Thursday, March 15th 2012. Many Philadelphia 76ers fans once hoped that the arrival of this day would mean the erasing of Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand and their huge contracts off the books. While some fans may still feel that way (mainly with Brand), a trade by tomorrow’s deadline does not seem to be in the plans for the front office of the 76ers.

Truthfully, that may be in the best interest of the CURRENT 76ers team for the remainder of this season.

While everyone appreciates the leadership and hard-work of Elton Brand, his numbers continue to regress and his production no longer reflects his current compensation of $17,059,726 for the 2011-2012 season. In a dream world, Brand would be traded or take a pay cut from the salary that makes him the 12th highest paid NBA player this season. That’s not going to happen.

If the 76ers make any move, it most likely will be miniscule and involve Andres Nocioni or Craig Brackins. Nocioni has an expiring $6,650,000 that teams may be interested in, while Brackins is an unknown that a team may take a chance on to see what he’s got.

Message boards and Twitter have had Brackins and a pick linked to the Sacramento Kings and J.J. Hickson. Sorry for those still dreaming of DeMarcus Cousins donning the red, white, and blue. Hickson proved he can be an asset when he was with the Cleveland LeBrons, averaging 13.8 PPG and 8.7 RPG in 2010-2011. Joining the Kings, he now is stuck behind big-men Cousins and Jason Thompson, another name linked to the 76ers. Keep an eye on those names, but don’t expect the 76ers to get too involved.

With Monta Ellis heading to the Bucks, the Ellis-Iguodala deal can be put to rest, and with Iggy’s play this year, it will be tough to see him go anywhere. His stock is probably as high as its ever been, but the 76ers aren’t stupid. They know that teams have interest in Iguodala because he IS an elite player in the NBA. Iguodala isn’t an elite scorer, but does every other thing as good as anyone else at his position. He dunks, rebounds, passes, and defends better than any other SF not named LeBron James. Don’t expect an Iggy trade now, or for the remainder of his contract here in Philadelphia.

Being realistic, every 76ers fans knows the team isn’t going to be getting Dwight Howard or Pau Gasol. They should be okay with that because to get those players via the trade, the nucleus of the current 76ers would have to be blown to pieces. The nucleus of young players is why the 76ers are the best they have been in years. Yeah, there is no superstar on the roster, but superstars don’t ALWAYS win championships. The Detroit Pistons of the mid-2000′s won a championship with quite possibly the best definition of TEAM basketball. The players became stars, but it was because of the success of their team, not the individuals. The current New York Knicks have a few superstars with great numbers, and look how well they are doing in the standings.

After that little vent, let’s sum the 76ers and their roster up by saying they will add to their team at the trade deadline from within.

Adding Spencer Hawes back into the mix will improve the front court immensely. Nik Vucevic and Lavoy Allen have been a surprise, but Hawes provides a steady presence on the block that they have been missing greatly. It is scary to think Hawes is that important to the 76ers, but is it an illusion that the 76ers have struggled with Hawes out of the lineup? Hawes will be limited in his first couple games back, but getting him back will have a greater impact than a serviceable big-man they may have traded for.

Another addition within is Evan Turner. Everyone knows Turner’s story by now and have seen what he has done as a starter when Doug Collins finally gave him the chance. As a starter he has upped his stat line to 17.0 PPG, 12.0 RPG, and 3.5 APG. His rebounding numbers have been his most impressive feature, but in his four games as a starter he has also ditched the long jump-shot for higher percentage looks around the rim. Including his horrendous 1-12 performance against the Bucks in his first start, he is shooting 49% from the field as a starter. Though he hasn’t showed consistency in his two years in the league, it appears he is figuring it out and raising his level of play definitely adds to the 76ers.

My Take as a Fan:
If you have made it to this point of the post, you probably are a little disappointed I didn’t have a list of players the 76ers might get. I apologize, but I just don’t see it happening by tomorrow. There are players I wish the 76ers would go after like Kris Humphries and Marcin Gortat. They aren’t big names both are great gel players who provide a great presence around the rim. Just look at their numbers.

To end, I want you to just think about two things. What really should the 76ers do? We all like this team because they are playing so well when nobody really expected them to. Would you rather add a star who will gut the team to get them, or get a decent role player who enhances the product we already have? There are some players that would fit the mold for both scenarios, but the team will have to get creative.

Straying from the usual breakdown of the game, here is a player-by-player breakdown of the 76ers’ 106-94 win in over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden Sunday.

76ers

C Nik Vucevic — C-
Feel a little generous giving Nik a “C” here as he didn’t provide much today. The rookie got the start over Tony Battie at the 5 but just couldn’t get in any rhythm today. First time in awhile that Vuc didn’t contribute much (no points and just three rebounds) but his 20 minutes of run time was enough to get EB some rest on the bench.

PF Elton Brand — B+
Without Spencer Hawes for the 28th time this season, Elton Brand had to deal with the taller Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler all night, and held his own with 13 points and 8 rebounds. You would think the Knicks duo of big men would cause match-up problems for Brand on the defensive side of the ball, but Brand kept both in check, with Stoudemire and Chandler combined for just 17 points.

SF Andre Iguodala — A-
Iggy had it all today. 19 points to go with eight assists, seven rebounds, and four assists–all while dealing with Carmelo Anthony. Though Anthony got his, Iggy put together another one of his typical, well-rounded and statistic filled games. Also, love seeing a guy make a 3-pointer while being fouled, AND making the free throw (not a given with Iggy) to convert the four point play.

SG Evan Turner — A+
In his fourth straight start, Turner edged Lou Williams slightly for the honors of best 76er on the court at the Garden Sunday. His 24 points were second only to Williams, but his 15 boards were a game high for both teams. This is back-to-back games Turner has been the game’s leading rebounder and as a shooting guard, that is saying something. With a 9-14 shooting performance against the Knicks, Turner is now shooting 49% from the field as a starter–including his 1-12 outing against the Bucks. His command of the court against the Knicks is something Philly fans have been waiting for. Give Turner the “+” for showing some fire and getting a technical foul called against him, even though it seemed like a make up call for a tech called against Stoudemire earlier.

PG Jrue Holiday — F
Jrue’s “F” is not a way of evening out a couple of the generous grades above. In a match-up with Jeremy Lin, Holiday appeared to be outmatched and outplayed…and Lin didn’t have a grand performance himself. Jrue was aggressive, something that fans have wanted to see more of, but had absolutely no success. 2-14 shooting is not what the fans wanted to see, and Holiday was helped out with a little luck on one of his makes with a catch-and-shoot heave he made with .5 seconds left in the shot clock. To round out the performance, Holiday fouled out of the game–something you don’t see often of a point guard.

Reserve Lou Williams — A+
Simply on fire. When the 76ers needed a bucket, Lou Will drained one. When the Knicks went on their runs, Lou Will silenced them. Lou’s 28 points was a season-high for the 76ers, but the 76ers still can’t crack the 30-point mark for a player. Lou was a clutch 3-5 from downtown, including one at the third quarter buzzer with Carmelo Anthony draped all over him. Lou also nailed a near impossible jumper over Tyson Chandler to give the 76ers a 51-49 lead at the half.

Reserve Thad Young — B
Quietly, Thad put in 14 points on 6-9 shooting, including a monster dunk in which the Knicks defense parted like the Red Sea and left the lane wide open. Young was quiet on the boards, but aided Brand in disrupting the Knicks low post offense. There were a couple occasions where the Knicks got the ball down low to Stoudemire and he made pretty easy work of Young for points. It was a mismatch, but the Knicks didn’t take advantage of their height against Young too much. Typical Thad performance.

Reserve Jodie Meeks — I
I for incomplete. With Turner’s emergence, Meeks is assuming Turner’s old role of being a part of the 76ers well-taunted second unit. As 76ers fans know, the minutes in that role are limited and Meeks didn’t accumulate any stats in his seven minutes on the court today.

DNP — Lavoy Allen (in Doug Collins’ doghouse), Tony Battie, Craig Brackins, Andres Nocioni.

Normally, the Boston Celtics coming to Philadelphia is a big enough reason for the Wells Fargo Center to have a playoff atmosphere to it. Turns out this year’s first meeting between the teams also had first place of the Atlantic Division riding on it.

With the 76ers feeling the pressure of slipping behind the Celtics for the first time this season, Evan Turner answered the challenge with quite possibly the best all-around game of his career, leading the 76ers to a 103-71 victory.

In just his second start of the season, Turner was determined to drive to the basket from the get-go, building up confidence to slowly start knocking down mid-range to long-range shots. The fans and media have been riding Turner pretty hard in Philadelphia, even brewing up a story about his relationship with coach Doug Collins being broken and a trade becoming necessary. The two deflected the rumors in pregame interviews, and Turner’s play all but showed he could play in Collins’ system, with a career-high 26 points and nine rebounds. The problem with Turner isn’t his ability, but rather his consistency in making shots. One game doesn’t change a legacy, and Turner will need to build on tonight’s performance against the Utah Jazz on Friday. Turner did not register a point in 18 minutes against the Jazz earlier this year, going 0-5 from the floor.

While Turner shined, the other 76ers had no problem dominating the Celtics either. Elton Brand put in 18 points on 8-10 shooting, and rookie big-man Nik Vucevic notched a 14-point, 12 rebound double-double. Andre Iguodala used the large lead to get a well-deserved rest, but not before adding 10 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds. Lou Williams quietly added 15 points from the bench as well.

The Celtics, suffering the worst loss in the era of the “Big 3”, had their five-game win streak snapped in such a manner that showcased their inability to fight the fatigue of a lockout shortened season. With Wednesday’s loss, the Celtics are now 5-6 in the second leg of back-to-back games, with all five wins at home and all six losses away from the TD Garden. Things won’t be getting any easier for the Celtics as they embark on an eight-game road trip after a home bout against the Trailblazers on Friday. The final game of that two-week road trip just so happens to be a rematch in Philadelphia.

Blowing out your rivals is always a great feeling, but the 76ers know they can’t put too much stock in Wednesday’s victory.

BY THE NUMBERS:
- Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, and Kevin Garnett combined for just 15 points. Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 16 points.
- Despite missing Spencer Hawes and Thaddeus Young (sick), the 76ers outrebounded the Celtics 54-35.
- Turner had just 25 points in his past seven games combined. His last double figure game was on 2/4/12 in Atlanta (11 points).

The Philadelphia 76ers came into Friday night’s bout with the Golden State Warriors with two goals in mind. First off, and most importantly, the 76ers needed to take care of business against the Warriors and if all went well with that, then they needed to find a way to celebrate and honor the 50th anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game.

The 76ers didn’t waste any time putting away the Warriors, but it took the Philadelphia 76ers all of 47 minutes, as well as a combination of nine different players to outscore Wilt.

While no one came close to Wilt’s record (like anyone ever will), the 76ers used 25 points from Lou Williams and double-doubles from Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala to cruise past the Warriors 105-83.

Though Wilt Chamberlain’s performance against the New York Knicks on March 2nd, 1962 is recognized as arguably the greatest single individual performance in all of sports, the 76ers have tinkered with their offense in the past 50 years and used a much more balanced attack this time around.

Thaddeus Young, Jrue Holiday, and Lavoy Allen joined the above-mentioned Williams, Brand and Iguodala in double figures. Brand had 14 points and 14 rebounds after going for 10 points and 10 rebounds against the Thunder on Wednesday. Iguodala added 12 points and 11 rebounds himself, as well as leading the 76ers with six assists.

Despite the game being close throughout the first half because of the hot hand of Warriors guard Monta Ellis, the 76ers tightened up on defense and used a hot performance from beyond the 3-point arc to outscore the Warriors 55-36 in the second half.

Ellis started the game making his first four shots and finished the quarter with 12 points, but scored only eight points the rest of the game. With Ellis fading, forward David Lee led the way for the Warriors with 24 points and 15 rebounds. With sharpshooter Stephen Curry missing his third straight game with a sprained right foot, the Warriors needed others to help Lee and Ellis and to put it simply, no one else showed up Friday night. Dorrell Wright was the only other member of the Warriors to add at least 10 points.

Before the game, the 76ers honored Chamberlain and treated fans with 2”x2” pieces of the original court in which Chamberlain scored his 100 points. The team recently purchased the court from Hershey, Pennsylvania this summer. The piece of court is mounted on a plaque with the famous (and only) picture of Wilt Chamberlain holding up a handwritten piece of paper reading “100”.

Maybe the All-Star Break was all the Philadelphia 76ers needed to get out of their five-game slump. Maybe, and most likely, playing the Detroit Pistons in the first game back also helps. The 76ers (21-14) used their fresh, quick legs to run the Pistons (11-25) right out of their own building from the start, cruising to a 97-68 victory on the road.

The 76ers simply enforced their will on the Pistons. The only two players on the 76ers that did not register a point were Andres Nocioni and Francisco Elson.

Thaddeus Young led the way with 20 points and eight rebounds, while fellow reserve Lou Williams added 13 points and seven assists. Jodie Meeks, Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand, and Jrue Holiday all scored in double figures as well.

People can look at the box score for more of the impressive numbers that the 76ers put up, but anyone who watched the game would know they are a little inflated because of how terrible the Pistons played.

Once a huge playoff rival of the 76ers during the late-Iverson era, this franchise has completely fallen off the map. Outside of Greg Monroe, put in 20 points and eight boards, the Pistons are full of a bunch of veteran players who seem to be just playing for a paycheck. I don’t watch the Pistons too much, okay, I never watch the Pistons, but their facial expressions and body language bothered me as a fan of the NBA. Not once did I see any of the players or coaches show some sort of emotion about being down by 20 points for majority of the game. They just kept playing, kept turning the ball over, kept shooting long jump shots that had no real chance of going in. I am probably being too hard on the Pistons and like I mentioned above, have not seen many of their games this season, but their effort just irked me.

Looking at the Pistons stats, I don’t even know where to begin. The team shot 32% from the field, including a 3-18 combined performance from Brandon Knight and Ben Gordon. The team looked decent early on when they were getting the ball to Monroe on the block, but Rodney Stuckey started shooting and when that happened, the Pistons appeared to get out of sink. That has been the one flaw about Stuckey in the eyes of people around the NBA. He is a great scorer, adding 17 points tonight, but he doesn’t seem to make his teammates any better around him.

The Pistons proceeded to turn the ball over 22 times and the 76ers league-leading defense didn’t have to play a big part in that. The Pistons were giftwrapping passes for the 76ers to pickoff and combining the turnovers (17 steals for the 76ers) and bad shots, the 76ers were able to scorch the Pistons for 30 fast break points. By being able to constantly get up and down the court on the Pistons, the 76ers shot 50% from the field and barely ever had to setup in their half-court offense—something that has been problematic this season for the 76ers and especially over their five-game losing streak.

This was a game the 76ers needed to come out and dominate and they did just that. Though the team was in its first real rut of the season with a five-game losing streak before the All-Star Break, the only losses in which they didn’t have a chance to win were in Orlando and Memphis. Speaking for what I think would be the majority of 76ers fans, a five-game losing streak isn’t the end of the world. It hurts, but maybe was needed. The 76ers have had a lot of things go their way in the beginning of the season and running into some trouble may be a good way of bringing them back down to Earth.

After hosting the Western Conference leading Oklahoma City Thunder to close out the month of February, the 76ers have a big month in March where they will play 13-of-16 games against Eastern Conference foes. Posting a 16-5 conference record, the 76ers will have important games against Atlantic Division rivals in the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks, along with big matchups against the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers. The month of March is when we’ll find out what the 76ers are really made of.

The Philadelphia 76ers were hoping a return visit to the Toyota Center in Houston would yield similar results to their most recent fortunes they’ve experienced at the expense of the hometown Rockets. Winning their last four in Houston and seven of the last eight against the Rockets, Wednesday night appeared to be the perfect remedy for the 76ers to right the ship and end their season-high four game losing streak. Well, nobody told the Rockets that.
The Rockets used a 32-point fourth quarter and some clutch plays from ex-Villanova standout and Philadelphia native Kyle Lowry late in the game to fight off the 76ers 93-87.  The streak is now at five games.

Lowry had mentioned before the game that he had looked forward to playing against the 76ers, and it turns out his 16.3 PPG against the 76ers is the highest among any opponent. While he didn’t drop 36 points on his hometown team like he did in a loss last year, Lowry converted back-to-back three point plays late in the fourth which all but sealed a Rockets win. Lowry finished the night with 13 points, eight rebounds, and five assists—despite missing almost the entire first period nursing an ankle he rolled in the beginning of the game.

Joining Lowry in double figures were five other Rockets, including a 19-point and 10 rebound performance by Luis Scola. The 76ers simply had no answer for Scola as he had his way all three big-men the 76ers threw at him. After watching Scola dominate Lavoy Allen, Thaddeus Young, and Nikola Vucevic, it is rather dumbfounding that Wednesday night was just his third double-double of the season. Kevin Martin, Chandler Parsons, Patrick Patterson, and Goran Dragic were the other double figure scorers, and add Martin’s name to the list of players that killed the 76ers in the fourth quarter.

Harassed by 76ers and possibly the NBA’s best perimeter defender in Andre Iguodala, Martin struggled for the first three quarters making just one shot. Iguodala started the fourth on the bench and Martin proceeded to make 4-6 from the field as Jodie Meeks and Evan Turner couldn’t disrupt the sharpshooter.

With the 76ers struggling to find offense in games as of late, the script looked oh so familiar in the first tonight. It took the 76ers almost ten minutes to register their tenth point of the opening frame, just a day removed from being outscored 30-10 in the first quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Rookie Nikola Vucevic made his four shots of the game and was the only consistent 76er on the court, finishing with 18 points and eight rebounds. Lou Williams scored nine of his 17 points from the charity stripe and Thaddeus Young added 15 points before fouling out. Young had his hands full with Scola and Patrick Patterson in the post and trying to defend the two Rocket big men seemed to have gotten the best of him. Along with Jrue Holiday, Young looked out of whack all night. Holiday struggled to even stay on the court as he had four fouls in just ten minutes of play midway through the third quarter.

The 76ers will go into the All-Star break with a 20-14 record and a three game lead over the resurgent New York Knicks in the Atlantic Division. Hopefully, the team can simplify some things over the break and snap out of their funk. Getting Spencer Hawes and Elton Brand would also be a big plus.

Not Your Typical 76ers:
Wednesday night the 76ers failed to make a single three-point field goal for the first time since 12/23/08 against the Boston Celtics. For just the second time this season the 76ers committed more turnovers (13) than assists (12). The other time was in a loss in their only matchup so far against the division rival Knicks (14 turnovers, 10 assists).

Earlier this season, the Philadelphia 76ers were one of the last teams to suffer consecutive losses. At the moment, they are in the midst of a season-high four game losing streak after an 89-76 pounding they took Tuesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Atlantic Division lead is still at four games over both the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics and the 76ers will go into the All-Star break this weekend as the division leader—but it may be time to panic.

If there was any hope the 76ers were going to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss in Minnesota Sunday night, it disappeared shortly after the opening tip. The 76ers scored a season-low 10 points in the opening frame, making just 4-20 shots. Fans watching the game got to see both sides of the spectrum. While the 76ers looked lethargic and out of it, the Grizzlies looked fresh and determined to put their loss Monday behind them, and quick. The Grizz scorched the defense of the 76ers for 30 first quarter points, and were led by former 76ers big-man Marreese Speights and uber-reserve O.J. Mayo.

In a game where 76ers coach Doug Collins decided to go with Andres Nocioni as his starting power forward due to Elton Brand being out with a hand injury, Speights enforced his will (something the 76ers dreamed he’d do while a 76er) for six of his twelve points in the first. While he never could get on Doug Collins’ good side in Philly, Speights has had a resurgence in Memphis mainly due to the fact he is receiving minutes that were hard to come by in Philadelphia. Speights never averaged more than 16 minutes a game with the 76ers and his poor play often reflected Collins’ lack of confidence in Speights’ consistency. It looks like Speights has finally developed some consistency at the four for Memphis, which is what the Grizzlies were expecting out of him when they dealt for him in early-January. In his previous 10 games, Speights has averaged 10.8 PPG and 8.9 RPG in 28.4 minutes a game. With Brand and Spencer Hawes ailing this season, a 76ers fan has to wonder what life would be like if Speights got this type of playing time with the 76ers.

Jumping back to Tuesday night, and reality, the 76ers used a 14-22 shooting performance in the second quarter to make it a 47-42 game at the half. However, the 76ers couldn’t keep the momentum they seemed to gain before the half and reverted back to their poor shooting ways in the third. The bench, the 76ers well touted strong point, had only 12 points after three quarters and had little impact in a game they were probably needed the most. Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams each only contributed eight points and combined to shoot 5-24 from the field. The 76ers relied on Jrue Holiday and Andre Iguodala to provide the offense, but while Holiday added 22 points and Iguodala had 11 points, both failed to score a basket in the fourth quarter. This is the sixth straight game that Iguodala has not made a field goal in the final period.

76ers fans have to be jealous of the performance the Grizzlies got out of their All-Star center Marc Gasol. Once known just as Pau Gasol’s brother, Marc Gasol added another double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds. The 7’1, 265 pound frame of Gasol had no match on the roster of the 76ers and tonight’s performance was just another example of why Gasol deserves to go to his first All-Star Game this season.

Other Notes:
-The 76ers travel to Houston to face the Rockets Wednesday night. The 76ers went 2-0 against the Rockets last year.
-Lavoy Allen had 14 points and 5 rebounds in his sixth straight start. Rookie counterpart Nikola Vucevic was hampered by foul trouble and added just two points and one rebound.
-Rudy Gay was held to 1 of 7 shooting through three quarters and had just six points before going 2-3 in the fourth, including 2-2 from downtown. Gay finished with 14 points.

Monday night in Charlotte was supposed to be a blowout in the eyes of 76ers fans. Instead, the game against the last place Bobcats was a rollercoaster of a ride with the Philadelphia 76ers notching their 20th win of the season, 98-89. The 76ers, now 20-9, did not record their 20th win last season until their 45th game.

The game began as most fans would have expected, with the 76ers up by as many as 15 points in the second quarter. Point guard Jrue Holiday provided the offensive spark, starting 5-5 from the field in the first quarter for 11 of his 19 points. Over the last two weeks, Holiday has had the rough responsibility of guarding and playing against point guards like Derrick Rose, Derek Fisher, Tony Parker, and Chris Paul. He played decently and has now started this stretch of road games with games of 20 points and 19 points, respectively.

With a ten point lead at the half, it appeared that the 76ers would coast to an easy win against the Bobcats, especially with how they have been dominating the third quarter this season. Well, the Bobcats had a different plan and held the 76ers to just 16 points in the frame, enabling them to climb back within four. Getting within two points at 81-79 with 6:32 to play, Lou Williams hit a deep, dagger-like three pointer that sparked a 17-10 76ers’ run to end the game. The Bobcats have now lost 15 straight games.

Williams led the 76ers with 23 points off the bench, his eighth 20 point game of the season. Thaddeus Young also added 20 points off the bench for the 76ers sixth game with dual 20 point scorers. They have yet to have a 30 point scorer this season, and have not had one since Elton Brand scored 33 points on February 4th, 2011. Since Allen Iverson left Philadelphia, the 76ers have only had ten 30-point scorers in a game. To put that in perspective, Allen Iverson had 303 career 30+ points games for the 76ers.

The Bobcats have to be impressed with the play of star-rookie Kemba Walker as of late. With D.J. Augustin still injured, Walker has been thrust into the starting lineup and hasn’t disappointed. Adding 21 points and five assists against the 76ers, Walker is now averaging 14.9 points per game as a starter compared to 10.0 points per game as a reserve off the bench. Could the torch be being passed? We shall see. Corey Maggette led the Bobcats with 22 points and reserve big-man added 13 points and nine rebounds. The Bobcats appear destined for the draft lottery, if not the first overall pick this season.

Once again, the 76ers dominated the turnover aspect of the game. With the Bobcats turning the ball over 15 times, the 76ers now have 24 games this season where they have forced their opponent into double-digit turnovers. The 76ers also recorded their 13th game in which they haven’t committed double-digit turnovers. They had 19 games with less than ten turnovers last season. Before tonight, the 76ers already led the NBA in turnover per game differential and assists per turnover. The 76ers average 10.5 turnovers this season while causing 14.3 opponent turnovers. Their assist per turnover rate is at 2.13 and had 21 assists to just seven total turnovers against the Bobcats.

The 76ers continue on the road against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. They are 8-2 this season against the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference, with both losses coming to the Miami Heat.

Interesting Stat: Andre Iguodala was 1-6 shooting and had just three points—his lowest scoring total since 1/11/11 when he scored just one point. He did have a team-high nine assists.

For the first time this season, the Philadelphia 76ers were on a losing streak.  Luckily for them, the beat-up Cleveland Cavaliers came next on the schedule and the 76ers bounced back from two straight losses with a pretty easy 99-84 victory.

The Cavs, missing rookie sensation Kyrie Irving (concussion) and big-man Anderson Varajeo (broken wrist), needed to play a near perfect game to compete with the 76ers, and that didn’t happen.  However, the true difference in the game came down to the play of both teams in the second quarter.  The 76ers simply scored at will in the period, outscoring the Cavs 37-22.

Leading the way for the 76ers was Jrue Holiday with 20 points, five assists and more importantly, zero turnovers.  Holiday turned the ball over five times last night in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, including a couple in the final minutes of the game. The 76ers, who pride themselves on not turning the ball over, only committed six turnovers tonight against the Cavs, after back-to-back games with ten turnovers.

Five other players joined Holiday in double figures, including a combined 50 points off the bench from Lou Williams, Thaddeus Young, Evan Turner and Nikola Vucevic.  The “Night Crew”, as they have been nicknamed, shot 20 of 40 from the field and gave the 76ers a chance to rest some of the starters for long stretches throughout the game.

Missing their leading scorer, the Cavaliers shot just 37% from the field and an even worse 21% from three point land.  Antwan Jamison led the way with 20 points and eight rebounds, while Ramon Sessions poured in 19 points and 8 assists.  Believe it or not, the Cavaliers out-rebounded the 76ers 52-40, including 14 offensive boards–all without the league’s fourth leading rebounder in Varajeo.  Over the last five games, the 76ers have been getting torched on the offensive glass, allowing 14.8 offensive rebounds to opponents.  In general, their rebound per game differential of -1.6 is unhealthy and Elton Brand/Spencer Hawes need to get healthy.

Philadelphia (19-9, 1st in Atlantic Division) will travel to play the NBA-worst Charlotte Bobcats on Monday.  After playing 13 of their last 15 games at the Wells Fargo Center, the game in Cleveland was the unofficial start of a eight game stretch that has the 76ers playing seven games away from home.  Only the Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, and Utah Jazz have played less road games than the 76ers.  The 76ers are 6-4 on the road, with five of those wins coming against teams below .500.

So, Wednesday night the Philadelphia 76ers found out there is a team hotter than they are. The streaking San Antonio Spurs came into Philadelphia and rode the hot hand of Tony Parker to a sixth straight win, beating the 76ers 100-90.

Many felt that the older and slower Spurs would struggle to pick up the slack with do-everything guard Manu Ginobili already missing 22 games, but Tony Parker looks younger than ever—and is playing like it.

Parker scorched the much younger 76ers guards for 37 points, as well as dishing out eight assists in a game that only needs word to describe it: domination. Whenever the 76ers made a run, Parker either made a devastating jumper, or went to the rim and caused the usually disciplined 76ers to commit undisciplined fouls. Parker was a perfect 13-13 from the charity strike, while the 76ers shot 11 total free throws as a team.

Despite shooting only 41%, the 76ers didn’t exactly throw up a dud. They played well enough to have the opportunity to be in the game, but just couldn’t cause the Spurs to make the mistakes that the 76ers live off of. The 76ers defense has been ruthless over the last five games, causing an average of 14 turnovers a game, but only forced the Spurs into a season-low six.

Two nights after scoring 24 points to lead the 76ers to a triumphant win over the hated Los Angeles Lakers, Lou Williams again led the 76ers with 22 points off the bench. Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, Jrue Holiday, and Elton Brand joined Williams in double figures, but the rest of the team had nights to forget. Jodie Meeks, Nikola Vucevic, Lavoy Allen, and Evan Turner combined for a total of nine points. On most nights, the 76ers would have had enough firepower to get the W, but not with Parker playing like the 2007 Parker who won the NBA Finals MVP.

Parker is now averaging 28.4 points per game over his last five games, including a 42-point performance in a victory over the NBA leading Oklahoma City Thunder. Reserves Gary Neal (18 points) and Tiago Splitter (15 points) added the complimentary firepower for Parker, while the ageless Tim Duncan registered his eighth double-double game of the season. With all of that said, the Spurs might be adding more ammunition with a possible Ginobili return this weekend.

Since January 30th, the 76ers have had a seven game stretch of opponents that included some notorious powerhouses in the Magic, Bulls, Heat, Lakers, and Spurs. They are 4-2 so far, and will conclude the stretch against the “Lob City” Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. The Clips will be without Sixer-killer Chauncey Billups, who tore his ACL and will miss the remainder of the season.