PHILADELPHIA _ The 76ers just might be in the midst of something special.
We'll have a better idea of just how special it actually is after their next two opponents _ the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers. But there's no denying what they've been doing this past month has been exceptional.
Tuesday's 121-95 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at the Wells Fargo Center marked the Sixers' 11th consecutive victory. It's their longest winning streak since taking 12 straight from Jan. 13 to Feb. 5, 1990. The Sixers (47-30) are plus-17 in the win column for the first time since the end of the 2000-01 regular season. And they've won 14 of 17 games dating back to March 1.
On this night, they were again without two of their best players _ Joel Embiid and Dario Saric, both of whom are injured. But they weren't needed.
That's because Ben Simmons, again, took up the slack.
The rookie point guard was four assists shy of his 12 triple-double of the season.
The rookie of the year front-runner had 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting. He collected 12 rebounds, six rebounds, one steal, and four turnovers in 25 minutes, 14 seconds. Simmons, who now has 36 double-doubles, left the game with 4:25 left in the third quarter and didn't return.
Meanwhile, starters JJ Redick and Ersan Ilyasova also sat out the fourth quarter. Redick still managed to score a game-high 19 points in 23:20. Ilyasova, who's starting in place of Saric, had 11 points and 13 rebounds in 28:13.
Robert Covington (12 points) and reserves Marco Belinelli (17), Richaun Holmes (11), T.J. McConnell (10) and Markelle Fultz (10) also scored in double figures.
Fultz and Simmons were paired together in the backcourt for a few minutes in the third quarter. It marked the first time in Fultz's five games back that the duo was on the court together.
The upcoming matchups against the Pistons and Cleveland should provide stiffer competition for a squad battling injuries. The Sixers face the Pistons in Detroit on Wednesday before hosting the Cavaliers on Friday.
Embiid, an All-Star center, missed his third consecutive game after fracturing the orbital bone near his left eye and suffering a concussion last Wednesday against the New York Knicks. He had surgery Saturday and is expected to be sidelined two to four weeks.
Saric is expected to return on Friday night Cavaliers. The Sixers power forward has been sidelined since Sunday with cellulitis, a bacterial infection, in his right elbow. He missed Sunday's game against the Hornets at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. He did not play Tuesday vs. the Nets (25-53) and will miss Wednesday's game.
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