PHILADELPHIA _ The 76ers hadn't had a winning record since Nov. 13, 2013, because they didn't want one.
Since that night, they wanted folks to trust the process through Tank 1, Tank 2, Tank 3 and ultimately Tank 4.
But now the Sixers are determined to be recognized as winners. That's why Friday night's 121-110 victory over the Indiana Pacers at Wells Fargo Center was special to them.
Not only was it a night that rookie point guard Ben Simmons posted his second career triple-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. At 5-4, the Sixers are winners for the first time since nine games into the 2013-14 season, when they were also 5-4.
J.J. Redick's game-high eight 3-pointers and 31 points also helped the Sixers extend their winning streak to four games for the first time since Dec. 29, 2013 through Jan. 4, 2014. Back then, they beat the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings, and Portland Trail Blazers on the road.
In all, they have won five of six games after opening this season with consecutive losses to the Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors.
"We are here to play good basketball," said Sixers coach Brett Brown before the game, downplaying having a winning record. "We love playing at home. Our goal is to make the playoffs. When you look at some of those teams, that we are going to get through to get there, this could be one of them.
"Right now, they are playing like they might be in a higher echelon. Those things come up, not so much trying to eclipse a .500 mark. I see the world with a far sort of broader lens right now."
But Redick turned the game into his own personal 3-point clinic, especially down the stretch.
He broke open a tied game by scoring the first nine points with three 3-pointers on a game-sealing 11-0 run.
Redick's drained a 3 to give the Sixers a 113-110 lead with 2 minutes left. Then he added another as the shot clock expired to put his team up six with 1:07 to play. And the free-agent acquisition drilled another with 46.3 seconds to make it a 119-110 game.
Redick made his eight 3-pointers in 12 attempts while erasing memories of Wednesday's poor-shooting game when he made 1 of 6 and finished with eight points.
Meanwhile, Simmons, once again, showed why he's the overwhelming favorite to win rookie of the year. And people are taking notice.
In a recent interview, former NBA great Kobe Bryant called Simmons "phenomenal."
"From Kobe, that's awesome to hear from one of the greatest that's ever played," Simmons said. "I have a long way to go. That means a lot. I have a long way to go. So I'm staying in the gym."
However, players and media types have been raving over since the season has started. He's being compared to LeBron James and Hall of Famers Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson.
"I think it's amazing," he said. "I got a lot more when I was playing at LSU, just because I was playing. I wasn't out for a year. So it's kind of slowly coming back to where it was. But it's amazing."
The first overall pick of the 2015 draft was sidelined last season with a fractured right foot.
Before the game, the Australian revealed that he hopes to represent his country in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Joel Embiid finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, but was hampered by foul trouble.
Reserve center Richaun Holmes scored six points in his regular-season debut. He had been sidelined since fracturing his left wrist on Oct. 6 against the Boston Celtics.
This game was a homecoming to Pacers power forward Thad Young, who finished with 15 points. Victor Oladipo finished with a team-high 31 points.
Young played his first seven seasons for the Sixers before being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Aug. 23, 2014. The Timberwolves traded him the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 19, 2015. The 29-year-old was then shipped to the Indiana Pacers on July 7, 2016.
This game also marked the return of Myles Turner (11 points). The Pacers post player had missed the previous seven games with a concussion.
Pacers reserve T.J Leaf suffered a game-ending sprained right ankle with 10:04 left in the second quarter.
Friday night was Military Appreciation Night inside the arena.
The first 5,000 fans in attendance received 76ers Stars and Striped rally towels. The organization honored active and retired servicemen, including Marine Sergeant Jason Simms.
Simms is a Purple Heart recipient and the 2013 American Hero of the Year Award winner. He performed the ringing on the team's liberty bell before the game. Also before the game, 30 servicemen at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst held a 1,700-square-foot American flag during the National Anthem. Then at halftime, active servicemen presented jerseys to six veterans of each of the last six major U.S. conflicts.
