Nick Nurse

Despite an incredible night from Patrick Beverley, the Sixers couldn't manufacture enough offense with their two best players out in a 125-119 defeat.

With Joel Embiid ruled out shortly before game time, the Sixers lacked focus on offense and effort on defense until it was too little too late in a 124-114 defeat.

As Philadelphia has jumped out to an 11-5 start to the season, the menu on offense has been a pleasant surprise.

The Sixers spent the entire second half fighting back after a terrible effort in the first half, and it bit them in an overtime loss, 122-119.

Do the numbers support the winning pace Philadelphia has jumped out to? Or, is their current formula too suspicious to maintain the production?

The Sixers got in from Friday's win in Detroit late in the night, one player remarking that he got to bed at 3 a.m., Saturday morning. They had practice on Saturday afternoon, when they implemented their game plan and prepared for Indiana.

Several factors have contributed to Philadelphia's strong start to the season.

Joel Embiid went for 33 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Sixers to a 114-106 victory in In-Season Tournament play.

Philadelphia is matching the sexy Harden passes and playmaking leverage with cutting, ball movement, and transition play. Save your eulogies for another day.

There is no better way to bridge the gap between the final rehearsal and opening night than with a recap of some of the trends from the Sixers' preseason docket. Despite the backdrop of James Harden's trade request, there were a number of developments to take note of and storylines to follow.