3 biggest takeaways for the Sixers after another road win over the Jazz

On December 29, 2024By Littum

The Philadelphia 76ers added another to the win column with a 114-111 victory over the Utah Jazz on the road on Saturday night. The Sixers are now 9-3 since a 3-14 start to the season and are 2-0 on this current 6-game road trip. Philadelphia overcame an early 14-point deficit to get the job done on the road.

Joel Embiid had 32 points, five rebounds and four assists for Philadelphia, while Tyrese Maxey added 32 points and six assists. Paul George had 13 points and five steals, Guerschon Yabusele had 12 and eight rebounds off the bench, and Kelly Oubre Jr. had nine points.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from this win over the Jazz:

Paul George’s defense

December 28, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) brings the ball up court against the Utah Jazz in the second quarter at the Delta Center. Mandatory credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Make no mistake, the Sixers will need George to figure this out on the offensive end. He needs to be better as this team moves forward, but on the flip side, his defense has been excellent. He blew up anything the Jazz tried to run on their offensive end, actively getting into the passing lanes and making sure Philadelphia was able to get the stops they needed to win. It wasn’t a good defensive night overall for the Sixers, but George was great in his minutes on that end.

Embiid as a roller

December 28, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) brings the ball up court against the Utah Jazz in the second quarter at the Delta Center. Mandatory credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images

This was a noticeable aspect of Embiid’s night on Saturday. He rolled hard to the basket off screens instead of leaping and taking mid-range jumpers. When he is able to get into the paint, he obviously has a better chance of getting cleaner looks on offense. He’s so big and so skilled that when he was rolling, Jazz wasn’t able to do much to stop him. He was also able to make tough catches which allowed him to finish for easy points.

Maxey gets to the foul line

December 28, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) goes to the basket against Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski (22) in the second quarter at the Delta Center. Mandatory credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Maxey entered this contest averaging 5.5 free throws per game. match. He took 10 in this matchup and knocked down nine of them. The Jazz deserve credit for bothering him to start the night with their length and ability to be physical with him, but the rising star was able to put his head down and get into the paint and draw defenders. It was able to get itself into a groove, and the Sixers were able to follow through after a bumpy start with Utah taking the lead as it did.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 3 biggest takeaways for the Sixers after another road win over the Jazz