76ers Dominate Trailblazers 125-103 For Fourth Straight Win
Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George, left, drives to the hoop against Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
The Philadelphia 76ers’ wins just keep on coming. After a struggling start to the 2024 season, the 76ers continued to roll in December, securing their ninth win of the month in a 125-103 victory over the Portland Trailblazers. The 76ers have won four in a row, three of which have come on the road.
Joel Embiid was the leading man for Philadelphia, finishing with 37 points and nine rebounds, with Tyrese Maxey adding 23 points and three assists. Guerschon Yabusele and Kelly Oubre Jr. also played outstanding in the win, with Yabusele scoring 16 points, with 11 coming in the second quarter, and Oubre had 15 points, a career-high eight steals, five rebounds, and two assists. For the Trailblazers, Anfernee Simons led the way with 25 points while Deni Avdija added 17 points and seven rebounds.
Right out the gate, the Trailblazers opened the scoring with a three from Anfernee Simons. Both teams went on a cold run of no baskets until a Caleb Martin three opened the scoring for the 76ers. Joel Embidd and Tyrese Maxey then hit their first shots of the game and after a layup Simons, Paul George, and Kelly Oubre Jr. joined in on the fun with first baskets of their own to make it 13-7 76ers.
Deandre Ayton knocked down his first basket with an alley-oop from Scoot Henderson, while Maxey drilled his first three on the other end. Both teams went back-and-forth knocking down shots, with Ayton scoring back-to-back layups and Embiid drilling a three that kept the 76ers lead at 6.
With the quarter nearly over, both teams continued to answer the other shots, until a Guerschon Yabusele mid-range basket increased the lead to eight. However, Deni Avdija then went on a run of his own, scoring seven points in the final two points to tie the game. As the final seconds of the quarter wound down, Yabusele knocked down another mid-ranger to make it 33-31 76ers after the first 12 minutes of play.
Quarter two began similar to the first, with a basket from Simons, but this time he hit back-to-back shots for five quick points. Tied at 38, the 76ers then went on a huge 13-0 run, highlighted by six points from Embiid, and a disgusting and-one poster dunk from Yabusele.
Yabusele’s hot quarter continued as he knocked down a long three-pointer for his 11th point of the quarter. Embiid, the other man having a hot quarter for the 76ers, continued to score with six more consecutive points. Up 12 with under a minute left in the half, Simons drilled another short shot to make it 64-54 76ers heading into the half.
In the second half, the 76ers immediately grew their lead with Oubre, Embiid, and Maxey scoring two-point shots to open the half. However, Sharpe, Ayton, and Simons answered right back with nine points combined to cut the deficit to eight. The 76ers didn’t let that stand for long as once again Oubre, Embiid, and Maxey drilled two-point shots in a row to go up 15.
Embiid and Avdija traded pairs of free throws and Oubre drilled a three with just over three minutes left in the quarter. The 76ers continued to add on before the fourth quarter with George and Oubre hitting short two-point shots and Embiid getting an and-one layup, to end the third quarter up 91-72.
With 12 minutes left to play, the Trailblazers weren’t ready to call it a night yet, as five points from Simons and a three from Avdija cut the deficit to 14. Embiid continued to add to his impressive night adding four more free throws and knocking down another tough mid-range shot. After a turnover by Henderson, a long three from Maxey extended the 76ers to 20 points for the first time on the night with under nine minutes left to play.
The 76ers began to increase their lead over Portland. Two buckets from Martin and a long three from George increased the lead to 27. After the basket from George, Nick Nurse emptied his with under four minutes to play. The 76ers added threes from Jeff Dowtin Jr. and Pete Nance to add to their lead and defeat Portland 125-103.
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Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
