NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking points from the Philadelphia 76ers' Win Over the Memphis Grizzlies

The Philadelphia 76ers were looking for their fourth straight win when Memphis arrived. The Sixers led for the most part of the game and looked confident from the tip-off.

However, it did take a heroic step-back J from their clutch man Butler in the final minute to record a 103-95 home win finally. It was a collective effort from the Sixers' unit who defended like their life depended on it. They pestered the Grizzlies all night and held them to an under-100 score, something rarely seen in the pro-offense NBA world these days.

The Sixers improved to 17-8 with their 4th win of a row, still lagging behind the Raptors & Bucks out East, while the Grizzlies have long forgotten about their #1 spot in the Western Conference as they slid to the 6th spot with a 13-9 win-loss record.

The Sixers are 13-1 at home and have won 8 of their last 10 since the Butler deal. Let's analyse the matchup, play with the stat sheet a bit and jot down a bunch of key takeaways from this Sixers' win over the Grizzlies.

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#3 Simmons’ chemistry with his “headband brother” Butler

Ben Simmons and Jimmy Butler wore matching headbands in the dominant win over the Grizzlies.

Simmons and Butler have owned the headband as a symbol of their growing chemistry on the floor. The duo has combined for an astounding 26 plus-minus against the Knicks, Grizzlies and the Wizards, Philly's best stretch of the season so far.

Coach Brown approved of the headband-relationship between Simmons & Butler in his post-game press conference following the Sixers’ win over the Knicks

“They are defensive brothers. They’re blood brothers. That band signifies to me they’re bonding, a defensive bonding. I’ve asked Jimmy to put Ben under his wing and really help Ben be all he can be defensively”

They placed bets on most steals/most blocks before the game started, and apparently, Simmons won the hand as he recorded a couple of steals while Butler had just one block to his name. Butler ended up contributing 21 points, a majority of them being down the stretch in the 4th period.

#2 Four of Philly's starters scored in double digits, Simmons & Embiid record double-doubles

Muscala was the only starter to score in single digits(8 points).

JJ Redick scored a game-high 24 points, shooting 9-17 from the floor and 3-6 from downtown. His teammates made up for his one-dimensional performance as Embiid(league leader in double-doubles) and Simmons both recorded double-doubles.

Joel's numbers stood at 15 points and 14 rebounds while Ben posted 19 points along with 12 boards, looking aggressive throughout the night. The latter scored 15 first-half points and didn't hesitate in posting up smaller defenders.

Since starting power forward Wilson Chandler was out after getting kneed in the thigh by the Wizards, Mike Muscala was introduced to the starting lineup. The Sixers shot almost 50% from the floor and also restricted their opposition to under-100 points in the game.

Redick got off to a slow start, but that didn't last long, as he shot 4-5 from the field in the 2nd period itself and subsequently, hitting all four FGs in the third quarter as well. Butler took over from that point and dropped 13 of his 21 in the last quarter.

#1 Marc Gasol's deplorable shooting from the field

Marc Gasol shot 2-5 from the three-point line.

The Spaniard has been the go-to man for the Grizzlies franchise for a long time, but unfortunately, he didn't show up like he was supposed to. He averages 15 ppg and 8 rpg against Philadelphia but could afford only 12 points this time, which was his lowest score for the past five games.

Gasol has been averaging 22 points & 10 rebounds per game for the previous 10 matchups, but none of that was visible when the Grizz visited Philly. The Sixers restricted him to just 4 rebounds and pestered him enough to end up with a forgettable 4-14(28.5%) shooting from the night.

Though JoJo had an average night offensively, he did a stellar job of keeping Marc Gasol in check. Gasol's teammates couldn't bail him out either, as Conley's team-high 21 points proved to be in vain with the Sixers pounding them in every aspect of the game.