All eyes were on the 76ers' shiny new toys as four of GM Elton Brand's latest acquisitions made their debut in South Philadelphia on Friday night, but it was a familiar face that lit up the scoresheet in the Sixers' 117-110 win against the Nuggets.
All eyes were on the 76ers’ shiny new toys as four of GM Elton Brand‘s latest acquisitions made their debut in South Philadelphia on Friday night, but it was a familiar face that lit up the scoresheet in the Sixers’ 117-110 win against the Nuggets to split the season series. JJ Redick missed Philadelphia’s last two games with a fever, and he remained blistering hot in his return – scoring the most points of his short Sixers career to date (34).
At one point the 76ers held a 16 point lead before a horrific second quarter allowed the Nuggets to tie the game up at half. Philadelphia overcame their early struggles as the team’s new starting five scored 97 total points in the victory.
Turning Point
- Joel Embiid didn’t play against the Nuggets last month and was listed as questionable headed into Friday’s game. Battling sickness, the All-Star center clearly wasn’t himself (he was 4 for 17 from the field) but his block with less than two minutes left in the fourth effectively sealed the win.
- On the possession immediately following his big block, Embiid hit a sweet jumper to put the Sixers up six.
Standout Star
- After sitting against Sacramento and Toronto due to illness, Redick came out firing against the Nuggets and had a career night (his second-most points ever). At one point the 34-year-old sharpshooter was a perfect six for six from beyond the arc.
- The Duke product now has nine games in which he’s made at least five threes this season.
- It was good to see Redick back on the floor and making a big impact. JJ’s been overlooked a bit amidst the post-trade deadline chatter, but he’s just as important a piece for the 76ers moving forward as Tobias Harris or anyone else.
Reason to Cheer
- Harris looked comfortable in his initial outing as starting power forward, involving himself as much as he could in the Sixers offense, even bringing the ball up the court once or twice off the break while Simmons slid into position on the post. Harris’ line: 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal in 32 minutes.
- Jimmy Butler was flawless from the free throw line, converting all 14 attempts en route to scoring 22 points to go along with 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
- New 3-and-D wing James Ennis was two for two from downtown in 14 minutes off the bench.
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Cause for Tears
- Philadelphia entered the second quarter with a 10 point lead that Denver erased by the end of the period, heading into half tied up at 56.
- The Nuggets’ comeback was fueled by an 11-0 run that snowballed into a 20-4 outburst to finish the second.
- Denver’s Nikola Jokic had monster night against the 76ers (stop me if you’ve heard this before), putting up another triple-double in the loss (27 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists).
- Ben Simmons nearly had as many turnovers (9) as points (12).
Up next
- The Sixers take on the Los Angeles Lakers at Wells Fargo Center on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
- Philadelphia won their last matchup against the Lakers, a 121-105 road victory on Jan. 29. That night Los Angeles was without star LeBron James, who is now back in L.A.’s lineup after suffering a groin injury on Christmas Day. The four-time NBA MVP is expected to play this weekend.
Joe Trinacria covers the Sixers for NJ.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jtrinacria.