Iggy Leads the Way

This game put me to sleep, literally. To be fair, the three all-nighters I had to pull for my day job this week may have had something to do with it, but I was out cold sometime in the third quarter. I woke up to the League Pass theme music, not knowing what had happened in the game. Times like this make you thankful for the DVR.

Unfortunately, I woke up to a nightmare. The Sixers played extremely sloppy basketball against one of the worst teams in the league. The final numbers don't look too bad, they shot 54%, held Washington to 43% and outscored them by 23 from the three-point line, but for a 24-minute stretch, they looked lost on the floor and disinterested.

Tip your cap to Javaris Crittenton, who had an excellent 20-minute run for the Wiz. He should probably be starting. Also, thank the Wizards for finding 23 minutes of playing time for DeShawn Stevenson. The worst SG in the league shot 0/6 from the floor and they were six of the ugliest shots you've ever seen. Stevenson's counterpart on the Sixers, Willie Green, actually carried the team in the first, scoring 16 on 10 shots and riding an unbelievable hot streak throughout the quarter. He disappeared after that, finishing the game with 20, but it was good see Willie hitting shots.

The big story of the game was Sam Dalembert's injury. Sammy went down late in the first half with what looked like a serious ankle injury. He had to be helped off the court by Reggie Evans, and he did not return. X-rays were negative and there's no word on how long he'll be out.

Elton Brand continued his focus on defense, blocking 4 shots on the heels of his 6-block performance in Houston. I'd like to see him grab more rebounds (only 3 boards in 25 minutes), but his offensive game looks to be rounding into form (4/5 from the floor) just in time.

Thad had a strange game. He led the team with 19 FGA, but only hit 7 of them. Usually when his shot isn't falling, he stops shooting. The important stat for Thad, though, was his rebounding. He led the team with 9, and he seemed to muscle up for a bunch of them. He's going to need to assert himself on the glass, especially if Sammy misses any significant time.

Lou had a nice bounce-back game. 14 points off the bench on 5/10 shooting with 7 dimes and 2 blocks. Andre Miller only attempted 3 field goals in 34 minutes, hitting all three. He chipped in with 6 boards and 9 assists as well. Free throw shooting was the bugaboo that almost did them in tonight, 11/20 from the line is completely unacceptable.

The Sixers are finally above .500, with a win tonight, they could be there for good.

Player of The Game: Iggy
Team Record: 23-22
Up Next: New Jersey, tonight.