Collins' 76ers rarely have seen their own blood this season, but have done a terrific job of inflicting pain on their opponents. They improved to 10-3, including 6-0 at home, with a methodical, 94-82 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
When the 76ers play a home game this season, they'll usually take the first 10 or 12 minutes to feel out the opponent, then slowly rev things up. By the third quarter, the engines are usually opened up and the trouncing begins, evident by their 23-point differential at home.
It took a little longer for the Sixers to kick into high gear against the Bucks, in front of a near-sellout crowd at the Wells Fargo Center, but they did, and the result was the all-too-familiar one at home..
"I was especially proud of our guys' maturity," Collins said. "Two o'clock start and we took [Sunday] off. Our guys said, 'Coach, we'll be ready.' And they were. I thought Jrue Holiday had his best game of the year, he was fabulous. Andre Iguodala was magnificent in every phase of the game. Defensively, I didn't take him out the whole second half of the game. We were a man short and that tells you how well-conditioned he is."
The Sixers, who were without swingman Evan Turner due to a right thigh contusion, again got balanced scoring, led by Holiday's 24 points and five assists. Iguodala collected 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Lou Williams came off the bench to contribute 17 and six assists. Center Spencer Hawes, who said before the game that his strained back was feeling much better, had his sixth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 boards. The team also connected on 11 of 23 three-point attempts, including the first two of the season by Hawes.
Milwaukee (4-8), which is 0-8 on the road, was led by Andrew Bogut's 20 points and 11 rebounds.
