Confident Sixers look to end season strong

Michael Carter-Williams, even on the lowly Sixers, is posting some of the best rookie numbers in the NBA. Credit: Getty Images

The 76ers got their win this weekend. And Monday night in Atlanta it appeared the team was about to get another one.

But after the team blew a double-digit lead, the playoff hungry Hawks finished on a 14-3 run down the stretch to seize a 103-95 decision and make the Sixers look like their old selves once again.

“It’s 92-92 and we come out of a timeout and do a poor job executing,” Brown said. “They go down and score and from that point forward we were playing catch-up.Just trying to take a young team and say, ‘Here it is. It’s tied at 92 and you’re playing against a team that is scratching and clawing trying to get into the playoffs. It’s a fantastic opportunity to bring a game home. How do we execute?’”

Although they let the Hawks get the best of them in the last three minutes Monday, the Sixers are right back in action with another game against a playoff hopeful Wednesday at home against the Bobcats.

Charlotte has a little more wiggle room than Atlanta, holding the No. 7 spot in the East as of Tuesday and a few games of separation with the Hawks.

The young squad is led by young guards Gerald Henderson and Gerald Wallace. In two games against the Bobcats this season the Sixers are 1-1, having edged the squad 95-92 at the Wells Fargo Center in January.

Philly will finish the week with a winnable game in Boston against the struggling Celtics Friday and then a home game against the Nets Saturday.

With eight games remaining for the Sixers, while many other teams are jockeying for playoff positioning, Philadelphia will continue to attempt to grow and develop heading into this summer’s important NBA draft.

And even though they won’t be playing for a postseason berth or to end a historic streak, Brown knows the city will support his team as the season winds down.

“I’ve learned that this city does have patience,” Brown said this weekend after the Sixers beat the Pistons. “I’m proud of the city.”

Ironically, even with the longest losing streak in professional sports history in the books this season, the 76ers still do not have the worst record in the NBA. The Milwaukee Bucks have two less wins than the Sixers with 14.