SB Nation Philly - Sixers Overtake Knicks In Playoff Seeding With Win Over Kingshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48987/philly-fave.png2011-03-19T06:27:08-04:00http://philly.sbnation.com/rss/stream/18230992011-03-19T06:27:08-04:002011-03-19T06:27:08-04:00Sixers Overtake Knicks In Playoff Seeding With Win Over Kings
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_mNcr1WCCgdMH6eSLlGQamKHFUM=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828129/large_philly.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>Sacramento, CA (Sports Network) – <span>Jrue Holiday</span> scored all of his 15 points in the first half, Lou Williams totaled 14 off the bench and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.libertyballers.com/">Philadelphia 76ers</a> easily captured their sixth straight win over Sacramento, cruising to a 102-80 victory.</p>
<p><span>Andre Iguodala</span> added 13 points and nine assists and <span>Elton Brand</span> scored 10 for the Sixers, who have won two straight to improve to 2-2 on a five-game road trip that ends Saturday in Portland.</p>
<p>Philadelphia moved a half-game ahead of New York for sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings.</p>
<p>“It’s nice this point in the year to be playing for a good group of guys and such an unselfish group of guys,” said center <span>Spencer Hawes</span>. “And [to have] that ultimate goal to look forward to and still be playing with so much on the line at this point in the year.”</p>
<p><span>DeMarcus Cousins</span> scored 19 points with 12 rebounds to lead the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.sactownroyalty.com/">Kings</a>, who fell to 1-8 in their last nine games. <span>Omri Casspi</span> added 14 points off the bench and former Sixer <span>Samuel Dalembert</span> pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds.</p>
<p>Sacramento finished its brief homestand with a 1-2 record and will hit the road for five games against Minnesota, Chicago, Milwaukee, Indiana and finally Philadelphia on March 27.</p>
<p>The Sixers shot the lights out in the first quarter, hitting on 54 percent from the floor and leading by as many as 11 points at before Sacramento pulled within 32-23 at the buzzer.</p>
<p>The Kings had their last lead in the first quarter, 9-8 before Holiday’s layup put Philadelphia ahead for good.</p>
<p>“I don’t know if you can ever tell why (a team comes out flat). But it does happen to every team,” said Kings head coach <span>Paul Westphal</span>. “And this was a bad game for us.”</p>
<p>The Sixers locked down on the Kings in the second, holding them to 22 percent shooting while building a 55-38 lead at halftime.</p>
<p>Every Philadelphia starter played the third quarter — Iguodala was on the court for all 12 minutes, while Holiday and Hawes saw nearly that much time. But only guard <span>Jodie Meeks</span> saw any significant time in the fourth after the Sixers built a commanding lead.</p>
<p>Brand started the third quarter with a jumper and Philadelphia’s lead remained at least 19 for the rest of the game. It was 26 points at the end of the third, 80-54, and peaked at 28 on <span>Marreese Speights</span>’ three-point play in the final minutes.</p>
<p>Sacramento hasn’t beaten the Sixers since December 14, 2007 in Philadelphia…The Sixers shot 44.4 percent from the field and Sacramento 34.5 percent</p>
https://philly.sbnation.com/philadelphia-76ers/2011/3/19/2059811/sixers-overtake-knicks-in-playoff-seeding-with-win-over-kingsJason Brewer2011-03-18T18:17:26-04:002011-03-18T18:17:26-04:00Sixers Resume Road Trip Tonight Against Kings
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_mNcr1WCCgdMH6eSLlGQamKHFUM=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828129/large_philly.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>(Sports Network) - The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../nba/teams/philadelphia-76ers">Philadelphia 76ers</a> resume a five-game road trip tonight in California's capital against the lowly <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../nba/teams/sacramento-kings">Sacramento Kings</a>.</p>
<p>The Sixers, who have won five straight over Sacramento, improved to 1-2 on their trek Wednesday in Los Angeles when <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../nba/players/71940/jodie-meeks">Jodie Meeks</a> made five three-pointers en route to 22 points, as Philadelphia defeated the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../nba/teams/los-angeles-clippers">Clippers</a>, 104-94.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../nba/players/71917/jrue-holiday">Jrue Holiday</a> added 20 points and nine assists for the Sixers, who won despite the absence of coach Doug Collins in the second half. Collins was ejected just before halftime.</p>
<p>"I just thought I had to stand up for our guys and they were great," Collins said. "They responded. We talked at halftime about how important this game was to get a road win and break our two-game losing streak."</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../nba/players/21756/elton-brand">Elton Brand</a> donated 19 points, 12 boards and five blocks for Philadelphia, which currently holds the seventh slot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, one-half game behind New York.</p>
<p>"It was a tough game but we had to have it. We had lost two in a row and we felt like we are a better team than to lose two in a row," said Brand.</p>
<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.sactownroyalty.com/">Kings</a>, meanwhile, are a Western Conference-worst 16-50 after a 97-93 home loss to Cleveland on Wednesday. <span>Ramon Sessions</span> made the game-winning layup with 18.1 seconds remaining in that one as the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../nba/teams/cleveland-cavaliers">Cavaliers</a> snuck past Sacramento in a battle between two of the NBA's worst teams.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../nba/players/71941/marcus-thornton">Marcus Thornton</a> finished with 23 points for the Kings, who have lost seven of eight overall. Ex-Sixer Samuel Dalembert, who will be facing his old team for the first time since being traded to Sacramento in July, tallied 16 points and 10 rebounds.</p>
<p>"To see that we played so well against Golden State and then to lose like this hurt," said Thornton, who is averaging 24.0 points in his last nine games. "We have to put it behind us and get ready for Friday. We have a good Philly team coming in."</p>
<p>The Kings revealed a little good news on Wednesday. After undergoing three shockwave treatments for plantar fasciitis in his left foot, Kings guard <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../nba/players/71904/tyreke-evans">Tyreke Evans</a>, the reigning Rookie of the Year, visited foot specialist Dr. Richard Ferkel and was cleared to begin basketball activities. If all goes well, Evans should gradually return to action within a week or two.</p>
https://philly.sbnation.com/2011/3/18/2331808/sixers-resume-road-trip-tonight-against-kingsJason Brewer