Sixers' ‘Night Shift' answers call vs. Bulls

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Clearly when you beat a team boasting the best record in the Eastern Conference, good things have happened.

The Sixers defense had no lapses against the Chicago Bulls. They got a tremendous effort from Andre Iguodala and four guys punched in for the Night Shift to deliver 51 points combined in the 98-82 victory (see story.)

The Sixers bench has been referred to as the Night Shift this year and it is apropos given that they work on the heels of the starters setting a tone, be it good or bad, on any given night.

On most nights, the Sixers bench is consistent in its effort and its scoring. The Sixers bench has scored 40 or more points in all but five games this season and their 42.3 points per game puts it third in the NBA behind only Dallas and Denvers reserves.

It is a group that takes their responsibility to add to the body of work done by the players that have played the minutes prior, but the unit doesnt consist of scoreboard-watchers.

We take pride coming off the bench each and every night and going to work, Thaddeus Young said after tying Andre Iguodala for team-high scoring honors with 19 points.

Anytime the bench comes out and plays big for us then it is much easier for us to play our game and win at the end. Coach tells us if we did that (outscore the oppositions bench), but we dont look at it. We just want to help this team win basketball games.

Doug Collins has done a really good job of putting those guys in a position to have success and play to their strengths, Iguodala said. Lou (Williams) is an incredible scorer. Thad causes a lot of mismatch problems and Evan (Turner) is big for us whether the numbers say it or not. When I get off to a good start or Jrue (Holiday) gets off to a good start but then get a little winded, we look to those guys to keep it going.

We have all the confidence in the world in them, so we dont have to worry about being thrown right back into the fire having gotten no rest.

Young and Williams average 12 and 15 points respectively and both finished in the top-six in Sixth Man of the Year voting last season. Turner has joined the fray with his consistent defensive rebounding and his play-making abilities. Turner grabbed six rebounds and had four assists, plus two steals in 26 minutes against Chicago. And Lavoy Allen has been an eye-opening surprise.

It is just amazing to me to see how much Lavoy Allen has grown, Collins shared after saying the bench was the deciding factor in the Sixers win. He is really becoming a force for us. He has been terrific for us. Nik Vucevic is a pretty good player and I havent been able to get him in the game the last two games.

Vucevic is returning from a left kneequad strain but because of Allens strong play in the other rookies absence, Collins has continued to call the former Temple Owls number.

Allen, who was selected 50th overall last spring, was inactive the first four games of the season. Then, he did not play in nine of the next 11 games. However, he has played and contributed in each of the last seven games with Wednesdays performance his best to date.

Allen scored 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting and grabbed six rebounds.

He has been big for us. Coach says if you dont play defense you arent going to play, Young said. He has been going out there and locking guys up and getting big rebounds for us and even doing a little bit of scoring, so we definitely love having him out there on the court.

Allen does have a soft touch from 15 to 18 feet and when he receives the ball there he does not hesitate to let it fly. Since he is a comfortable jump shooter, he has the blessing of the coaching staff to fire away.

The coaches told me if I am open shoot it, Allen said. Sometimes we dont have enough time to get the extra pass to find a better shot. I think I did a pretty good job making the shots I have been given.
E-mail Dei Lynam at dlynam@comcastsportsnet.com.

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