The Sixers split their last 4 games

     Desmond Bane? Who the heck is Desmond Bane? That's what Sixers fans were chirping after watching the Grizzlies and 76ers battle it out in the Wells Fargo Center. Bane nailed four three pointers in the first half, and it was he, not Ja Morant leading the Memphis charge. The 76ers played sloppy basketball, as Memphis forced several unnecessary Philly turnovers and the Sixers were constantly forced into traps. Well, Bane was virtually silent in the second half, as the Sixers slowly started to chip away at the Memphis lead. Bane finished 4-12 from behind the three point line, and a clutch three from James Harden was followed by a clutch block from Joel Embiid en route to a 110-105 Sixers victory. 

Ja Morant tried a poster dunk on Embiid; not a great idea

Photo Credit: Clutch Points NBA (from @nba)
 

    But a game against the Celtics erased that last win. Joel Embiid's 41 points were no match for Jayson Tatum's incredible three point shot. Joel Embiid had an even better 3/4 court shot, that went in, but literally milliseconds after the buzzer. They Celtics escaped with a 110-107 victory. That loss put their record to 39-20. It was a crusher, but kind of reminds us of the Spencer Dinwiddie's incredible buzzer beater that tied the game in a Nets game against the Sixers. It was also late, but in that game Philly fans rejoiced, while against the Celtics, Philly fans stood in shock. You win some and lose some. 

    Then Miami came to Philly, and gave Sixers fans another crusher. Jimmy Butler still can't seem to get over the fact that the Sixers traded him, and likes to thrash the 76ers when he comes to town. He came back with vengeance, nearing a triple double with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and James Harden all had 20 or more points. Harden had 12 assists and Embiid the same amount of rebounds. The Sixers had 18 turnovers, which helped the Heat reach 101 points as they slipped by the 76ers' 99. 

    The 76ers arrived in Miami ready to stave off a three game losing streak and start they road trip on a good note. They did just that. You couldn't even have told that Embiid was missing from the lineup, because the 76ers shrunk the Heat down to size. Maxey took charge of the shorthanded Sixers leading the team with 27 points and seven assists. Tobias Harris scored 18 points, and Paul Reed had a day. Who needs Montrezl Harrell when B-ball Paul grabs 14 rebounds and scores 16 points? The 76ers kept Miami under 100 points and easily took away the game, 119-96. 

    The last Sixers game provided some positivity heading into their five game road trip. If they can do what they did to the Heat's starters without Embiid, imagine what they can do with him. The win pushed their record to 40 wins. They don't really have a lot of competition in the Eastern Conference, to an extent. The Cavs and the Nets don't look to be much of a threat at least for the next couple of games. They isn't much of a chance for either team to overtake the Sixers comfortable third place any time soon. The Sixers do have a track record of blowing games, but will they blow their standings? Maxey, Harden, and Embiid are playing like that won't happen. 

The above photo was taken from a ClutchPoints NBA twitter post. Image taken from @NBA. Image used for commentary.