Philadelphia 76ers

More used to the idea of seeing their All-Stars light up the scoreboards at seldom-seen levels, the Philadelphia 76ers — down each of their top two bucket-getters — had to pivot into a different victory formation on March 10, 2024. Across every NBA campaign, inevitably, some team will earn the distinction of winning the season’s lowest-scoring game. In finding a slightly-superior balance than that of the New York Knicks during a game that paired ferocious defense and uncharacteristic misses, Philadelphia did just that, surviving for a 79-73 rock-fight win. With both Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey out, Kelly Oubre Jr. took on the role of lead dog, working an 18-point, 10-rebound performance with Buddy Hield (16 points, seven rebounds) and Paul Reed (13 points, seven rebounds) closely connected. The game, which offered a glimpse into the upcoming Eastern Conference opening round series between the two just a month later, offered an early-2000s-like physicality and box score. New York, which had allowed just 74 points just two nights prior, couldn’t recapture that lightning for a second time. For Philadelphia, the win proved helpful in keeping them separated from the always-dangerous Play-In Tournament.