Philadelphia 76ers bag first win of the season
After dropping their first four games, the Philadelphia 76ers finally bagged their first win of the season after they hammered the Indiana Pacers, 101-75, on Wednesday 3 November at the Wells
Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Elton Brand had his best game of the season as the 31-year old forward scored 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to go with two blocked shots, while Thaddeus Young added 16 points and five
rebounds for Philadelphia, who dropped a tough 116-115 overtime loss against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday 2 November.
The second-overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft, Evan Turner, chipped in 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the field, while Louis Williams, Jrue Holiday, and Andre Iguodala added 11 points
each, with the latter adding nine boards for Philadelphia.
The 76ers came out firing on all cylinders right from the opening tip and took a 31-16 lead at the end of the first period, and continued to dominate in the second quarter to build a huge
26-point lead, 57-31, at the half.
The 76ers never looked back and gave head coach Doug Collins his first win as Philadelphia’s coach, but the veteran bench tactician wasn’t there to celebrate with his team after the final
buzzer sounded.
Collins, who was hired on May after Philadelphia fired former head coach Eddie Jordan, complained of dizziness during the halftime break, and he wasn’t able to return and stayed inside their
locker room, turning over the coaching duties to his assistant, Michael Curry.
"I got up at halftime and I had that real dizzy feeling," Collins said. "I told Michael to grab my arm. I didn't want to fall."
The veteran coach also missed two pre-season games because of concussion-related symptoms after suffering a nasty fall on Memorial Day, and was later diagnosed with vertigo after a neurological
testing.
"I think when you crack your head, you don't understand all the dynamics," Collins said. "This summer, I was able to rest a lot and everything. What happens now when you get up and down,
it triggers it."
Darren Collison led the Pacers with his 11 points, while Josh McRoberts added 10 points.
Roy Hibbert racked up nine points and eight rebounds, while Danny Granger, who averaged 27 points during their first three games, scored only seven points on a lacklustre 2-for-14 clip from
the field.
"Sometimes you're the pounder, sometimes you're the poundee," Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said. "We were the poundee tonight."
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