PHILADELPHIA _ Before the start of the 76ers' game against the Denver Nuggets Friday night, the organization's last team to win an NBA title rang the ceremonial bell.
The 1982-83 squad was there to witness the club retire the No. 2 of their late teammate and Hall of Famer, Moses Malone. They were elated to be on hand to help honor one of the greatest Sixers, and were equally elated by what they saw on the Wells Fargo Center court.
JJ Redick led the new-look Sixers to a 117-110 victory over the Nuggets on a night Joel Embiid battled gastroenteritis. They improved to 35-20 in the debuts of Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic, Mike Scott and James Ennis. Jonathon Simmons, the other addition, was sidelined with an abdominal strain.
Embiid labored through 4-of-17 shooting to finish with 15 points. He also had 12 rebounds, four blocks, one steal and four turnovers. Him being able to play was an accomplishment in itself. The two-time All-Star center was unable to eat food.
Redick picked up the slack, finishing with a season-high 34 points while making 6 of 7 3-point attempts. He made his first six. But this night was all about welcoming the new Sixers and honoring Malone.
There were video tributes for him throughout the game. At halftime, his sons raised his number to the rafters with his former teammates and Sixers greats in attendance.
For the current players, the ceremony was a reminder of what they are chasing and the milestones that come with hard work. This new-look team is not far from being an NBA title contender, but games like Friday night's are a reminder that it could take time to mesh.
The Sixers reshaped their roster at Thursday's trade deadline, making a series of deals in which Markelle Fultz, Wilson Chandler, Mike Muscala, and Landry Shamet were shipped out, and Harris, Marjanovic, Scott, Ennis and Simmons were brought in.
In an instant, the Sixers became more athletic, and, more importantly, better.
The newcomers, who debuted on Friday, combined for 26 points on 11-for-23 shooting. Harris, the biggest addition, had 14 of those points to go with eight rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes, 29 seconds. Meanwhile, the Sixers still have All-Star point guard Ben Simmons (12 points, four rebounds, six assists, nine turnovers) and Jimmy Butler (22 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals).
But after leading by 16 points in the second quarter, the Sixers found themselves down by one point (97-96) with 7:17 left.
Butler made a pair of foul shots to give them a 98-97 advantage with 5:54 to play. They extended their cushion to four points on Harris' three-pointer 21 seconds later.
But the Nuggets went on to knot the score twice. The second time came on Mason Plumlee's reverse dunk at the 4:09 mark.
The Sixers responded with a 6-0 run _ a floater by Harris, a cutting layup by Embiid and a pair of foul shots by Butler _ to take a 109-103 lead with 2:21 remaining. Then after Plumlee had a driving hook shot, Simmons was fouled on a dunk. He missed the ensuing foul shot to make it a 111-105 game with 1:48 left. Embiid blocked Malik Beasley's layup on the ensuing possession before draining an 18-foot jumper at the other end.
All-Star center Nikola Jokic paced the Nuggets (37-18) with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his 11th triple-double of the season.
Before the game, coach Brett Brown talked about Fultz, whom the Sixers traded to Orlando in exchange for Simmons, a 2019 second-round pick, and a 2020, top-20-protected first-rounder. The Sixers had moved up two spots and gave a future first-round pick to draft Fultz first overall in 2017.
Fultz missed 103 games, dating back to last season due to shooting woes.
"I'd be lying if I (didn't say I) felt sad," Brown said. "I felt that. It was two emotions I had _ sad personally, selfishly I supposed that I never really felt like I got a chance to coach him. I never really felt like the city got a chance to see him. I felt sad for that."
