The Sixers' ridiculous weekend by the numbers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The rest of the NBA is now on notice.
With the addition of The Beard, the league has seen the new offensive capabilities of the Sixers, and, to quote the late, great Roy Halladay, things are only gonna get funner.
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In two wins Friday night and Sunday afternoon, we had a chance to witness what may be the most potent offense in the NBA. And to think: Tobias Harris really didn’t play all that great in either game!
To try to answer the question, “Just how awesome was the Sixers offense over this past weekend?” NBC Sports Philadelphia, with great help from our friends at Sportradar, have sifted through some juicy numbers.
For all those who thought James Harden was going to dominate the ball and take opportunities away from Joel Embiid, or anyone else ... he has 28 assists in his first two games with the Sixers. In the last 40 NBA seasons, the only player with more assists in his first two games with a team is Deron Williams, who had 29 in his first two games with the Nets back in 2011.
The trio of Harden, Embiid and Tyrese Maxey combined for 176 points in the two victories over the weekend. The last time three Sixers teammates combined for as many points in consecutive games was in February of 1986, when Charles Barkley, Julius Erving and Moses Malone scored 177.
If it seemed like Embiid was at the free throw line all day Sunday, it’s probably because he was. He took 27 free throws, knocking down 23 of them. He’s the fifth player in the last decade to make that many free throws in a game, and just the second center in the last 50 years! Dwight Howard made 25 free throws in a game in 2013 (out of 39).
Sticking with Embiid, he is keeping an amazing streak alive, even with Harden’s involvement in the new-look Sixers attack. JoJo has averaged better than a point per minute played over his last 30 games.
Here are the only streaks that are longer over the past 40 seasons:
• James Harden (2018-19) – 71 games
• Giannis Antetokounmpo (2019-20) – 43 games
• Harden (2019-20) – 40 games
• Stephen Curry (2020-21) – 31 games
The Sixers as a team made 30 or more FT in back-to-back games. That doesn’t sound like a ton, until you compare it with the rest of the league. Only four NBA teams — the Nets, Bucks, Pelicans, and Mavericks — have done it twice this whole season. Fourteen teams haven’t made 30 in a game yet this season.
Is the insane production sustainable? Not likely. The Timberwolves and Knicks aren’t exactly known for their stalwart defense; surely tougher matchups await. But through two games, this team looks like it will be very difficult to slow down.
