Field Level Media
Jan 12, 2024
Tobias Harris scored a season-high 37 points to lift the host Philadelphia 76ers past the Sacramento Kings 112-93 on Friday.
Harris, who sank 14 of 25 shots from the floor, finished two points shy of tying his career high.
Tyrese Maxey added 21 points, Nicolas Batum contributed 14 and Mo Bamba had 11 and four blocked shots as the Sixers snapped a three-game losing streak.
Philadelphia improved to 3-7 without reigning Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid, who remains out with a swollen left knee. Robert Covington (knee) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (toe) were also sidelined on Friday.
De'Aaron Fox led the Kings with 21 points. Malik Monk and Keegan Murray had 15 each, and Domantas Sabonis added 14 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.
The Kings had won their previous two games and four of the past five.
Harris, who put up 23 first-half points, stayed hot and knocked down a 3-pointer with 10:50 remaining in the fourth quarter for a 92-74 lead.
The Kings seemed out of sync with airballs from 3-point range launched by Trey Lyles and Murray.
Bamba dropped in a trey from the top of the key with 6:01 to go and the Sixers held a 103-78 advantage.
Sabonis threw down a dunk with 5:00 left, but the Kings still trailed 103-83.
Harris hit a 3-pointer with 8:59 left in the second quarter to cap an 11-0 run for a 40-24 Philadelphia advantage.
The Sixers extended to a 55-36 lead with 3:09 left in the period on a Batum trey from the corner. After an empty Kings possession, Batum hit another 3-pointer from almost the exact same spot.
The Sixers led 65-46 at halftime thanks in large part to Harris' efforts plus 17 points from Maxey.
Murray and Fox had 11 apiece before the break for the Kings, who shot just 17-for-48 (35.4 percent) from the field in the opening two quarters. Sabonis was limited to two points in 18 first-half minutes.
Sacramento had a difficult job cutting into the deficit as it trailed 81-65 with 4:26 remaining in the third after two free throws by Monk.
The Sixers led 87-73 at the end of the third.
Philadelphia wound up shooting 43 percent from the floor, while Sacramento finished at 33.7 percent.
--Field Level Media