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The Sixers are Posting Some Absolutely Ludicrous 4th Quarter Numbers
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There’s a lot to like about the Sixers through their 4-0 start, but one of the things that should really jump off the page and slap you right across the face is the 4th quarter numbers.
Sportradar data shows that not only are they the best 4th quarter team in the NBA, but it’s not even remotely close:
Going from left to right, we begin with fourth quarter point differential. The Sixers are +47, which is almost twice the amount of points as second-place Boston.
Then there’s fourth quarter points scored total, which is 148. That averages out to 37 points per 4th quarter this season, while limiting the opponent to 25.3. You take the first number and subtract the second, which gives you a per-game differential of 11.8, meaning the Sixers outscore opponents by almost 12 points on average in the fourth quarter.
Last, but not least, is clutch points scored. Clutch is a measure of statistics that are logged in the game’s final five minutes, plus overtime, and the Sixers are second in the league with 54 clutch points total.
For some context, the best fourth quarter Philly team going back 25 years was the 2022-2023 squad, when James Harden and Joel Embiid were both playing elite basketball. That team finished +2 in fourth quarter differential per game, which is 9.8 points WORSE than what the Sixers are doing now. Clearly it’s not sustainable, what they’re doing right now, though you feel very good about the unquantifiable fight and determination they’ve shown in the second half this year.
Going through the history books, the best 4th quarter differential on record belongs to the 1975-1976 Golden State Warriors, who finished with a +3.4 number. They won 59 games that season behind All Stars Rick Barry, Phil Smith, and Jamaal Wilkes, and lost the Western Conference final in seven games against Paul Westphal’s Phoenix Suns.
The only real blemish with the Sixers, so far, is team defense. They have a 122 offensive rating right now, which means they average 122 points per 100 possessions. That’s second-best, behind only the Nuggets. But the defensive rating is 116, which is 7th-worse. It amounts to a +6 overall net rating, which is 8th-best in the NBA, but they are clearly being carried on the strength of scoring at the moment.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com