Midway Through Their December Slate, the Sixers Are Right on Track
As written a few weeks ago, the Sixers needed to have a strong month of December. In 4th place at that time, the Sixers needed to accumulate some Ws in order to move up.
So far, they have answered the bell.
Although they may have just gotten blown out by the Nets, the Sixers have demonstrated their standing as a force to be reckoned in the Eastern Conference. Prior to the recent loss, successive wins against the Raptors, Nuggets, and Celtics were a preview of what this team can be capable of in a postseason setting. Albeit, with a starting 5 which has only tipped it off 10/28 games this season.
At 20-8 (6-2 in December), the Sixers Have Been in a Good Pace.
Now 2nd place in the East, the Sixers sit exactly 4GB of the Milwaukee Bucks. Anticipation for their upcoming Christmas Day matchup at the Wells Fargo Center – the 1st Sixers vs. Bucks game of the season – continues to build, and for good reason. The Bucks rank tops or right near the top in each offensive/defensive rating category. With eight games to go the rest of the month, none is quite as important as their opportunity to defend homecourt against, statistically, the clear best team in NBA.
With four of their next five games at WFC, the Sixers have a chance to secure what would be an incredibly successful month of December if they can enter the 2020 calendar year without a single blemish at home. Specifically, matchups with the Heat and aforementioned Bucks can serve as key momentum builders and send a message to the rest of the league. Underscoring the importance of these impending home games is the fact they closeout 2019 with three road games in five days. All in all, if the Sixers can continue their 6-2 pace, a 26-10 record is right where they wanna be in order to eventually seize homecourt advantage beyond just the opening round.
The Feared Shooting Struggles Are Steadily Going Away
The main question mark about this team revolved around shooting. Beyond the arc, this team was abysmal through their four October games, at 31%. Fast-forward to November’s end, and the Sixers improved to 36.3% in 16 November contests. Currently, the Sixers are shooting an impressive 40.1% beyond the arc in December. Overall, the Sixers have climbed to 7th in the NBA, at 36.5%. Partly behind the 3pt resurgence is the fact that the Matisse Thybulle ranks 5th in the NBA among qualified players at 46.7% and Josh Richardson knocks it down at 37.2%. Additionally, Tobias Harris has done a lot to quiet the fans who seemingly already regret his contract by averaging nearly 24 PPG this month.
The NBA season is only starting to get real, and the Sixers are right in the thick of things. By the end of this month, the Sixers will have had their chance to separate themselves into the top-tier of the East with a win the Bucks and make it clear that it’s a two-horse race for homecourt in the East.
Featured Image: NBAE via Getty Images
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