By: Kylan Watson

After beating the Utah Jazz on Saturday night, the Philadelphia 76ers continued the west coast swing of their six-game road trip in Portland. They faced a Trailblazers squad that had a two-game win streak. Both teams traded blows in this contest, but thanks to a second quarter scoring explosion Philly beat Portland 125-103. With the win the Sixers push their win streak to four games.

The Sixers found their offensive rhythm early in this contest. They were able to find the bottom of the bucket early and often in this contest. Joel Embiid (37 points) (season high) and Tyrese Maxey (23 points) combined for 60 of Philly’s 125 points. For Embiid in particular this was his best game of the season so far, he was able to attack Portland’s defensive scheme on all three levels of the court. When he has it working on both sides of the court like he did tonight, Embiid elevates the Sixers to an unstoppable team that is hard to scheme against.

Philly currently has a 10-3 record in the last 13 games that they have played and in tonight’s game they won it on the defensive side of the floor. The Sixers were able to force Portland to turn the ball over 24 times in this contest and they scored 20 plus points off those turnovers. In the last four games the Sixers have turned up their defensive pressure on the opposing team and that has helped them win games.

For example, in tonight’s contest Kelly Oubre Jr. had 8 steals in this contest and scored 15 points in this game. Oubre Jr has become a defensive menace throughout this season and has held his own against some of the best offensive players in the league. His continued development as a wing defender has created one of the strongest perimeter defensive duos in the Embiid Era. Philly has been missing a consistent wing defender and if Oubre Jr. can become that dependable defender, then the Sixers will be able to have one of the best defensive teams in the association.

Portland tried its best to stay in this game and make it difficult for the Sixers, but after the first quarter Philly was able to diagnose what they were doing on the defensive side and still put points on the board. In addition, they implemented a three-two zone anchored by Embiid and Guerschon Yabusele which stifled Portland’s offense.

As a result, the Sixers were able to pull away in this contest and have their best team performance of the season.  Philly’s continued improvement on the defensive end has popped off the screen and the court during these last four games. They are a top three team in deflections in the league, and with Embiid back anchoring the line-up they have one of the best defensive ratings in the association as well.

Sixers Head Coach Nick Nurse has clearly emphasized being active defenders and it has paid dividends over the past few games, and if the Sixers can continue to improve on the defensive end, they will be a finals contender in the loaded Eastern Conference.

Philly will now prepare for the first half of their California back-to-back in Sacramento, as they face a reeling Kings squad on Wednesday night. Philly will need to continue being active perimeter defenders against a Sacramento team that has a variety of shooters and athletic guards. The Sixers will have to stay in great defensive position and avoid foul trouble.

In addition, the Sixers will need to continue to cash in on the high-percentage shooting opportunities created off their ball movement. Like they did in tonight’s contest where they created multiple easy shooting opportunities for their teammates. The Trailblazers were not able to focus on any of the Sixers key players because everybody was able to put points on the board in this game.

Implementing these things into their game plan for Wednesday night should put them in great position to win their 14^th game of the season and extend their win streak to five games.