Philadelphia 76ers vs Houston Rockets Box Score on Oct 30, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Oct 30, 2017

HOUSTON -- Ben Simmons scored 24 points and teamed with Joel Embiid down the stretch to help the Philadelphia 76ers fend off the Houston Rockets 115-107 on Monday night at Toyota Center.

On the heels of blowing an eight-point lead down the stretch at home last week to Houston, the 76ers (3-4) ratcheted up their defense after Rockets guard James Harden sank two free throws with 3:06 remaining to cut what was once a 14-point deficit to 106-105.

While Embiid scored in the post and Simmons converted a dunk in transition, the Rockets strung together six consecutive empty possessions with Philadelphia clawing to contest shots all over the court.

Simmons finished with seven rebounds and nine assists, while Embiid chipped in 22 points, nine boards and five assists. The 76ers totaled 40 bench points, with forward Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot scoring 17 points, Amir Johnson 12, and T.J. McConnell 11.

Harden paced the Rockets (5-3) with 29 points and seven assists while Eric Gordon tallied 25. Clint Capela added 12 points and 15 rebounds.

All the hallmarks of exceptional ball movement were present for the 76ers early as Philadelphia produced 11 assists on 15 baskets in the first quarter. Simmons, McConnell and Jerryd Bayless recorded three assists each to steer a fluid offense that shot 65.2 percent from the floor, with Luwawu-Cabarrot making all four of his attempts in the opening period.

Without Embiid on the floor, the 76ers weren't quite as potent on either end in the second quarter. Keyed by Gordon, who tallied 15 points in the period, the Rockets turned a series of spurts into a one-point deficit when Harden scored in transition with 4:19 left in the half.

Gordon saved the Rockets late when his steal and dunk with 1.5 seconds left ended a scoring drought of nearly three minutes and cut the 76ers' lead to 58-56 at the intermission.

NOTES: Philadelphia G J.J. Redick missed a second consecutive game with lower back tightness. F Dario Saric once again replaced Redick in the starting lineup, and he scored 14 points. ... Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni assigned a lack of focus as the primary reason behind the surprising lack of pace offensively. The Rockets entered the week ranked 23rd in pace at 99.2 possessions per 48 minutes after finishing last season third overall at 102.5. ... Rockets G Chris Paul is set to undergo a re-examination of his left knee sometime soon. Paul has missed every game this season excluding the opener. ... Sixers coach Brett Brown took a positive approach to the news that rookie G Markelle Fultz would miss an indefinite amount of time with right shoulder soreness, expressing excitement over taking "the window of time to grow (Fultz)."