There it is –

A marquee road win.

That was the Sixers’ best W of the season, a mature and composed display against a team that was previously unbeaten at home. They took out an Eastern Conference rival, a team above them in the standings, and honestly really needed that kind of victory to instill a bit of confidence in a fan base that was happy but looking for just a bit more from a title contender.

Quirky ending to this game, too, with a brief ‘hack-a-Simmons’ routine resulting in Ben going 2-2 from the foul line. Joel Embiid closed with a 5-6 mark from the stripe over the final 25 seconds and the Sixers benefited from a no-call on Josh Richardson, who hooked Jaylen Brown on an inbound play with both hands but avoided a whistle:

Hey listen, if they don’t call it, they don’t call it. It was a three-point game when that happened, the Sixers extended the lead to four on the ensuing possession, and then closed it out from the free throw line.

If you’re keeping track, that’s two wins over Boston, one at home and one on the road. Brett Brown’s team also has home wins over Miami, Toronto, and Indy, so they’ve defeated every top-six team in East outside of Milwaukee, who they have not yet played. 19-7 puts the Sixers 3.5 games back of the Bucks and tied for 2nd in the conference with the Heat.

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