Maxey and George Combine for 73 Points in Sixers W

Happy Tuesday! We have a Sixers win to discuss.

We’ll also look at the Birds’ path to the Super Bowl and check in on the Wings, who may quietly be poised for a great season.

In the email today:

• 🔥 Maxey, George Break Out, Lead Sixers to Win Over Hornets

• 🏥 49ers' and Lions' Misfortune Could Be Eagles' Gain

• 🪽 Wings Score 19 in Win Over Desert Dogs, Tying Franchise Record

  • 📆 This Day in Philly Sports History

  • 📊 Poll

  • 🔗 Links

  • 📺 Coming Up

As long as Joel Embiid and Jared McCain are injured, comfortable wins for the Sixers are not likely to come too often.

The Sixers looked like they had one lined up last night in Charlotte. They led by 21 late in the third quarter. Then the Hornets ripped off a 21-4 run to cut the lead to four.

It’s a game of runs, though. The Sixers staved off the comeback (mercifully…this would’ve been a gruesome loss) and ultimately won, well, comfortably enough.

Last night was one of those times where the Sixers needed their healthy stars to carry them. That’s exactly what happened.

Tyrese Maxey and Paul George combined for 73 of the Sixers’ 121 points. They knocked down 12 triples on the night, one of which put George among some pretty select company for his career.

The Sixers face the Hornets again Friday night and are idle until then. It’s a mixed blessing.

They’d probably love to run it back tomorrow or Wednesday while they’re shooting the eyes out of it. Then again, as long as they are shorthanded, more rest is probably better than less.

When the season started, to the extent anyone thought the Eagles would be in a position to contend for the NFC Championship, they thought it would be the San Francisco 49ers waiting for them.

It was a reasonable premise. The Niners (like the Eagles) took the Chiefs to the bitter end. Like the Eagles, the Niners fell short.

Well, the Eagles are in fact in line for a run at the NFC Championship. But it almost certainly won’t be the 6-8 Niners standing in their way. Which makes us feel a certain kind of way.

The Detroit Lions are currently considered by the oddsmakers to be the primary obstacle between the Birds and a return to the Super Bowl.

Depending on where you look, the Eagles and Lions either have the same odds to win the conference or odds so close that the difference wouldn’t cause you to notice if you bet it.

As with the Niners, who have been absolutely ravaged by injuries, the Lions have seen key contributors falling by the wayside. Star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson has been out since Week 6. Last night, the Lions got more bad news.

A lot more.

WIth all of these key contributors going down, it’s sort of surprising that the Eagles haven’t clearly passed the Lions as the NFC favorite.

Probably the only thing keeping the teams even in the eyes of the touts is that the Eagles could win out, go 15-2, and still not get the #1 seed.

But there are a few voices out there seeing what’s going on with the Lions and seeing where this could very well end up.

No one (well, hopefully no one) is wishing injuries on any of the Eagles’ opponents. You want to beat your challengers at their best, etc.

Concurrently, though, the Eagles can only play the teams in front of them. And they have no say on who stays healthy and who doesn’t.

No one remembers why the teams that didn’t make the Super Bowl didn’t get there.

Philadelphia Wings fans made quite the first impression on Brennan O'Neill in the team's home opener on Saturday.

"It was more than I could've imagined," said the rookie. "I had expectations going in and they exceeded them. They really brought the energy."

And after O'Neill scored four goals in a 19-10 Wings victory over the Las Vegas Desert Dogs, the warm feelings were certainly mutual.

19 goals tied the Wings' franchise record, first set in April 2019 and tied previously in March 2023. Four Wings players posted hat tricks and team captain Blaze Riorden matched O'Neill's four goals in the rout.

Riorden scored on the team's first possession of the game.

"It's a game of momentum," said Riorden afterwards. "And when you get that first [goal] early, the ball starts rolling downhill."

The game was tied at four after the first quarter. But the Wings outscored Vegas 5-0 in the second quarter, part of a 7-0 run over 25 minutes of clock time.

Goalie Nick Damude made 47 saves.

"The scary thing is a lot of those [10 goals allowed] are fixable," said Damude. "So I think that's only the start for us."

All four of O'Neill's goals and three of Riorden's came in the second half. Joe Resetarits and Mitch Jones recorded the other two hat tricks. Resetarits led all players with eight assists.

"It was not surprising to me," said Wings head coach Ian Rubel when asked about his team's offensive explosion. "I think the talent that we have in that room and . . . the way we were moving the ball and player movement allowed us to execute."

The Wings (1-1) and Desert Dogs (0-3) will meet in Vegas for a rematch on Friday, December 20.

📆 This Day in Philly Sports History

On December 17, 1995, the Eagles scored a huge comeback victory over an old friend.

📊 Poll

Results from Monday:

The Birds’ transformation into a defensive juggernaut has been something to behold.

🔗 Links

• 🙄 Another December, another probably overblown Patrick Mahomes injury.

• 🖕 De’Vondre Campbell got his wish, because he won’t be playing for the 49ers any more.

• 💵 Don’t ask us why the Freddie Freeman walk-off grand slam World Series winning ball went for $1.56M.

• 🤷 James Franklin doesn’t know about the overlap between the college football playoffs and the transfer portal opening.

• 🏌️‍♂️Bryson DeChambeau sonned Rory McIlroy, again.

📺 Coming Up

No games for the locals tonight.

Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow.

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