The Philadelphia 76ers (8 - 43) defeated the Brooklyn Nets (13 - 39) 103 - 98 on Saturday in a matchup of the Eastern Conference's bottom two teams. It was a joint effort between Philadelphia's pair of young big men, Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor, that pushed the Sixers over the top against Brooklyn. Okafor led the team with an efficient 22 points on 9 - for - 16 shooting to go along with a whopping 17 rebounds (a season high). Noel, meanwhile, was fiesty on the defensive end, stealing the ball four times and blocking three shots. The sophomore currently leads the entire NBA in "stocks," or steals plus blocks, since the start of the new year. Noel also poured in 18 points on a highly - efficient 8 - for - 11 from the field. As a whole, the Sixers were able to cope with the absence of starting point guard Ish Smith (left ankle) who sat the game out due to injury. Many have credited Smith for Philadelphia's turnaround, as seven of the Sixers' eight wins have now come since Smith's midseason acquisition. The Nets came into Saturday's matchup riding positive momentum after a win against Sacramento on Friday. Unfortunately for Brooklyn, however, the Sixers simply won out in all measurable advantages in the game; Philly held a 42 - 36 advantage in rebounds, a 54 - 40 advantage in points in the paint, a 14 - 19 advantage on turnovers, and made 10 three - pointers in comparison to Brooklyn's five. Things were not as one - sided as one may imagine, however, and the play of power forward Thaddeus Young was a major reason why. Young posted a double - double with a team - leading 22 points and 10 rebounds. The veteran's rebounding renaissance has continued deep into the 2015 - 16 season, as Young is now averaging 9 rebounds per game, almost three better than he has ever averaged before in his career. Center Brook Lopez also had a strong showing, as he posted 17 points and went 7 - for - 7 from the free - throw line. Brooklyn will take on the Denver Nuggets on Monday at Barclays Center. Philadelphia will host the Los Angeles Clippers in their next matchup, which is also on Monday.
["TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 43 Losses ,has 103 Total points ,has 42 Rebounds ,has 14 Turnovers ,has 8 Wins ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 39 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 36 Rebounds ,has 19 Turnovers ,has 13 Wins ."]