76ers ipinoste ang 50-win mark

CHICAGO — Li­mang sunod na kamalasan sa season ang naranasan ng Philadelphia 76ers at may 10 lamang noong 2016.

Ngunit ngayon ay ti­natamasa na ni head coach Brett Brown ang matagumpay na sea­son.

Humakot si star center Joel Embiid ng 20 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists at 3 blocks, habang nagtala si guard JJ Redick ng 23 markers para akayin ang 76ers sa 50-win mark sa ikalawang sunod na taon.

Pinasadsad ng 76ers ang Bulls, 116-96, para makuha nila ang natu­rang record.

“I know how difficult it is,” sabi ni Brown. “In the NBA, when you can have a team that can find 50 wins, it’s unique and difficult. I give (this) group credit. We’ve gone through a few iterations of what the team looks like. We all kind of understand the 50-win milestone goes away quickly when the playoffs begin. As it sits, to get back-to-back 50-win seasons is a great accomplishment for the guys in that loc­ker room.”

Tinapos ng 76ers ang kanilang kamalasan no­ong 2017-18 nang pu­ma­sok sa Eastern Con­fe­rence semifinals.

Target nila ngayon ang No. 3 seed.

Nagsalpak si Redick ng apat na 3-pointers, ha­bang nagdagdag sina To­bias Harris at Ben Simmons ng 16 at 14 points, ayon sa pagka­ka­sunod, para sa Philadelphia, nakawala sa Chi­cago sa third quarter matapos angkinin ang eight-point halftime lead.

Binanderahan naman ni JaKarr Sampson ang Bulls mula sa kanyang career-high na 29 points.

Sa Milwaukee, nagtala si guard D’Angelo Russell ng 25 points at 10 assists para banderahan ang Brooklyn Nets sa 133-128 paggupo sa Bucks at pagandahin ang kanilang katayuan sa Eastern Conference playoff race.

Naglaro ang Bucks na wala si MVP candi­date Giannis Anteto­kounmpo na may left calf injury.