PHILADELPHIA – Upstaged by their A-list owner, the Sixers still had the flavour of a crowd pleaser for Will Smith.
Led by Lou Williams and Jrue Holiday, the Sixers have yet to lose two straight games this season.
And they’re undefeated in front of The Fresh Prince.
Williams scored 17 points and Holiday had 15 to help the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Charlotte Bobcats 89-72 on Friday night.
Jodie Meeks scored 14 points for the Sixers, who bounced back from a rare home loss to reach 19 games without a losing streak.
“We’ve always been good at bouncing back,” Holiday said.
The Sixers won in front of co-owners Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The Hollywood power couple had a front-row seat for their first Sixers game of the season. Their son, Jaden, also watched the Sixers romp. Fans rhythmically chanted “We’ve got Will Smith!” and the actor with the megawatt smile pointed toward them in appreciation.
The Sixers, who never trailed, improved to 9-2 at home.
“I think it can be great for us coming down the stretch to get out to 20-point leads and have the bench come in and sustain those leads,” forward Elton Brand said. “Hopefully, we’ll be much fresher because of it.”
In Hollywood terms, this was a blockbuster.
While fans in Los Angeles and New York are accustomed to the A-list celebrity courtside sightings, Smith’s presence was a big deal in the locker-room.
Holiday, a California native who played at UCLA, suggested he could become Smith’s latest sidekick, in a lineage that includes D.J. Jazzy Jeff and Carlton.
“We have the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and the Fresh Prince of Hollywood,” he said, smiling. “We can team up. That would be awesome.”
Evan Turner and Holiday discussed which Sixer could dance the best Carlton, a move made popular in Smith’s TV show, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” Both agreed it would be forward Lavoy Allen. Turner met Smith once before in California and hoped he would visit the locker room after the game.
“Who doesn’t like Will Smith? He’s one of the best actors of all time,” Turner said. “That would definitely be dope.”
Holiday scored seven points in the first to get them off and running and stretch the lead to as many as 26 in the first half. Led by Williams’ 10 points in the second quarter, the Sixers made 13 of 20 shots and continued to rough up the worst teams in the East to pad their solid record.
At one point in the first half, Williams had 12 points off the bench — the same total as Charlotte’s starting five.
Next week can start to prove if the Sixers are a legitimate strong team in the East or one that has benefited from playing the Wizards three times. Orlando, Chicago and Miami all play at the Wells Fargo Center as part of the seven-game homestand.
“I do believe we’ve been home too much,” coach Doug Collins said. “I think we need to get on the road and play. I think it gives you more of an edge. I think our players need to get out. But as long as we’re here, we’ve got to keep winning.”
There was no suspense in this one. Bobcats coach Paul Silas was hit for two quick technicals and was ejected with 4:38 left in the second quarter. He wasn’t there to watch the Bobcats miss 13 of 19 shots in the third.
“I just kind of lost it out there,” Silas said. “I said something I shouldn’t have said and then kicked the ball. That won’t happen anymore. I can’t afford to let that happen. Everyone loses it every now and then, and I did.”
The Bobcats scored only 10 points in the first quarter and lost their seventh straight game. Kemba Walker scored 14 points.
Early in the game, Walker tried to save a ball from going out of bounds and threw it into the bottom of the backboard.
The Sixers did their best to make Smith, a Philadelphia native, feel at home. There was the “Carlton Cam” and “Get Jiggy With it” cam for fans to dance along with and stay entertained during the rout.
Like Silas, the Smith family had seen enough and skipped out on the second half.
Notes: The 76ers signed centre Francisco Elson. This is Elson’s second stint with the Sixers. … The Sixers gave away Holiday bobbleheads. “I look 50,” he said. … The Sixers have held the opposition below 80 points five times this season. … The Atlantic Division-leading Sixers again played without starting centre Spencer Hawes (left Achilles strain) and his backup, rookie Nik Vucevic (left knee quad strain).
