You probably felt good about this game if you went to bed at halftime with the Sixers up 14. They came out firing, while stifling the short-handed Warriors on the defensive end of the floor.

Then you woke up to a ten-point win, which seems comfortable and reasonable, but you go through the box score and play-by-play and realize the Sixers actually blew that lead when they allowed 40 points in the third quarter, only to lock it back down again and hold Golden State to 13 in the final period.

Sort of a schizophrenic game, wasn’t it? Split personalities, like the M. Night Shyamalan movie. A rollercoaster of various dips and bends, with the Sixers’ bench contributing very little. At the end of the day, it was strong performances from Tobias Harris and Tony Bradley, and a big late run, that sealed the deal.

“When you go on the road, it’s hard,” said head coach Doc Rivers. “Doesn’t matter who you’re playing or where you’re playing, it’s hard. We got up early. I thought our second unit struggled tonight, especially in the first half. Second half, not much better, and that happens. Turnovers, gave up a 40-point quarter, which is not like us. But then when you turn around and give up a 13-point quarter, it makes everything feel better. I thought it was one of those games where our defense set the tone. We did in the first quarter, and then again in the fourth.”

Tony Bradley, 100% from the floor

Turns out the Tony Bradley/Zhaire Smith trade was great business by the Sixers. In Joel Embiid’s absence, he went out on Tuesday night and dropped 18 points on 8-8 shooting and added 11 rebounds, a slick double-double for the 23-year-old former North Carolina Tar Heel.

And he’s not doing anything crazy, just playing within himself and executing on the small things while finishing around the rim.

“I thought it was just that,” said Rivers, in agreeance. “I just thought he was awesome. If I had a star of the game, he would be it. I thought Dwight (Howard) struggled tonight. We needed a lift at that position, and when he came back in the fourth quarter, I thought he did everything right. We stay on him about falling in love with his role and being great with his role and doing it every night. He’s doing that. He’s accepted it. More importantly, it’s just his work (ethic). He’s lost something like 20 pounds since camp. He works after every practice and every game and I’m very happy for him.”

You can’t stop Tony Bradley, you can only hope to contain him! That’s what the great Dan Patrick would have said about him on Tuesday night.

Watch this short clip and tell me what you see:

It’s just simple and smart stuff, right? Flashing along the baseline for weak side offensive rebounds. Rolling hard to the rim. Boxing out from starting positions where he’s essentially underneath the rim.

This might sound weird, but Bradley reminds me a bit of 2018 Ersan Ilyasova, and even Dario Saric, in the way he hits the offensive glass. You’re sort of watching the game, falling asleep on the couch, not paying super-close attention, and then Bradley pops up out of nowhere to grab a board. Then you think, “where the hell did he come from?” It’s that kind of experience.

“I just wanted to, like every game, come out with some energy and effort and just show a motor,” Bradley said.

It’s a huge boon for the Sixers, Bradley’s play. Joel Embiid is out, and Howard has a lot of mileage on those tires. The fact that Bradley is giving them quality minutes right now is helping to keep them atop the east.

“It’s just a great opportunity, with Joel being out,” Bradley added. “Making the most of my opportunity, playing hard, trying to help the team win as much as I can.”

Tobias Harris, clutch again

Funky weekend for Harris, who was lights out against the Kings and then shot 5-18 on the second night of the back-to-back, missing a couple of free throws that would have iced the Knicks game in regulation.

But he got a second crack in overtime, and hit the final five points for the Sixers to give them their 9th win in 10 games.

He did it again in Oakland, once again showing his underappreciated closer ability by going out and shooting 2-3 from the field at the sub – .500 mark of the fourth quarter, and grabbing two defensive rebounds. The game was tied at 96 when he took that first shot, and his two buckets put the Sixers up 100-96, then the technical free throw extended the lead to seven.

“He struggled in New York a little bit in that game, so it’s interesting to see how a guy comes off of that,” Rivers said of Harris. “What I liked about his game tonight is that he didn’t force it. He let the game come to him and made plays, not just with the shot, but with the pass. That told me a lot about him. He’s in this to win. He’s not in this for numbers; he’s in this for wins, and you can see it in the way he’s playing.”

This was one of those Harris games where he settled into that comfortable mid-range game. It’s not what the analytics folks necessarily want, but Tobias has been typically good pulling up in those areas coming off screens, and the defense was giving it to him in this game:

Marc Narducci asked a good question about Harris on the Zoom call, and it’s something I think we’ve all noticed, but Tobias seems to be pseudo-offended by the idea that the Sixers can’t win without Joel Embiid. In that regard, he’s sort of combined that with the All Star snub to play with a behemoth chip on his shoulder.

“I think he’s had the leadership part all year,” Rivers said. “I think he’s clearly one of our leaders, if not the leader because of his age. Down the stretch, with Joel (on the floor), we’ve gone to Tobias as well, so it’s nice to have two (closers). Right now, Tobias is our guy down the stretch, but when Joel comes back, having both of those guys, with our shooting on the floor and the playmaking of Ben, it’s a pretty good situation for us.”