By Harry Allison
Ersan Ilyasova topped the Sixers last night with 23 points and 17 rebounds.
The two marks are new season-highs for the nine-year veteran, whom the Sixers picked up via trade during the second week of the season.
“You would think to get 17 rebounds, my next comment would be obvious,” said Brown, “but there’s a toughness to him.
“He’s a quiet assassin. He’s just as steady as anybody I’ve really coached. There’s a gift upstairs about how he sees the sport. He’s been a great acquisition.”
Ilyasova’s fellow forward Dario Saric was a key contributor as well, coming off the bench to tally 17 points and seven rebounds.
The Ilyasova-Saric duo accounted for all the Sixers’ scoring amidst a 9-0 push late in the fourth period. The run flipped a six-point deficit into a 91-89 advantage, and was capped by a pair of determined, powerful lay-ups from Dario Saric.
“We tried to do our best with the heavy load, and gave it 110-percent effort-wise,” Ilyasova said. “We just have to be smarting moving forward. A couple of turnovers, and all the free throws we missed, the small things. When we put all of those together, we are going to be real good.”
