All-Star weekend, which will take place from Feb. 17-19 in New Orleans.

The Rising Stars Challenge game pits a team of first- and second-year U.S. players against a team of first- and second-year players from around the world. The teams are selected by assistant coaches in the league. Okafor will play for the United States team, while Embiid and Saric will play for the World team. The game will be played Friday, Feb. 17, at 9 p.m.

"I am very happy about it," said Saric. "When I was young I used to watch the All-Star games and all the other events and would dream about someday being there. Now I have a chance to play against some of the best players in the world who are around my age. For me and my family, it means a lot."

"I wish that T.J. (McConnell) could have experienced that, too," said Brown. "We're 9-2 with him as a starter (before Wednesday's game). I think that T.J. McConnell should be in that game.

"But that landscape that you can't believe, and you walk into a locker room and see the 24 best players in the world. You see the festivities, you watch how guys interact. It's a wonderful learning lesson for our young guys. To be rewarded with something like that in an incredibly gifted league, I completely want them to enjoy it and learn from it and be a part of it anytime they can."

Thursday, the league will announce the rest of the Eastern and Western Conference rosters for the All-Star Game. Embiid could be named as a reserve for the Eastern Conference.

For the season, Embiid leads all rookies in scoring (19.8 points), rebounding (7.8) and blocks (2.5). Heading into Wednesday night's game against the Bucks, Okafor was third on the Sixers in scoring at 11.2 per game, while Saric has posted 9.6 points and 5.9 rebounds in 24 minutes a contest.

Okafor and Joel Embiid remained in Philadelphia after Tuesday's game after both sat out that night. Embiid has a bone bruise to his left knee after an awkward landing Friday, while Okafor is experiencing pain in his right knee.

There is no word on the availability of either for Friday's nationally televised home game against the Houston Rockets, though it would appear that Embiid should be ready by then.

cooneyb@phillynews.com

@BobCooney76

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