A look into the Philadelphia 76ers' 126-116 win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.
The Philadelphia 76ers (39-32) keep on winning despite their 'Big Three' of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George being sidelined.
The 76ers defeated the Utah Jazz 126-116 on Saturday night.
It was once again the guard tandem of V.J. Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes who led the charge for Philadelphia. Edgecombe, coming off a career-best game against the Sacramento Kings, finished with 22 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists on 47.4% shooting and 1 of 4 shooting from three-point range in 39 minutes of action.
Grimes continues to step up with the stars absent, recording 25 points, five rebounds, and four assists on 60% shooting against the Jazz.
Philadelphia also got strong production from Cameron Payne and Trendon Watford. While Payne didn't explode for a monster performance like he has in the past, tallying 16 points, seven assists, and three rebounds on 4 of 10 shooting is more than the 76ers need from him. Watford concluded the evening with 20 points, nine rebounds, and four assists on 63.6% shooting in just 24 minutes.
Unsurprisingly, 76ers coach Nick Nurse split the center minutes between Adem Bona and Andre Drummond quite evenly. Bona started and played 27 minutes while Drummond was on the floor for 21 minutes.
However, the former outplayed the latter.
Bona recorded 16 points, five rebounds, and two blocks on 58.3% shooting compared to Drummond's four points, eight rebounds, and four blocks on 40% shooting. It's worth noting Bona was much more aggressive on the offensive end.
For the Jazz, it was the No. 5 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Ace Bailey, who carried the team. He finished with 25 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and five blocks on 7 of 20 shooting in 33 minutes played.
Utah also got solid performances from Bez Mbeng, Elijah Harkless, Kennedy Chandler, and Kyle Filipowski.
The 76ers return to action on Monday night to face the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder (56-15) at 7 PM ET.
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