The Philadelphia 76ers continue to get healthy at home with 20 wins in 22 games, but their road record still leaves plenty to be desired.
After completing a sweep of a brief two-game homestand, the 76ers aim to snap a six-game road losing streak on Saturday when they visit the New York Knicks.
Reserve Furkan Korkmaz drained six 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 24 points as Philadelphia posted a 100-89 victory over Chicago on Friday.
“Everybody saw that I was really feeling it, and then they just tried to find me,” Korkmaz said. “I got some good open looks.”
Sixers coach Brett Brown likened Korkmaz’s performance to that of former Philly sharpshooter JJ Redick.
“For us to see him come in, do JJ-like stuff, and have that type of a (shooter) that was different,” Brown said. “That was different from what we have as it related to the current skill set.”
Ben Simmons reached the 20-point plateau for the third straight game, landing on that total Friday after making 10 of 17 shots from the floor. He also added 11 rebounds, but Simmons wasn’t interested in talking about himself.
“He was in rhythm,” Simmons said of Korkmaz, “just keep trying to find him whenever he’s open.”
The 76ers hope the sharpshooting of Korkmaz and consistent performances of Simmons travel with them on the road, where they sport a dismal 7-14 mark.
Philadelphia, however, has defeated New York in both encounters this season, albeit with Joel Embiid leading the team in scoring in both contests. The All-Star center had 23 points in a 109-104 victory in Philadelphia on Nov. 20 and 27 points in a 101-95 win nine days later in New York.
Embiid, however, remains sidelined with an injured left finger, causing the 76ers to rely heavily on veteran Al Horford.
“If you look at it, he may go up a little bit, but it’s never a reckless amount,” Brown said of the 33-year-old Horford. “In regard to cutting our nose off to spite our face, that won’t happen. We’re very mindful of it.”
New York has its own injuries to address, with rookie shooting guard RJ Barrett expected to be sidelined at least a week with a right ankle sprain. Barrett, the third overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, sustained the injury during the Knicks’ 121-98 setback to Phoenix on Thursday, marking the team’s seventh loss in eight games.
“It hurts. I never really been hurt before,” Barrett said. “I don’t remember the last time I missed a game. But we play so many games, it was bound to happen.”
Julius Randle scored 26 points versus the Suns, marking his third straight contest with at least 25. Randle, who is tied with Marcus Morris Sr. for the team lead in scoring with 19.0 points per game and is tops in rebounding at 9.1, had 17 and 22 points, respectively, in the first two meetings with the 76ers.
Morris scored 17 points on Thursday in his return following a five-game absence due to a sore neck. He has averaged 21.0 points in the two meetings with Philadelphia this season.
