Sixer of the Week: 10, 9, 8, 7 wins in a row, Sixers

Jan 29, 2023 - 1:00 PM

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2023 Sixer of the Week Award Winners:
James Harden - 1
Joel Embiid - 1

The NBA schedule makers only had the Philadelphia 76ers slated to play twice this week, but oh, what two games they were. Facing the Brooklyn Nets, who are maybe fast becoming the team’s biggest rival, the Sixers sprinted their way to a 137-133 win in the first-ever Joel vs. Ben bowl. Then, facing the best team in the West on Saturday, Philadelphia came back from a 15-point deficit to send two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets home packing in front of a nationally-televised audience. They were the highest of profile wins for the Sixers, who have now won seven straight and are only one game back in the loss column of first-place Boston. You had my curiosity, Sixers, but now you have my attention. Now, who will be Sixer of the Week?

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Embiid Weekly Line: 36.5 points, 14.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.5 steals, 1.0 blocks, 4.0 turnovers

You couldn’t spell SEO this week without Joel Hans Embiid, because this man was making news. His performance against Brooklyn was middling, by his lofty standards, as Joel looked a bit too caught up in the moment and didn’t play within himself at times. But he still seized headlines by getting fined $25k for his Triple H triple thrust and classic Troeling of Kevin Durant on social media. Saturday was the masterpiece, however, as he had an MVP statement performance with 47 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks in the team’s win over Denver. It’s like Embiid recognized how much the loss to Denver last March stuck in the minds of MVP voters, and decided to do whatever was necessary this time around to put the team on his back and erase any doubt to the national audience that he is the best center in the league. One of one, this man.

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Harden Weekly Line: 20.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.5 blocks, 3.0 turnovers

James Harden was a key figure this week in both of the teams’ wins. Wednesday, he made like 2008 Brad Lidge and closed out the victory in big-time fashion. Just when Brooklyn had tied the game and it looked like the Sixers might let one slip away in excruciating fashion, The Beard stepped up by stepping back for a pair of huge three-pointers. Saturday, he played a hyper-efficient game with 13 assists and zero turnovers. He also thought to jump on the court when his team was playing with four men. There was still a technical foul, of course, but that’s a man who is locked in.

As if his on-court efforts weren’t enough, Harden also starred in a movie mini-trailer this week, perfectly capturing the horror of finding Doc Rivers at your door telling you to come to practice.

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Maxey Weekly Line: 20.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.0 turnovers

There were any number of highly-talented scorers lighting up the scoreboard on Wednesday night in Philadelphia, and 22-year-old Tyrese Maxey was as impressive as any of them. The electric guard can straight up get buckets, no other way to say it. Off the catch, off the dribble, behind the arc, in the mid-range, at the rim, in transition, when things are stalled in the half court. You name it, he has a solution for how to put the ball through the rim, as we saw in his 27-point performance to lead the Sixers against Brooklyn. He was much quieter in Denver, but are you going to watch the pure joy from this young man and tell him he doesn’t deserve to be a Sixer of the Week nominee?

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Niang Weekly Line: 7.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 1.0 turnovers

Georges Niang knocked down four big threes in the win over the Nuggets, but the reason I couldn’t leave him off the list was the game against Brooklyn, when he actually didn’t score a single point. Niang drew the Ben Simmons assignment after Montrezl Harrell was getting carved up, absolutely stonewalled Ben to force a traveling call, then got in Simmons’ face and drew a technical foul against him was Ben pushed him. Shortly thereafter, Simmons was pulled from the game and sat the final nine minutes of the fourth quarter. One night later, Simmons left Brooklyn’s game with knee soreness and Jacque Vaughn seemed fed up with his player in post-game. I like to believe Georges started it all. Way to go, Minivan.