PHILADELPHIA _ The Philadelphia 76ers hosted the Denver Nuggets in a key game Monday night at Wells Fargo Center. But under the circumstances, the result of the game ended up being nothing more than a sidebar.
The focus was on the individual performance of Markelle Fultz, who was making his first appearance since Oct. 23. The first overall pick in June's draft finished with 10 points, eight assists and four rebounds in 14 minutes, 24 seconds in the Sixers' 123-104 win.
The point guard had his shot blocked four times while making just 5 of 13 shots. However, the 19-year-old was extremely active and a solid floor general.
Joel Embiid had 20 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks, while Ben Simmons added seven points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Simmons' 577 assists are the most by a rookie in team history. His second assist (No. 568) broke Allen Iverson's rookie record.
The victory improved the Sixers to 43-30 and extended their winning streak to seven games. The Eastern Conference's fourth-place squad is one game behind the third-place Cleveland Cavaliers with nine games remaining.
But this night was all about Fultz's long-awaited return.
The combo guard had been sidelined for 68 games while trying to regain his shooting touch.
"This is what everybody has been waiting for," Robert Covington said. "All the work Markelle has been putting in ... while he has been out. ... It's exciting for us, exciting for the city. And we are just happy to have him back."
Fultz received a standing ovation when he checked into the game with 2 minutes, 54 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
He lost the ball on his trip down the court. Fultz made up for that by scoring a layup on an assist from Embiid with 1:41 left in the quarter. His first assist came on an Ersan Ilyasova jumper 55.2 seconds before the end of the quarter. His second shot attempt _ an 11-footer over the outstretched arms of Mason Plumlee _ failed to reach the rim. Fultz then had his shot blocked twice on one possession early in the second quarter.
Aside from shooting the ball, Fultz was effective during his 5-minute, 32-second stretch. He tallied three assists and one rebound before leaving to a huge ovation 9:22 before intermission.
Fultz checked back in with 3:21 left in the third quarter.
He missed a turnaround jumper at the 2:10 mark before scoring an acrobatic running layup 18 seconds later. His third made basket came on a cutting layup with 36.8 seconds left in the quarter. Both baskets drew electrifying roars from the crowd.
Then with 10:25 remaining in the game, Fultz had a shot attempt blocked by Plumlee. But Fultz looked good running the Sixers while being an assist machine before checking out with 9:11 to play.
With 3:20 remaining, the crowd chanted "We want Fultz." Then, as he stood at the scorer's table with 2:42 left, the crowd chanted "Markelle Fultz" and "Fultz." He came in and had another shot blocked before grabbing a rebound. Then he hit a 14-foot jumper with 2:13 left. On the ensuing possession, Fultz recorded his seventh assist on a Covington basket.
Then he buried another jumper with 1:18 left before missing his next attempt.
Asked what the team can expect from him the remainder of the season, team president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo said that was the great unknown.
"I'm not sure I have the answer," Colangelo said. "We will ... certainly not judge tonight as the sole case of what to expect going forward."
He had played in only four games before being sidelined for close to five months. That's why Colangelo said the Sixers won't judge Fultz based on what he does in the final 10 games or in the playoffs.
"This is an opportunity just for him to get back out there and figure out what he is capable of right now," he said. "This is step one in a big career for Markelle Fultz."
