By: Kylan Watson

After falling to the Boston Celtics on Thursday night, the Philadelphia 76ers faced a desperate Utah Jazz squad looking for a victory. The Sixers were able to overcome a bad start to the first quarter and take this game away from the Jazz thanks to a 78-point scoring explosion from their second unit. As a result of this scoring output from the second Philly was able to beat Utah 126-122.

The Sixers started this game off very slowly on both sides of the ball. Utah was able to get whatever they wanted on the offensive end and faced little resistance from Philly’s defenders. Kyle Filipkowski scored 25 points in this game and did most of his damage in the first quarter when he hit his first four shot attempts and took full advantage of the Sixers’ lack of rim protection. Before they could even settle into this game they were down by double digits and were getting booed off their home floor.

Philly was able to turn the game around thanks to their second unit which brought instant energy to the floor and changed this game around. They made Utah work for every shot attempt and made sure they saw resistance whenever they decided to put a shot up. Once the Sixers started increasing the defensive pressure on a young Utah squad they folded like an accordion. That allowed Philly to run the floor and create high-percentage shooting opportunities which they cashed in on.

Lonnie Walker IV (25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds), Quentin Grimes (25 points), and Adem Bona (14 points and grabbed 14 rebounds) combined for 64 of Philly’s 126 points in the contest. This was Walker IV best game since being acquired by the Sixers a few weeks ago. He has really started to settle in and that has given Philly a scoring punch off the bench. That they have desperately needed throughout this injury ridden season. He should continue to get opportunities during these last 20 games of the season, as the Sixers brass tries to figure out which players will stay on the roster next season. Walker IV is the type of consistent shooter and scorer that Philly’s roster has been lacking over the last few years.

Walker IV and Bona led a second unit onslaught that was the biggest difference maker in this game. Philly’s bench unit was determined to not lose this game to the Jazz, and they did enough to keep them at bay. 78 points is the most points that the reserves have scored all season, and they will have plenty of opportunities over the next few games to make this a trend.

The Sixers will now prepare to face the Atlanta Hawks for the first time this season. This game offers another opportunity for Philly’s role players to highlight their skills. Philly will need to communicate on the defensive end, make sure the Hawks are taking well-contested shots, and limit their turnovers. They cannot afford to give Atlanta multiple opportunities to score and expect to win the game tomorrow night. Implementing these things into their game plan should give the Sixers a great chance to win their 23^rd game of the season.