It's hard to remember the last Philadelphia 76ers game that left you feeling good about nearly everybody on the whole team. Every other game this year — even the couple good ones — has had at least one or two players who left you fuming, frustrated, incredulous. Not in this one, really — just about every one of the 12 Sixers who played against the Minnesota Timberwolves last night had a couple moments that left you smiling. And of course, it helps everyone's likability when you actually get the win, as the Sixers did in this one, by a final margin of 109-99.
Everyone balled. Nik Stauskas balled, only hitting two shots but handlign well out of the pick and roll and playing ever-improving defense. Carl Landry balled, hitting 8-11 from the field and ending a team-high +19 for the night. Isaiah Canaan balled, hitting a three in his first seconds of game action and assisting on another big one to Hollis Thompson (who also balled) to start the fourth. Nerlens Noel balled, nearly ending up with a (super-weak) double-double with 10 points and nine boards, to go with three blocks and one rocket dish to T.J. McConnell (who friggin' balled, with a 9-6-4 and six steals in 18 minutes off the bench) for an easy look under the basket. And Jahlil Okafor, after balling so hard in his first matchup against 2015 #1 overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns, balled once more in this one, showing KAT up both on a fadeaway that left him stumbling under the basket, and an and-one where Oak went straight through him for a layup.
But tonight was about two Ballers most of all: Richaun Holmes and Ish Smith. Holmes took his Dunk Guy persona to its logical extreme tonight, dunking just about everything in sight (and laying up the rest), just absolutely indomitable at the rim, against a solid and deep Minnesota front line. He was menacing on the defensive end, as well, skying for one block and getting a goaltend called on another, even though Holmes really just had jumped higher than he should've been able to for the clean block. He ended with 17 points in 18 minutes, and a whole lot of "are we sure HE isn't one of the big guys we've taken in the top ten the last few years?" type second look from stunned fans. With Landry and Holmes playing so well, Brett Brown was able to sit Nerlens for most of the fourth, and Jahlil sat out the final frame entirely — though it didn't seem like he or anyone else smarted over Brown riding the bench guys.
And Ish Smith, after a two-game spell of uncharacteristic badness, returned to being That Good Ish against Minnesota. The Wolves' perimeter defenders, perhaps mistaking him for their own bricklayer Ricky Rubio, sagged off Ish in the halfcourt, and he made them pay time and time again in the fourth quarter with an array of mid-range jumpers and long twos — four of 'em in the final five minutes alone. He ended up with 21 points and 11 dimes on 9-16 shooting, and certainly gave the Philly Phaithful something to cheer about besides the imminent return of Elton Brand (who was in the building tonight), certainly. Even more importantly, he made sure the Sixers kept pushing the pace in the fourth quarter, getting clean looks in transition rather than strangling the O with force-fed post-ups and ineffective dribble drives.
So, 4-33 on the season, and now 3-3 in the Ish Smith era. Next up for the Sixers on this six-game homestand: Only four of the top five teams in the Eastern Conference, with the Hawks, Raptors, Cavs, and Bulls all stopping by, in that order, starting this Thursday. Wins may be tough to come by for a little while, so it was smart of the Sixers to go and grab the W last night when they actually had a chance. That's veteran leadership for you (presumably).