A bit of a mixed bag this week. The Sixers started the week strong with a revenge win against the Raptors in Toro--sorry, Tampa Bay to salvage a miniseries. They then handled the Dallas Mavericks at home, completing shutting down ascendant superstar Luka Doncic. After quality victories like that, it was only natural that they drop an overtime game at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had won a whopping three of their previous 15.

When the dust settled, the Sixers woke up Monday morning still on top of the Eastern Conference at 22-12, maintaining half-game leads over the Brooklyn Nets (22-13) and Milwaukee Bucks (21-13).

So what stood out?

Tuesday, 2/23/21: Won at Toronto Raptors 109-102

--I tip my cap to you, Furkan Korkmaz. After I was...unkind to the fourth-year guard in one or two recent articles, Korkmaz was thrust into the starting lineup with Seth Curry out nursing a sore ankle. He responded with his best game of the season, posting high marks in points (19), rebounds (7), 3-point makes (5) and attempts (11), and free throw makes and attempts (4 each). Korkmaz has a place in this league, and has shown genuine scoring ability (see his back-to-back 30+ point showings off the bench last February), but injuries and inconsistency have dogged him this year. As if on cue, he only totaled 17 points in the last two contests of the week, but this is a friendly reminder that he has some talent. This is likely his swan song in a Sixers uniform, but I do hope he finds success elsewhere in the league.

--This was nearly a wire-to-wire win. The Raptors had leads of 3-2 and 8-7 during the opening minutes of the game. That's it. A pair of Joel Embiid free throws made it 9-8, and they never trailed. They expanded the lead to as much as 21. However, what could have been a breezy blowout was not so. Whether it was due to the Sixers taking their foot off the gas or the Raptors experience and grit and Nick Nurse's excellent coaching, the lead was whittled down to as little as 6 fairly late into the final quarter. Embiid, Tobias Harris, and Ben Simmons all played 35+ minutes, and Danny Green played close to 32. Would've been nice to cut maybe 5-10 minutes off those figures.

--The Sixers crushed the Raptors on the glass 54-38. They outrebounded them in the previous matchup just two nights prior 45-39, but this was flat out dominance. Fred VanVleet, a 6' guard, led Toronto with 8 rebounds, and only Pascal Siakam (6) joined him in eclipsing five. Meanwhile, the Sixers had six players rack up five or more rebounds, including their entire starting lineup. Embiid led all players with 12. It should come as no surprise then that the Sixers more than tripled the Raptors in second chance points (19-6).

--The Sixers ran away with two other key categories in this one: free throws and three-point shooting. Philadelphia launched their triples in surprising volume (38 attempts when they average just 29). Even better, they made 17 of them for 44.7%. They also worked their way to the line 30 times and made 26. Conversely, the Raptors struggled from beyond the arc (11-for-37, 29.7%) and only attempted 13 free throws, making 11. Splits like that are how you win a game even when you're outshot by a fairly substantial margin (93-80).

--The Raptors were without Kyle Lowry for both halves of this miniseries. The 34-year-old Philly native is still going strong in his 15th season, and building a fairly credible case for Hall of Fame consideration. His raw career stats don't jump off the page (14.8 points on 42.4/36.7/81.1 and 6.2 assists), but his ability to be whatever his team needs is his best trait, and his impact goes far beyond the box scores. Although, six All-Star appearances and an NBA Championship are pretty strong credentials. There have been some mentions of Lowry possibly being on the Sixers radar if he is on the trade block. He's on an expiring deal and, though they've recovered from a horrible start to the season, the Raptors don't profile as tier-1 contenders. They also figure to hand the keys over to VanVleet after forking over an $85M deal to him. He would certainly be an intriguing fit here--secondary ballhandling next to Simmons, toughness and veteran leadership, and just an awesome homecoming story. Sign me up.

Thursday, 2/25/21: Won v. Dallas Mavericks 111-97

--Luka Doncic had 19 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 7 turnovers. He is the head of the snake, and the Sixers cut it off. It's that simple. The Mavericks simply do not have another player capable of creating offense. To wit--those 4 assists led the team. Immensely impressive defensive performance on a guy flirting with a season-long 30-point triple-double (28.5, 8.4, 9.0).

--This game was similar to the Raptors game in that the Sixers nearly scored a wire-to-wire win. This time, though, they didn't dominate early but late, which actually did allow them to rest guys a bit. 26-point fourth quarter leads meant that only Ben Simmons played 30+ minutes. Embiid looked like he could use a blow too. Though he scored 23 points in his 27 minutes, his efficiency was way off (5-for-20 shooting). Playing against the Cavaliers marked Embiid's sixth consecutive game played, which tied a season high. Maybe that's proving to be his limit. Seth Curry, on the other hand, looked to be rejuvenated against his former team. He found twine on all three of his 3-pointers and went 6-for -9 overall from the field for his 15.

--The Sixers turned 18 Dallas turnovers into 22 points, while surrendering only 10 points on their own 7 giveaways. They also outscored the Mavs on the fast break 24-7. This team has guys that can really get out and run, chief among them a certain 6'11" point guard. The offense is designed around Embiid's post ups, and the big man has been fully actualized this season and has asserted himself as a genuine MVP-candidate, maybe even the frontrunner. But they also lead the league in fast break scoring at 16.5 points per game.

--Boban Marjanovic was back in the building! The 7'3" Serbian came over to the Sixers from the Los Angeles Clippers along with Tobias Harris in 2019 and was a fan favorite in his brief 22-game stint. His fun loving attitude was always on full display, and his bromance with Tobias Harris remains the greatest of its kind in human history. He even got the start at center in this one. In 17 minutes, he scored 7 points and hauled in 12 boards.

--Speaking of Harris, he left the game in the third quarter after a relatively subdued 22 minutes (6 points on 2-of-7 shooting) with what is being called a knee contusion. It doesn't appear to be serious, but it was enough to keep him out of the next game against the Cavaliers. The Sixers only have two games next week before getting eight days off for the All-Star break, so maybe they just shut him down to be safe? Had he been voted into play like he arguably should have, maybe things would be a bit different. But for now, better safe than sorry.

Saturday, 2/27/21: Lost v. Cleveland Cavaliers 112-109 (OT)

--Yuck. Just ew. The Sixers entered this game 14-2 at home. The Cavs came into it 3-12 on the road. You can't lose this game, even without Tobias Harris. You just can't. Especially when your two best players, Embiid and Simmons, combine for 66, including 42 by the former. Especially when you hold your enemy to 42.3% shooting overall and 33.3% from deep. Then again...you also got outrebounded 53-46 by that same Cavs team WITHOUT Andre Drummond, the league's second-leading rebounder. You also coughed the ball up 18 times. And your biggest lead was 2. Two. You know what? Not only CAN you lose this game, but you did, and you deserved to.

--Collin Sexton and Darius Garland are two smaller, quick, shifty guards with offensive identities. You know where I'm going with this. The duo combined for 53 points. They weren't efficient (51 shot attempts, 3-for-10 from downtown), but they constantly put pressure on the Sixers, and every time Philly was poised to get momentum, it seemed like one of them was there to wrestle control back to Cleveland.

--This game was scoreless for the final 1:38, and as soon as Embiid missed on a midrange jumper at the regulation buzzer, you knew it was over. There just wasn't a good feeling at any point in this game. The Cavs actually had a chance to blow the Sixers out the building early on when they had a 13-point lead late in the second. Philly clawed its way back in, only to have its heart ripped out late. I would have preferred the blowout.

--Isaac Okoro scored a rookie season high 15 points against the Sixers, because of course he did. He also gathered 8 boards after never having amassed more than 5, because of course he did. In fact, his game score was 17.8, crushing his previous best of 14.2, because of course it was. He did foul out of the game, so there's that.

--The Sixers bench scored 26 points. The Cavs bench also scored only 26, but they have a bad roster. The Sixers are supposed to have a good roster. So when Tyrese Maxey and Dwight Howard combine for a single point and Shake Milton has more personal fouls (5) than made field goals (3), I get upset. I'm so upset, I'm done with this recap.

--Sorry, one more thing--this is the Sixers second loss to these Cavaliers. How pathetic is that?

What's Next?

Philly only has two more games before the break, both 7 p.m. home games. On Monday night, they host the Indiana Pacers (15-17), and on Wednesday night, they get the Utah Jazz (27-7).

When they last met the Pacers, they pulled off a thrilling 20-point comeback win despite playing without Joel Embiid. They outscored Indiana 37-15 in the final frame en route to a 119-110 final score.

Against the Jazz earlier this year, it was a different story. The Sixers squandered an early 14-point advantage and ultimately fell 134-123. Utah has the best record in basketball, and after a pedestrian 4-4 start to the season, it has won 23 of its last 26.