NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking points from the Philadelphia 76ers' Win Over the Memphis Grizzlies
The Philadelphia 76ers were looking for their fourth straight win when Memphis arrived. The Sixers led for the most part of the game and looked confident from the tip-off.
However, it did take a heroic step-back J from their clutch man Butler in the final minute to record a 103-95 home win finally. It was a collective effort from the Sixers' unit who defended like their life depended on it. They pestered the Grizzlies all night and held them to an under-100 score, something rarely seen in the pro-offense NBA world these days.
The Sixers improved to 17-8 with their 4th win of a row, still lagging behind the Raptors & Bucks out East, while the Grizzlies have long forgotten about their #1 spot in the Western Conference as they slid to the 6th spot with a 13-9 win-loss record.
The Sixers are 13-1 at home and have won 8 of their last 10 since the Butler deal. Let's analyse the matchup, play with the stat sheet a bit and jot down a bunch of key takeaways from this Sixers' win over the Grizzlies.
#3 Simmons’ chemistry with his “headband brother” Butler
Simmons and Butler have owned the headband as a symbol of their growing chemistry on the floor. The duo has combined for an astounding 26 plus-minus against the Knicks, Grizzlies and the Wizards, Philly's best stretch of the season so far.
Coach Brown approved of the headband-relationship between Simmons & Butler in his post-game press conference following the Sixers’ win over the Knicks
“They are defensive brothers. They’re blood brothers. That band signifies to me they’re bonding, a defensive bonding. I’ve asked Jimmy to put Ben under his wing and really help Ben be all he can be defensively”
They placed bets on most steals/most blocks before the game started, and apparently, Simmons won the hand as he recorded a couple of steals while Butler had just one block to his name. Butler ended up contributing 21 points, a majority of them being down the stretch in the 4th period.