PHILADELPHIA 76ERS FLEXING THEIR MUSCLES<\/p>\n
When you think about the perfect start to the season for the new-look Philadelphia 76ers, this would have to be pretty close to it.<\/p>\n
The 76ers have started the season with an impressive 6-1 record, and have done so without LeBron James and Joel Embiid for stretches.<\/p>\n
Their latest victory came against the Charlotte Hornets, with second-year star VJ Edgecombe knocking down a clutch three-pointer late to help seal the win.<\/p>\n
It was the second straight game Edgecombe had delivered in the big moments, having also knocked down a crucial three-pointer in the final minute against the New York Knicks to give Philadelphia a four-point lead.<\/p>\n
But while the 76ers have enjoyed a brilliant start to the season, the biggest story has been the form of Tyrese Maxey.<\/p>\n
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The Philadelphia 76ers are flying to start the NBA season.Source: AFP<\/p>\n
There were plenty of questions surrounding this new-look Philadelphia side heading into the season, particularly around who would step up and become the main man.<\/p>\n
Well, Maxey has wasted little time answering that question.<\/p>\n
The star guard is averaging 29.6 points, 4.4 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game, while shooting an impressive 49 per cent from the field.<\/p>\n
Speaking after the win over Charlotte, Maxey was full of praise for the fight his side has shown throughout the opening seven games.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis group some fighters man,\u201d Maxey said post-game.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, we went up, went down, came back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re very competitive, you know what I\u2019m saying?\u201d<\/p>\n
But it hasn\u2019t just been their offensive firepower that has caught the attention of the NBA world.<\/p>\n
Philadelphia\u2019s defence has been one of the biggest surprises of the season so far, with the 76ers currently boasting the third-best defensive rating in the league.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s something that has former NBA guard Darren Collison excited about what this team could become, delivering a warning to the rest of the competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefensively, this team has been on a string together,\u201d Collison said on NBA TV.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir offence has not caught up with their defence, but their record is showing that they can win games defensively at six and one.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s scary for the league because when their offence starts catching up with their defence, it\u2019s going to be extremely scary for the rest of the league.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 76ers will now turn their attention to the Chicago Bulls, who they face twice in their next three games, with a road trip to Detroit sandwiched in between.<\/p>\n
\u2018HE IS EIGHT FEET F**KING TALL\u2019: WEMBY ERUPTS AS RIVAL COACH LEFT FUMING<\/p>\n
Victor Wembanyama is a man on a mission this season after the San Antonio Spurs fell short against the New York Knicks in last season\u2019s NBA Finals.<\/p>\n
Despite starting the season 1-2, the Spurs have quickly turned things around, improving to 4-2 following an impressive 121-111 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.<\/p>\n
And it was Wembanyama who stole the show, producing a monster performance with 43 points, seven rebounds, six blocks and four assists.<\/p>\n
The French superstar arrived dressed as Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher for Halloween, but it was his basketball that did the talking once the game got underway.<\/p>\n
With Minnesota missing Rudy Gobert, Wembanyama took full advantage of the Timberwolves\u2019 lack of size, dominating inside on his way to one of his best performances of the season.<\/p>\n
It even had Timberwolves coach Chris Finch searching for answers, with the frustrated coach turning to the officials after Minnesota was called for a foul while attempting to box out Wembanyama.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you supposed to do? He is eight feet f**king tall,\u201d Finch said.<\/p>\n
The Spurs superstar is now averaging 25 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, alongside a remarkable 4.2 blocks.<\/p>\n
But Wembanyama wasn\u2019t the only Spurs player to impress.<\/p>\n
De\u2019Aaron Fox finished with 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Dylan Harper added 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists in another strong showing.<\/p>\n
For the Timberwolves, who were without Anthony Edwards and Gobert, Ayo Dosunmu led the way with 27 points and nine rebounds.<\/p>\n
However, LaMelo Ball struggled to make an impact, finishing with just 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists while shooting a disappointing 20 per cent from the field.<\/p>\n
DANIELS AND HAWKS STRUGGLE AGAINST THE PELICANS<\/p>\n
It was another tough night for the Atlanta Hawks, who suffered a disappointing 121-99 defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans.<\/p>\n
Coming up against the team that drafted him, Aussie Dyson Daniels was able to have his usual impact, finishing with eight points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.<\/p>\n
Daniels shot 50 per cent from the field but missed both of his attempts from beyond the arc, while fellow Australian Jock Landale saw just over a minute of court time.<\/p>\n
Through Atlanta\u2019s opening seven games, Daniels is averaging 10.3 points, five rebounds and 4.3 assists per game while shooting 49.2 per cent from the field.<\/p>\n
The Australian guard was unable to inspire Atlanta to victory.Source: AP<\/p>\n
Atlanta had seven players finish in double figures, but not one was able to crack the 20-point mark in a frustrating night for the visitors.<\/p>\n
For New Orleans, Saddiq Bey led the way with an impressive 25 points, six rebounds and four steals, while Jeremiah Fears added 20 points and seven assists.<\/p>\n
The victory sees the Pelicans improve to 2-4 on the season, with New Orleans now stringing together consecutive wins after a difficult start to the campaign.<\/p>\n
KINGS ROOKIE MAKES FRANCHISE HISTORY IN BLOWOUT LOSS<\/p>\n
Darius Acuff Jr was the rookie the Sacramento Kings reportedly wanted Ben Simmons to mentor, but the youngster could hardly have asked for a better start to his NBA career on a personal level.<\/p>\n
Taken with the No. 7 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Acuff Jr has exploded onto the scene, averaging 24 points, 6.6 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 38 per cent from the field.<\/p>\n
Despite the Kings suffering a crushing 136-105 defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies, Acuff Jr was once again the shining light, finishing with 38 points, five rebounds and five assists.<\/p>\n
The rookie also made franchise history, surpassing NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson to become the youngest player in Kings history to record consecutive 30-point games.<\/p>\n
Acuff Jr achieved the feat aged just 19 years and 349 days, surpassing NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson, who previously held the franchise record at 21 years and 357 days.<\/p>\n
But while Acuff Jr has enjoyed a remarkable start to his NBA career, the same can\u2019t be said for Sacramento.<\/p>\n
The Kings have now fallen to a disastrous 0-6 to start the season, with their struggles continuing against an unbeaten Memphis outfit.<\/p>\n
For the Grizzlies, fellow rookie Cameron Boozer impressed with 27 points and nine rebounds, while Isaiah Stewart provided a spark off the bench with 24 points and four rebounds.<\/p>\n
Memphis has emerged as one of the early surprises of the NBA season, improving to a perfect 6-0 record.<\/p>\n
While the Grizzlies are yet to face any of the competition\u2019s genuine heavyweights, their exciting young core is already showing plenty of promise in the first season since the departure of Ja Morant to the Portland Trail Blazers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Philadelphia 76ers are flying to start the season, with their impressive form prompting one former NBA guard…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":948384,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-948383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/948383","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=948383"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/948383\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/948384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=948383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=948383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=948383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}