By: Kylan Watson

After beating the Los Angeles Lakers last night, the Philadelphia 76ers faced the Sacramento Kings tonight in South Philadelphia. This was another matchup with a big athletic team and thanks to a fourth quarter scoring explosion the Sixers were able to beat Sacramento 117-104. With the win Philly pushes their winning streak to four games as they continue to gain momentum heading into All-Star Break.

Unlike the last few games, the Sixers could not find their offensive rhythm early in this contest, and Sacramento took full advantage and before the Sixers could even settle into the game they were down by double digits. The Sixers finally got going thanks to their veterans who picked up their teammates who were exhausted from playing last night. Eric Gordon (14 points) Kyle Lowry (13 points) and Reggie Jackson Jr (Nine points) combined for 36 of Philly’s 117 points.

Gordon has really found his rhythm since returning from getting his wisdom teeth removed from his mouth. He has been one of the Sixers best shooters throughout this month, and if he continues to perform like this it will be hard to take him out of the starting lineup or rotation once Paul George and Caleb Martin return. His shooting has created more spacing for Tyrese Maxey and the rest of his teammates and adds another dimension to the Sixers offensive scheme.

Despite the scoring explosion from the Sixers veterans the Kings maintained a single digit half-time lead and in the third quarter pushed their advantage to 12 plus points and were threatening to run Philly off their home floor. They used their quickness advantage to attack the basket and get the Sixers defenders in foul trouble. Malik Monk (21 points) and De’Aaron Fox (19 points) combined to score 40 of Sacramento’s 104 points. Philly did not have many answers for Sacramento’s duo , but they were able to use their length to slow them down and keep the Kings within striking distance for a comeback attempt.

Sacramento used a zone defensive scheme to slow Philly’s explosive offense down, and it was not until mid-way through the third quarter that the Sixers decided to use their athleticism to attack the basket. Once that happened, they erased the Kings double digit lead and took this game from them.

Tyrese Maxey (30 points and had eight assists) took over this contest from that point on he finally put his head down and stopped settling for contested jumpers. He was able to get to the free throw line and create high-percentage shooting opportunities for his teammates. Which they were able to cash in on and that helped them get the comeback victory over a tough Kings squad.

Maxey had another great scoring night where he let the game come to him. He may have been a little too unselfish tonight, but when it counted Maxey found his rhythm, he made multiple tough lay-ups to seal this game for the Sixers. This stretch of being the main weapon without Joel Embiid and George on the floor can only help his development as a franchise cornerstone for Philly. There will be times when he will need to come through in the clutch later this season, and a confident Tyrese Maxey is a dangerous thing for the rest of the association.

Philly will now prepare to face the Denver Nuggets for the season finale of their matchup and for the second time in two weeks. The Sixers will need to limit their turnovers, force the Nuggets into taking contested shots and grab rebounds, and continue to make their high-percentage shooting opportunities that is created from their ball movement.

Implementing these things into their game plan should put them in great position to win their 20^th game of the season and push their win streak to five games.