Adrian Fedkiw
A month ago in Cleveland, the Philadelphia 76ers gave LeBron James something to think about on the billboards and scoreboard.
Now the Sixers have an opportunity to give him even something more to ponder by leapfrogging him and the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference standings on Friday night.
Ben Simmons had 16 points, seven assists and six rebounds, J.J. Redick scored a team-high 25 points and the 76ers held off the Detroit Pistons 115-107 for their 12th straight win on Wednesday night.
16 PTS / 7 AST / 6 REB
Highlights from @BenSimmons25‘s night against Detroit. #HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/66eqNKkNaG
— x – Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 5, 2018
The Sixers have the second best record in the NBA since Christmas (34-12) and even without Joel Embiid, they’ve rattled off three consecutive wins during his absence. But the Cavaliers are going to be the barometer for the Sixers without their star big man. Only two of Philadelphia’s 12 victories during its torrid stretch have come against winning teams and that does not include the trio of triumphs it has recorded without Jojo.
Friday could be yet another statement.
The Sixers and Cavaliers are currently tied (48-30) for the No. 3 seed in the East with the winner obviously jumping ahead. The Indiana Pacers are two games behind both teams for the third and fourth seeds. With Philadelphia sporting a 27-11 mark at Wells Fargo Center this year, home court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs will be pivotal, especially if The Process won’t be back.
Here they come!
You can follow Adrian Fedkiw on Twitter (@AdrianFedkiw) and e-mail him at [email protected]. Subscribe to The Bitter Birds on YouTube here. Follow Philly Influencer on Twitter (@PHL_Influencer), Facebook and Instagram.