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Tag: Philadelphia 76ers

  • Knicks trade for Mikal Bridges, raising the stakes for Sixers in pivotal offseason

    Knicks trade for Mikal Bridges, raising the stakes for Sixers in pivotal offseason

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    An absolute stunner broke late Tuesday night, with fewer than 24 hours remaining before the start of the 2024 NBA Draft: the New York Knicks will acquire Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for a package including four unprotected first-round picks, a lightly-protected first-round pick and a future first-round pick swap, as was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

    Already referred to by many as the “Villanova Knicks,” New York now has four former Wildcats set to be critical pieces of their rotation moving forward: Bridges, superstar guard Jalen Brunson, sharpshooter Donte DiVincenzo and do-it-all wing Josh Hart.

    With the Boston Celtics firmly cemented as the Eastern Conference’s best for the time being, the Knicks have chosen Bridges as the piece worth cashing in the vast majority of their assets for in hopes of catching up to defending champions. And now, there is more than one team that is head and shoulders above the Sixers in terms of present day talent.

    Perhaps the most obvious ripple effects this move has on the Sixers are that there is another team in their conference with the potential to seriously contend for a championship, and that Bridges — seen by many as an ideal fit alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey — is officially off the table.

    The intrigue of these four storied college teammates joining forces in the pros is fascinating, and the Knicks are filled with great players who are likable characters. But it is fair to wonder if four unprotected picks and several other assets for a player who has yet to make an All-Star team is the right path forward. Bridges is tremendous, and will fit like a glove in New York, but is he good enough to warrant a collection of draft choices like this? For what it’s worth, this archetype of trade has come back to bite the team acquiring the “star” more often than not.

    But, to be fair, with the Celtics not going anywhere, New York doing all they can to maximize their championship window now that Brunson has emerged as a full-fledged superstar is understandable, and to a degree, even commendable.

    Bridges, who the Sixers infamously drafted in 2018 before trading him to the Phoenix Suns during his introductory press conference in which he donned a Sixers hat, has become one of the most respected two-way wings in the entire NBA, and since being the centerpiece of the Kevin Durant trade that sent him to Brooklyn, he has made major strides as a scorer. He was overtasked as a go-to scorer in Brooklyn, and that will not be an issue anymore as he reunites with Brunson.

    The next domino to fall here is the status of soon-to-be Knicks free agent OG Anunoby. As recently as Tuesday evening, it appeared Anunoby had enough negotiating leverage to receive just about any contract he desired from New York this summer. Now, with Bridges in the fold, the Knicks are not exactly desperate to bring Anunoby back. 

    If the Knicks were to let Anunoby fetch offers elsewhere and contemplate leaving New York, the Sixers loom as a potential fit for the acclaimed two-way wing.

    Early indications are that the Knicks will prioritize reaching a deal with Anunoby in the near future, which would signal the exit of incumbent starting center Isaiah Hartenstein. But it is not difficult at all to imagine a world in which the Knicks —with DiVincenzo, Bridges, Hart and Julius Randle all under contract moving forward — opt not to give Anunoby the massive deal he is seeking and instead solidify their center position by bringing back Hartenstein.

    As for the Nets, this was the right move: Bridges is a tremendous player, but was not leading the Nets anywhere promising in the near future given his lack of support. Accumulating as many draft picks as possible and accelerating the team’s rebuild was always the right call, and they furthered those goals by promptly trading a few of Phoenix’s future picks to the Houston Rockets to regain some of the draft capital they sent Houston when they acquired former Sixer James Harden a few years back. Word quickly trickled out that Houston wants to offer those picks back to Phoenix to try to get Durant.

    We have reached maximum levels of chaos, and tonight I am grateful I do not cover the Brooklyn Nets or Houston Rockets.

    Another question: how does all of this impact the free agency of Paul George? First the Sixers seemed like a very possible destination for the nine-time All-Star, then they were out, now there are conflicting reports regarding their interest in the star wing who has yet to strike a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers. Over the last few days, there was steam behind the idea of George forcing a sign-and-trade from the Clippers to a contending team without the requisite cap space to sign him on their own — perhaps using the threat of heading to Philadelphia as leverage to force the Clippers’ hand — but many speculated that destination would be New York. They are almost certainly out of those talks now (if they ever took place to begin with), which could reopen the George-to-Philadelphia door.

    If the events of late Tuesday night are any indication, nobody actually knows what is in store over the course of the coming days and weeks. But it is going to be madness, and the Sixers could end up being right at the center of it all.

    Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam

    Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • The Boston Celtics Did What the Sixers Haven’t Been Able to – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    The Boston Celtics Did What the Sixers Haven’t Been Able to – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    From top to bottom in the Celtics‘ organization, they did what needed to be done to win a championship.

    Whether it was role players going above and beyond, the number 2 option exceeding expectations, the scouting department finding the right guy, the coach leading them to victory, etc., they succeeded at the highest level.

    Every team in the league should use the Celtics as a blueprint for winning a championship.

    The Celtics Stuck With Their Guys

    Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have played their whole careers in Boston together. They have grown and developed into one of the best (if not THE best) duos in the NBA today. Even after coming up short for a few years, the front office kept building around them and drafting other guys who contributed to the team in major ways.

    Not every guy on the team was drafted by them, but a few of the free agents they’ve signed have played for them for multiple years. Derrick White, Luke Kornet, and Al Horford have all spent time on different teams, but they’ve been on the Celtics for at least the last 2 years, building chemistry with the main guys (Brown and Tatum).

    Also, Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard, drafted in 2021 and 2020, both have spent their short careers fully with the Celtics. Having 7 guys who know the organization and build chemistry together for years will yield strong results a lot of the time. That’s exactly what happened with the Celtics.

    The Value of Drafting

    Over the years, the Sixers have traded many of their picks away to get a “star” in return. How has that worked out?

    The Celtics use their draft picks much more productively to acquire talent. Not only do they choose better players, they are much more patient to let the talent develop. Outside of the top-5, most players need time to grow into real contributors. The Celtics understand that. They let their players develop over time and learn how to play around the guys they have on the team. This gives the team cheap talent, which helps them acquire players like Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.

    The Sixers need to value their drafting more. If they invest more into their scouting department and take the draft more seriously, they could give Tyrese Maxey another great player who could play with him for years to come.

    Celtics are Smart with their Contracts

    When teams draft and develop their own players, it also allows them to keep players on more affordable contracts instead of overpaying in free agency. This year, the Finals MVP (Jaylen Brown) only made the 4th most money on his team, and the team leader (Jayson Tatum) made the 3rd most. Drafting these two guys put the Celtics in a very good position to build talent and get the job done.

    While they did make some major additions with Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, they didn’t just sign someone because of their name. The Sixers seem to have a tendency to sign names rather than players, while the Celtics do the opposite.

    Players like James Harden make way too much money than they believe they are worth, which puts teams in a bad spot. The Sixers couldn’t get it done with him, and neither could the Clippers.
    The Sixers need better league and draft scouting. Finding players on more valuable contracts could send them to the next level.

    PHOTO: Getty Images

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    Collin Benjamin

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  • Sixers and Celtics Comparisons – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    Sixers and Celtics Comparisons – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    Not everybody, but some people believe the Sixers just got “unlucky” again and had Embiid been fully healthy they think it would have been a different story in this playoff run. Unfortunately, part of being a playoff great comes down to longevity, but even if the Sixers did make it to the ECF fully healthy, let’s see how they would stack up against the – once again – Eastern Conference champions. Included here will only be players that make the playoff rotation.

    Guards

    Sixers:

    • Tyrese Maxey
    • Kyle Lowry
    • Cam Payne
    • Buddy Hield
    • De’Anthony Melton

    Celtics:

    • Jrue Holiday
    • Peyton Pritchard
    • Derrick White

    The Sixers have more options at guard, but that’s only because their players aren’t as good. Jrue Holiday has experience (like Lowry), but he’s a few years younger and more consistent on the offensive side of the ball. With those few years of youth he has on Lowry, it allows him to play more minutes at a higher level.

    Buddy Hield could be better than the Celtics’ options, but he was left out of the rotation for so long. He can shoot when he’s hot, but he can’t create a shot too well or distribute to his teammates either.

    Tyrese Maxey is the best player on this list, which levels out the playing field with the guards going up against each other, but the Celtics guards know their roles which helps them each use their individual talents in the best way to help the team.

    Conclusion: Celtics

    The Celtics take this position group, but barely. Maxey is easily the best player, but the other Sixers players don’t give enough significant time. The Celtic guards play a better brand of playoff basketball.

    Forwards

    Sixers:

    • Kelly Oubre Jr.
    • Nicolas Batum
    • Tobias Harris

    Celtics:

    • Jaylen Brown
    • Jayson Tatum
    • Xavier Tillman Sr.
    • Sam Hause
    • Oshae Brissett

    Is this even worth debating? Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum run circles around the Sixers group of forwards, and in the playoffs, teams need good play from their wings. Without consistent wing play, no team will go far in the playoffs.

    Nicolas Batum helped get the Sixers to where they needed to be during the play-in game, but he went back to his regular play after that. Nothing is wrong with that given his age and role.

    Tobias Harris contributed negatively to the team throughout the whole playoff run and should not be back with the Sixers next year. He’s a liability at this point.

    And lastly, Kelly Oubre. He gave the Sixers life at different points, but still can’t be someone to rely on in big spots. The Sixers should keep him on the team next year for sure. He provides some shooting on the perimeter and athleticism both on the defensive and offensive side. He doesn’t have the finesse you hope for, but he’s the best wing option the Sixers have as of now.

    Conclusion: Celtics (and it’s not close)

    Nobody will argue against this one. The Celtics arguably have the best group of forwards in the league.

    Centers

    Sixers:

    • Joel Embiid
    • Paul Reed
    • Mo Bamba

    Celtics

    • Al Horford (yuck)
    • Luke Kornet

    Backup Centers don’t usually get a lot of time, so not many teams put a lot of money and assets into that position. One team that could benefit from a good backup center is the Sixers, but unfortunately, they don’t care. With the amount of time Embiid misses, having Mo Bamba and Paul Reed just doesn’t cut it. Imagine if the Sixers could stay even or maybe gain points during Embiid’s absence from the floor in games. Or maybe if/when Embiid misses time, they don’t have the worst team out there. But that’s a rant for another day.

    I will never stop saying that Al Horford purposely played for the Sixers just to suck and make them worse. He was good before them and good after them, but never played well while here. At least he’s not Embiid kryptonite anymore.

    Conclusion: Sixers

    While the Sixers do easily win this position battle, it doesn’t affect the game as other groups  because of the position they play. Embiid will be the best player on the court when he’s out there, but wings dominate the NBA and they are needed to win. Also, when it comes to centers, teams can easily get by with someone that only does 1-2 things well. that provides opportunity to improve the rest of the team.

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    Collin Benjamin

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  • NBA free agency: Is Paul George the Sixers’ missing piece?

    NBA free agency: Is Paul George the Sixers’ missing piece?

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    Since the beginning of the 2023-24 Sixers season, reporting, on-the-record quotes and contextual clues have all told the same story: President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey has his sights set on adding another star-caliber player to the team’s All-Star duo of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey this summer. With the constant player movement that has helped define this era of NBA basketball, it may be impossible to guess who that third key cog will be for the Sixers.

    Let’s evaluate the likelihood as well as the pros and cons of the Sixers adding Paul George this summer.

    George, who turned 34 years old earlier this month, is expected to decline his player option with the Los Angeles Clippers for the 2024-25 season and become an unrestricted free agent. While there appears to be considerable interest from both George and the Clippers in a long-term reunion, the sides appear to be far apart in contract negotiations that have been going on since the beginning of this season. George’s co-star, Kawhi Leonard — who was also set to have the opportunity to become a free agent at the end of the 2023-24 season — inked a three-year extension with the Clippers in January. George was expected to follow suit, but never agreed to terms with the team.

    MORE: Paul George is ‘Plan A’ for Sixers this summer

    George has become known as one of the great two-way wings of his era, a career 20.8-point per game scorer with four All-Defensive Team honors to his name.

    George has become one of the sport’s most consistent and highest-volume three-point shooters. Over the last nine NBA seasons, George has made 39.2 percent of his shots from beyond the arc while taking nearly 4,500 total three-point attempts. With the ability to shoot off the catch and off the dribble at 6-foot-8 with a high release point, he is one of the best in NBA history at getting three-point shots up at a high rate. But George has also used his very impressive frame to earn a reputation as one of the league’s best wing defenders, particularly among high-usage offensive players.

    For all of these reasons, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer reported Monday morning that signing George is considered to be the Sixers’ primary objective this summer.

    This makes sense: George’s on-court fit with Embiid and Maxey is pristine, the Sixers are aiming to win a championship next season and he may be the single best player attainable for the team this offseason.

    In theory, George is the absolute perfect third star to play in between Maxey and Embiid: he should be able to play alongside either or both of them and take over the team’s offense in spurts when necessary while also bolstering the team’s wing defense. The key words: in theory.

    As clean as the fit seems on paper for George in Philadelphia, there are some significant reasons to be worried about whether signing him to a massive, long-term contract is a viable long-term solution to the Sixers’ current issues, as it might create new problems down the line.

    Let’s start with the drawbacks of George as a player: in the last four NBA seasons, he has played an average of 53.7 games per regular season. Once an iron man of sorts, he has developed a lengthy injury history in recent seasons that has damaged his durability. Meanwhile, George’s production as a defender lags far behind his reputation at this point — he does not expend nearly as much energy as he used to on that end of the floor (which is to be expected as he grapples with the aging process and a long list of injuries, but is still a cause for concern).

    There is no doubt that George is still a tremendous offensive talent: he has averaged 24.1 points per game over the last six regular seasons with an impressive 58.8 true shooting percentage, is a true three-level scoring threat, and has even improved his passing — once considered a bit of a hole in his game.

    But, for what it is worth, George has developed a reputation as a player who shies away from the moment when the playoffs come around. Not dissimilar to Embiid, he has still been a good player in those moments, but has clearly not reached his full potential. His efficiency takes a dip in the postseason most years (not too uncommon, in a general sense), and he has been part of several ugly, disappointing playoff exits.

    On the day the Clippers were eliminated from the first round of the NBA Playoffs earlier this month at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks — a game in which George shot 6-18 from the field — Robert Flom, who covers the team for 213Hoops, summed up concerns about George’s playoff production as they relate to the Sixers succinctly:

    “Sixers fans who want their max players to be aggressive in key moments are in for a world of disappointment if PG does end up there.”

    Speaking of a maximum contract, the price of adding George is another significant factor here that could lead the Sixers to be nervous. In order to pry George away from his home state of California and the Clippers, the Sixers will likely have to offer him the most they possibly can — and not a single penny below it.

    While the Clippers have the advantage of being able to offer George a five-year deal, it seems nearly impossible that they would go to those lengths given George’s age and injury history. Leonard’s three-year deal may have been an attempt at setting a precedent for George’s future deal with the team — if one is to actually come to fruition.

    If the Clippers stick to that timeline, the Sixers have a chance to usurp them by offering George the longest deal they are allowed to, a four-year pact. Because George has more than 10 years of NBA service, his maximum contract starts at 35 percent of the salary cap. If he signs with the Sixers, he can receive raises of up to five percent each season. Here is what George’s maximum contract would look like if he came to Philadelphia:

    Season (George age) Salary
    2024-25 (34) $49,350,000
    2025-26 (35) $51,817,500
    2026-27 (36) $54,285,000
    2027-28 (37) $56,752,500

    That comes out to four years and $212,205,000 — a staggering number, even for a player with George’s track record.

    To create the requisite salary cap space to sign this deal, the Sixers would need to gut their roster by renouncing the vast majority of their free agents. Letting go of Tobias Harris will not hurt; watching Buddy Hield walk would not be a crushing blow either. But signing George might make it impossible for the team to bring back someone like De’Anthony Melton, who could potentially be signed to another deal below his market value after dealing with two years of back injuries.

    Of course, in a vacuum, swapping Melton for George while letting two high-priced disappointments in Harris and Hield sign elsewhere is a promising proposition. But if the Sixers renounce nearly all of their free agents to sign George, they will have very limited resources to fill out the rest of their roster.

    The best the Sixers could do in terms of keeping their own free agents in-house after a theoretical deal George addition would be keeping their rights to Maxey — who is primed to sign a five-year contract of his own worth $204,450,000 this summer — as well as two of their players who were on veteran’s minimums this season (likely Kelly Oubre Jr. and either Cam Payne or KJ Martin). That would mean they lose their ability to go over the cap to sign whichever of Payne and Martin they do not retain, as well as Melton, Nic Batum, Kyle Lowry and others — all of these players would only be able to sign with the Sixers for their minuscule remaining cap space, a salary cap exception or a veteran’s minimum deal.

    Spending nearly $50 million on a player next season will be well worth it for the Sixers if that player genuinely elevates them into championship status. But the idea of paying George over $56.7 million in 2027-28, when he will be 38 years old by the time the playoffs end, is daunting.

    On paper, George could not be a better fit alongside Embiid and Maxey to form a dominant trio in Philadelphia which could compete with anybody in the Eastern Conference and the NBA. But, like most matters with the Sixers, it is just never quite that simple. While the upside of inking George to the four-year deal he would likely command from the team is palpable, so are the massive risks that come with such a move.

    MORE: Sixers offseason FAQ

    Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam

    Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • The Maxey Miracle Extends Sixers’ Season! – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    The Maxey Miracle Extends Sixers’ Season! – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    Tyrese Maxey stepped up on the biggest stage at the biggest time. After what looked like another disappointing ending to the season, Maxey miraculously scores seven points in the last 30 seconds of the game to force the Knicks into OT where the Sixers pulled out on top to steal a game in New York.

    Deja Vu?

    All Sixers fans probably felt the same way entering the last minute of the Sixers game. When Mcbride hit the free throw line jumper with 30 seconds left, plenty of Sixers fans probably turned their TV’s off and reflected on another early exit from the playoffs with another uninspired performance from Joel Embiid.

    This game felt the same as many other games the Sixers have played before – battle back and forth all game just to come up short in the end. Tyrese Maxey had other plans. He converted a rare and-one 3-pointer and nailed a logo length 3 to tie things up which brought them into overtime where they sealed the deal. Maxey made a lot of noise in the sports world with his incredible play.

    The Script is Flipped… for now

    The Sixers did the usual “try to lose the game” thing that they usually do in these situation, but luckily the Knicks decided to do the same thing. Although he had triple double, Embiid tallied a whopping 9 turnovers in his 47 minutes played. It seemed that every time the momentum seemed to switch, Embiid would try too hard to make something happen, a pass would slip the fingers of Tobias Harris, or somebody would miss a wide open 3. Fortunately for the Sixers, the Knicks also committed timely turnovers to keep them in the game.

    Even with the help of sloppy play, the Sixers found themselves in a much too similar situation: trailing in the final stages of an elimination game. Queue Tyrese Maxey-Superman mode. Not many Sixers players in previous years had the capability to turn things on when they needed to most – Embiid tends to rely on others too much to set him up for baskets, Ben Simmons would shrink in crucial moments, and James Harden would fade away while trying to do it all. The Sixers finally have a player in Tyrese Maxey with a combination of shot creating and limitless range that can bring a team back from the dead.

    When called upon, Maxey delivered to bring hope to Philadelphia for at least one more game. Obviously they still have to do it two more times, but something about this team seems different than years past. Games that feel like losses turn into wins more than they used to. They need to capitalize on momentum swings like this.

    Embiid Needs to Answer Back

    Maxey stole the show today and has the capability to do it again, but that doesn’t mean Embiid can be OK with his quality of play tonight. I get that he missed shootaround with a migraine that could definitely be a symptom of Bell’s Palsy and is still recovering from a knee surgery, but that’s no excuse for his lackadaisical passing leading to a multitude of turnovers throughout the game. He needs to be better. He cannot expect to pull away with a win after another performance like that. The Sixers simply cannot afford it.

    He Wasn’t All Bad

    I still can’t hate on the big guy too much. I love him and so should everybody in Philadelphia.

    Even though he only scored 19 points on 7-19 shooting, he grabbed 16 rebounds and dished out 10 assists. Obviously the game wasn’t coming to him tonight, but he did just enough to get the job done. He noticeably boxed out the Knicks more aggressively and made the right reads a lot of the time to get open shots for his teammates. He helped limit the Knicks offensive rebounds which helped the Sixers outrebound the Knicks by 6 today. That made a big impact whether anybody wants to acknowledge it or not.

    Can they do it again and again?

    No matter how magical tonight was, they need to do it twice more. The team stepped up and pulled it out in a subpar performance from Embiid, so just imagine what they can do if everyone is firing on all cylinders for once. Even Tobias had a good game today. They need to step it up and win this game at home to really put the pressure on the Knicks for game 7.

     

     

     

    Picture from Marca.com

     

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    Collin Benjamin

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  • Instant observations: Tyrese Maxey’s unbelievable late-game heroics save Sixers season in Game 5

    Instant observations: Tyrese Maxey’s unbelievable late-game heroics save Sixers season in Game 5

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    NEW YORK, NY — In an all-time clash, the Sixers somehow emerged victorious in Game 5 Tuesday night, 112-106, because of all-time shot-making from Tyrese Maxey. Their season remains alive with the series returning to Philadelphia. 

    Here is what stood out from a thrilling Sixers-Knicks Game 5:

    Sixers open fourth quarter with a bang

    Let’s start in the guts of the game. With a dozen minutes of play left to decide their season, the Sixers came out strong: they opened the fourth quarter with Maxey sinking a long two-point jumper, then got a stop and extended their newfound lead to four thanks to a corner triple by Nico Batum. 

    Within 41 seconds, the score had swung by five crucial points, and a furious Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau called timeout once again. 

    Fatigue plagues Embiid down the stretch as turnovers pile up, and Nurse makes a tough call

    Joel Embiid was sloppy for a lot of this game, but it became uncontrollable in the fourth quarter. By the time Embiid had thrown away his eighth turnover of the game nearly halfway through the fourth quarter, Nick Nurse called timeout, and after the break Embiid was not on the floor. Nurse opted to not play Embiid for the entirety of the second half after it did not work out for the Sixers in Game 3. With or without Embiid, the Sixers had a lot of ground to cover. 

    Embiid’s rest only lasted for 72 seconds of play before a Jalen Brunson and-one extended their lead to six points.

    Tyrese Maxey saves the season

    Miles McBride made a free throw line jumper to extend the Knicks’ lead to six with fewer than 30 seconds left. 

    Then Tyrese Maxey did something unforgettable.

    First, Maxey converted an absurd four-point play to trim the lead to two points. Josh Hart split two free throws, and Maxey came down, pulled up from the logo and saved the Sixers’ season with the most brilliant shot of his four-year NBA career. 

    What can you say about this guy anymore? The Sixers’ 23 year-old guard is special, and the five-year maximum contract extension he is set to sign this summer is much-deserved. With Embiid a shell of himself for much of this game (and significant portions of the series), it is the fourth-year player in his first full season as a point guard who rose to the occasion time and time again. He is not a star, not an All-Star, but a superstar in the making.

    Embiid and Maxey deliver in overtime and the Sixers find a way remain alive

    Embiid was flat-out terrible for 48 minutes. Maxey made several crucial mistakes down the stretch. But after Maxey’s herculean effort forced overtime, the Sixers’ duo of 2023-24 All-Stars refused to let the Sixers head home empty-handed. Maxey continued to hit big shot after big shot, and Embiid finally began to come through with timely baskets while simultaneously obliterating the Knicks’ offense as a rim protector.

    After a true instant classic, the Sixers are going to return home and play more basketball. Game 6 is Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

    Sixers defense comes to play early… even if their offense did not

    It took four minutes and 24 seconds of play before the Knicks got on the board in this one. Tobias Harris (of all people!) scored the first five points of the game — first on a corner triple and then a mid-range jumper — before Isaiah Hartenstein knocked down two free throws for the Knicks. Tyrese Maxey followed that up with a 5-0 run of his own, and more than five minutes into the game, Thibodeau called timeout with his team trailing 10-2. The Knicks entered that timeout shooting 0-8 from the field and 0-3 from beyond the arc.

    The Sixers missed some great looks early on, squandering an opportunity to jump out to a massive early lead, but Harris and Maxey did just enough to get the Sixers out in front in the opening minutes.

    Sixers win first quarter 26-17 despite unusual Embiid performance

    Embiid made only one of his five field goal attempts in the first quarter of this one, inciting quite a bit of pleasure from the New York City crowd. But the other parts of his game were on-point early on: his rim protection was characteristically outstanding, his grabbed six rebounds and also dished out three assists. 

    It is fair to wonder if the Sixers could have really blown things open early had Embiid been effective as a scorer, but regardless of his shooting struggles, the reigning NBA MVP did find a way to impact the game in a positive manner early.

    Knicks make significant second-quarter push amid continued Embiid struggles

    In the three minutes and 57 seconds in which Embiid rested — between the final minute or so of the first quarter and the opening pair of minutes in the second quarter — the Sixers’ five-point lead was predictably extinguished. But when Embiid returned to the floor, his struggles as a scorer only escalated, and suddenly New York took control of the game.

    Robinson once again performed excellently as Embiid’s primary defender, and New York’s once-dormant offense got going. Miles McBride scored five straight points, Brunson began to knock down jumpers, Robinson threw down a powerful alley-oop dunk and the Knicks were able to build a formidable deficit for the Sixers to overcome.

    Maxey’s scoring saves Sixers’ chances, but team enters halftime trailing 49-43

    The Sixers were brutalized by the Knicks in the second quarter, as New York outscored them 32-17 in those 12 minutes. The Sixers’ only saving grace was Maxey, who’s at least able to halt the Knicks’ momentum a few times, including with an impressive buzzer-beating layup that trimmed the deficit to six before the teams headed to their locker rooms.

    Of course, the onus is always on an entire team to rise to the occasion in a big game, but everybody knows that things start and end with a team’s best player. Embiid’s offensive showing in the first half — a 3-10 shooting line from the field with three turnovers — was just not good enough. 

    Sixers respond with a run to open third quarter

    The Sixers were likely doomed if they did not throw a haymaker at the Knicks to open the second half, and perhaps that is exactly what Sixers head coach Nick Nurse told his team in the locker room. The Sixers took a punch from the Knicks and were able to connect back.

    The Sixers’ opening act in the third quarter was strong enough that Thibodeau called a timeout on two different occasions before even four minutes of time has passed. They outscored New York 10-2 in the first three minutes and 51 seconds of the quarter, allowing them to first tie the game and then take the lead. Once again, the key cog in their turnaround was Maxey, who punctuated the run with a gorgeous finish at the rim.

    Sixers enter fourth quarter trailing by one

    The Sixers won the third quarter, 26-21, but left some points on the table with missed open threes. All in all, Nurse and co. will take what they got over the course of those 12 minutes, though: repeated good looks on the offensive end, fueled by mostly-crisp passing, and cohesive defense. 

    A (relatively) clean bill of health for the Sixers

    Aside from Robert Covington, who remains out with a bone bruise in his left knee, the Sixers had two players listed on their injury report, and they were both starters. 

    Joel Embiid has been listed as questionable before just about every game the Sixers have played since he returned from his two-plus month absence due to a meniscus injury in his left knee, and that did not change, but his designation did: rather than just being listed as dealing with “left knee injury recovery,” Embiid was also listed as having a migraine — which Embiid said last week was the first symptom he experienced before being diagnosed with a case of Bell’s palsy. Embiid missed the team’s shootaround Tuesday morning, but was never expected to miss a do-or-die game.

    Kelly Oubre Jr. also missed Tuesday morning’s shootaround after the team told reporters that the swingman “did not feel well,” and Oubre was later listed as probable with an illness. However, he, too was ultimately made available and put in the starting lineup.

    The injury gods giveth and the injury gods taketh away for New York

    The Knicks, who have battled injuries all season long, relied on seven players to notch a Game 4 victory: Robinson, who excelled for the first two and a half games of the series before missing the second half of Game 3 with an ankle injury, was ruled out a half-hour prior to tip-off on Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile, Bogdanovic — who knocked down three triples in each of the first two games of the series and helps New York space the floor in a major way — went down with an ankle injury 71 seconds after checking into the game. Bogdanovic, who was already dealing with a severe wrist injury, has been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to his pair of injuries that will likely both require surgery.

    Robinson returned for the Knicks in Game 5 despite still dealing with the aforementioned ankle ailment — the same injury that held him out for more than three months in the regular season. With Bogdanovic out, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau decided not to call upon the services of Precious Achiuwa — his backup center to open Game 4 who ultimately helped swing the game in New York’s favor with his infectious energy and tremendous athleticism at the power forward position — in a role resembling the one he thrived in during the prior contest. Instead, the Knicks used a seven-man rotation. That is considered a rarity this early in the playoffs, generally speaking, but clearly nothing can be put past Thibodeau.

    Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • Joel Embiid — battling Bell’s palsy — turns in his finest playoff performance yet

    Joel Embiid — battling Bell’s palsy — turns in his finest playoff performance yet

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    PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid walked off the podium and into the array of hallways of the Wells Fargo Center late Thursday evening wearing dark black sunglasses across his face. He had worn them for most of the night after the Philadelphia 76ers preserved their season with a grueling Game 3 win over the New York Knicks; in the locker room as he iced his leg and in a news conference in front of reporters and cameras.

    Over the last week-and-a-half, Embiid has had Bell’s palsy, which has weakened the muscles on the left side of his face. It began with heavy migraines last week, just a day or so before the 76ers beat the Miami Heat in a Play-In Tournament game to notch the No. 7 seed. It has lingered, leaving his mouth drooped, and his eye dry, blurry and in constant need of drops.

    The condition has been a nuisance, he said, but not a deterrent. This season has tested Embiid in many ways. He has seen an NBA All-Star teammate demand out, and a torn left meniscus erase two months from what had been an MVP-level campaign. The 76ers have had to preserve their season and win just to get into the postseason. Their hopes, and their safe passage, have always depended on Embiid.

    They did again Thursday in a resounding Game 3 win, when Embiid turned in his finest playoff performance yet. Hampered by the still balky knee, and now bothered by this recent illness, he dropped 50 points on the Knicks in a 125-114 win that pulled Philadelphia to 2-1 in their first-round series.

    Embiid was dominant and efficient. He made 13 of 19 shots and took 21 free throws. He catalyzed the 76ers during a 43-point third quarter when they erased a halftime deficit and took control of the game. When the 76ers’ season seemed to teeter, just one loss away from an-all-but-over series, Embiid stepped to the forefront one more time.

    He did it, of course, in his own way. He nearly lost control in the first quarter and was almost ejected — arguably should have been — when he followed up an offensive foul with a Flagrant 1 a few possessions later. As he lay on the ground, Embiid pulled down opposing center Mitchell Robinson, who was leaping above him for a dunk. The play incensed the Knicks; Donte DiVincenzo called it “dirty.” But it served as a rebuke and nothing more for Embiid. Instead, he overpowered the Knicks the rest of the night.

    Tyrese Maxey scored 25 points, Cameron Payne came off the bench for 11, and the Sixers drained 48.4 percent of their 31 3s. Yet, it was Embiid who carried them once again.

    He outgunned Jalen Brunson, who finally broke out of his two-game slump. Brunson scored 39 points and dished out 13 assists after missing 39 of his first 55 shots this series and it still was not enough. Not when Embiid tormented the Knicks inside and out. Embiid hit five 3s and drew seven shooting fouls. The Knicks rolled out one big after another trying to stop him but couldn’t. Isaiah Hartenstein had five fouls, Robinson played just 12 minutes because of an ankle injury that forced him to miss the second half and still had three fouls.

    “I got lucky,” Embiid said. “I made a few shots. But gotta keep taking them, press on that. Gotta keep trusting myself. Especially because the physical abilities are somewhat limited.”

    Embiid had been slowed earlier in the series by his left knee, which he reaggravated in Game 1. He had missed 30 games with a torn left meniscus after surgery in February, and hurt it once more. Thursday, however, he seemed to be spry again. But the constant run of injuries and afflictions has worn on Embiid. He revealed his frustration as he explained his new bout of Bell’s palsy. It has, at times, forced him to ask himself why he has been such a magnet for bad luck.

    “I say it every day,” he said. “It is unfortunate. Every single year you start asking yourself questions like ‘Why?’ Every single year. It’s very annoying. Maybe it’s just meant to be. You gotta just take it as it is. The one thing I’m not going to do is give up. No matter what happens. Gotta keep pushing, gotta keep fighting, gotta keep putting my body on the line.”

    He has done that repeatedly. At 7-feet, 280 pounds, he has inflicted pain and been treated for it after a slew of injuries. They have left an imprint on him.

    Thursday, it nearly caused him to get tossed out of the game. Embiid grabbed Robinson, he said, because he was worried about getting hurt one more time. He had injured his left knee after Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga fell on it this January. That image, Embiid said, ran through his mind as he saw Robinson standing atop him in the first quarter. It put Robinson in danger, though officials deemed it was not worthy of a Flagrant 2.

    “I kind of had some flashbacks when he came down to it,” Embiid said, rationalizing himself. “It’s unfortunate. I didn’t mean to hurt anybody. In those situations, I gotta protect myself because I’ve been in way too many situations where I’m the recipient of the bad end of it. It was unfortunate. But physical game. They want to bring their physicality. We can be physical, too, and we are. It goes both ways. I get bumped all over the place and I just keep playing. I can take it. I gotta keep my mind and make sure that I don’t get outside myself. I just gotta keep being myself, aggressive and physical.”

    GO DEEPER

    Joel Embiid’s ‘dirty’ flagrant foul on Mitchell Robinson is Game 3’s turning point

    It was nearly the play that swung the game and the series. The Sixers might have been sunk without him and looking at one more early playoff exit. Instead, they’ll get to play Game 4 Sunday with a chance to tie up their series with the Knicks.

    Embiid had predicted this late Monday night after a disastrous end to Game 2. It was a prediction uttered with the kind of confidence that comes with an MVP award and a place as one of the league’s best players. The Sixers, he said, should have been up 2-o in the series. The Sixers, he said, will win it anyway.

    Predictions are easy. Thursday, Embiid backed it up. He became just the third player in Sixers history to score at least 50 points in a playoff game, and the first ever in NBA history to do it on fewer than 20 shots. Embiid hammered the Knicks with post ups and drives to the rim. He barreled in off screens and fired away from deep.

    The 76ers followed suit. They took advantage of a physical game that occasionally grew chippy, if not more. After bemoaning the officials in Game 2, they committed seven fewer fouls than the Knicks and took 14 more free throws. The third-quarter surge served as a difference-maker and Philadelphia withstood New York in the fourth.

    Now, it is a series again and the Sixers have regained their swagger. Embiid never lost his.

    (Photo of Embiid:  Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images)

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    The New York Times

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  • Instant observations: Late-game collapse sinks Sixers, who trail Knicks 2-0 in first round series

    Instant observations: Late-game collapse sinks Sixers, who trail Knicks 2-0 in first round series

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    NEW YORK — About 46 hours after their valiant effort resulted in a heart-breaking Game 1 loss at the hands of the New York Knicks, the Sixers returned to Madison Square Garden for a rematch: on Monday night was Game 2, as the Sixers looked to even the series at 1-1 before it headed to Philadelphia.

    But in those 46 hours or so, a lot has happened and been discussed. The most noteworthy point of discourse has been the state of reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid’s left knee. Embiid suffered an extreme injury scare to the already-damaged knee on Saturday evening, when for a few moments it looked like his season was going to be over due to an injury to the same knee which kept him out for more than two months before his return April 1. Embiid ended up only missing a few moments of game time due to the injury, but was far from the best version of himself after returning.

    Then came another cause for concern: on Monday morning, the Sixers suddenly listed their other All-Star, point guard Tyrese Maxey, as questionable for Game 2 with an illness. Maxey went on to miss the team’s shootaround.

    Between the uncertain statuses of the two best players on the team and the reeling nature of some of the duo’s critical supporting pieces, the feeling around the team was understandably anxious.

    Embiid was not his best self — again — while Maxey dazzled. But brutal late-game errors sent the Sixers packing with a 2-0 series deficit staring them in the faces.

    Here is what jumped out from Game 2 of Sixers-Knicks:

    Embiid and Maxey play

    Per the usual, De’Anthony Melton and Robert Covington were ruled out prior to tip-off: Melton’s status for the remainder of the series and playoffs remains unknown, while Covington appears to be out for the remainder of the season.

    The only other Sixers listed on the injury report were the aforementioned stars, Embiid and Maxey, but each was made available after going through their pregame routines.

    Maxey’s opening heater

    In Game 1, Embiid set the tone with an early 9-0 run after the Knicks had taken a 2-0 lead. In Game 2, Maxey similarly put his foot on the gas early, but he didn’t wait for the Knicks to score first. Maxey opened the scoring in this one by knocking down a three… and then another three… and then another three.

    Maxey put together a personal 9-0 run of his own that was — fittingly — very fast. It gave the Sixers a whole lot of juice early, not to mention a healthy lead in the game’s opening minutes.

    Of course, any run within a playoff game is enormous, let alone one that opens the game. It certainly does not hurt to get one from the guy who was supposed to be a game-time decision.

    Embiid’s up-and-down, but mostly positive, first quarter

    Once again, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse played Embiid for the entirety of the first quarter — as he did for most of the regular season prior to Embiid suffering his meniscus injury. Embiid did not shoot the ball particularly well in the opening dozen minutes, but was extremely active: he made four of his 10 field goal attempts — including two of his three tries from beyond the arc — and split four free throws. But Embiid also grabbed eight rebounds — four of them coming on the offensive glass, in a fortunate change of pace — and collected a pair of assists. He committed a turnover in the first minute or two of the game, but after that played a clean quarter of mistake-free basketball.

    Embiid’s rim protection, as expected, was also tremendous.

    Early returns on rebounding adjustments

    The biggest reason the Sixers lost Game 1 was because they were brutalized on the rebounds, particularly as they allowed an almost-comical 23 Knicks offensive rebounds. Nurse and several Sixers rotation players entered Game 2 having spoken at length about the need to shore up their team rebounding efforts.

    The Knicks grabbed an offensive rebound on their first possession of the game, and it momentarily felt as if the Sixers were going to be eviscerated on the boards. But it took more than 10 minutes for them to allow another offensive rebound, a play that gave the Knicks their only two second-chance points of the entire quarter.

    Rebounding is a team effort under all circumstances, so all Sixers rotation players deserve joint credit for their improved performance in that department, but it is hard to ignore the way Embiid set the tone on the glass with constant energy and effort that was not there in Game 1.

    Sixers survive early stretch without Embiid

    Despite Paul Reed giving the Sixers strong minutes for most of Game 1, they were pummeled when he manned the middle in Embiid’s place, getting outscored by 21 points in just 11 minutes.

    In Game 1, Embiid helped the Sixers build a nine-point lead by the end of the first quarter, and after five minutes of Embiid sitting on the bench, the game was tied.

    In this one, Embiid helped create a seven-point Sixers lead by the time for the first quarter ended. He rested for the same amount of time as he did on Saturday, but this time when he returned the Sixers still led by seven: they broke even without their best player, which in the playoffs is an enormous feat. For all of Embiid’s struggles in Game 1, they would have won if they were even outplayed by a modest amount when he sat rather than being obliterated.

    Part of succeeding when Embiid rests is successfully running the offense through Maxey, and the Sixers were able to that. Maxey led all scorers in the first half with 20 points, shooting 7-11 from the field, 4-7 from beyond the arc and 2-2 from the free throw line. Maxey also dished out five assists and grabbed three rebounds in before intermission.

    The Tobias Harris revival

    Harris struggled from the field to open the game, making just two of his first six shot attempts, including missing the mark on two wide open triples. But his energy to open the game was outstanding: he was active on the glass, both in terms of grabbing rebounds on his own and by simply preventing the Knicks from doing so with effective box-outs. He also ran down an offensive rebound that led to an easy layup for Buddy Hield (and nobody needed to see the ball go in more than Hield) and won a jump ball against a seven-footer, Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein.

    Two made threes later, Harris entered halftime with a stellar line: in a team-leading 21 minutes, he scored 10 points on 4-8 shooting (including 2-4 from beyond the arc), six rebounds, two assists, a steal, a block and zero turnovers.

    The outpouring of frustration with Harris in recent days — which has been even more furious than usual — was mostly warranted considering his performance. But given the way he was playing and the way he was being lambasted, regardless of whether or not the criticism was deserved, it is impressive that he was able to collect himself and reward Nurse’s trust in him with such a strong first half.

    In the fourth quarter, the Knicks repeatedly targeted Harris as a defender, forcing him into switches against their leading offensive option, Jalen Brunson, and Harris just got stops against the scoring aficionado over and over. In Harris’ five-plus years as a Sixer, he has never put together such a marvelous defensive showing,.

    Josh Hart at it again

    I wrote before this series kicked off that Hart, who was the Knicks’ star in Game 1, had the potential to reach levels of annoyance that the Sixers and their fans have not experienced stemming from the performance a role player in the playoffs in several years. But even this is a bit beyond what I expected.

    Hart’s 22 points, 13 rebounds and four threes made him the player folks will remember from Saturday night. And on Monday, he picked up right where he left off: Hart had 19 points, 10 rebounds and another four threes… in the first half.

    Nurse spoke in his media availability before Game 2 about the team’s commitment to limiting Brunson, and how that necessitates leaving a subpar three-point shooter like Hart open. Hart is not a good enough shooter to commit a defender to him at all times, but clearly he is good enough that he can make a defense pay for leaving him open at any given moment. So far in this series, the Villanova product has done exactly that.

    Maxey’s Most Improved Player case, exemplified

    Maxey was named a nominee for the NBA’s 2023-24 Most Improved Player Award on Sunday night, and many expect the fourth-year guard to take home what would be the first full-season individual honor of his NBA career. One crucial stretch early in the third perfectly illustrated two of the underrated ways in which he has progressed as a player in the last year.

    Maxey’s case to win the award stems from his significant scoring uptick, but he has also made massive strides as a playmaker and passer in his first full regular season as a point guard. Maxey’s passing was excellent in this game, and perhaps none of his dishes were better than an impressive skip pass he threw that created a made three for Kyle Lowry, who had been silent as a scorer up until that point.

    On the other end of the floor, the Knicks set up Maxey to defend their own first-time All-Star guard in Brunson. Brunson is not an easy cover for anyone, but particularly someone like Maxey because Brunson boasts such a massive strength advantage over Maxey. But Maxey stood his ground against the NBA’s fourth-leading per-game scorer in the regular season and forced a stop. Forget last year, Maxey may not have been able to make that play last month. His defensive improvement over the last handful of games alone has been staggering.

    Knicks finally take control during Embiid’s second half rest

    Embiid did not play the entire third quarter, as Nurse appeared to deviate from his typical substitution patterns. Instead, he rested for four of the final five minutes of the quarter. In that time, the Knicks outscored the Sixers by six as they finally captured their first lead of the game and created a modicum of separation.

    That run that continued into the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, when the Knicks’ lead expanded to as wide as eight.

    Intense fourth quarter ends with Sixers falling short again after late mistakes

    The Sixers led by five with fewer than 30 seconds on the clock in Game 2. Then a Brunson desperation three took a wild bounce in, the Sixers turned the ball over in the backcourt — not using a timeout that they had remaining — and Donte DiVincenzo hit his fourth three of the game to give the Knicks the lead. One Maxey miss, two OG Anunoby free throws and an Embiid missed desperation three later, the Knicks had won.

    An all-time, epic disaster for the Sixers, who had Game 2 and a tied series in hand. They head home with a tall task at hand: win four of the next five, or go home.

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • What to make of the Sixers-Knicks regular season series ahead of playoff matchup

    What to make of the Sixers-Knicks regular season series ahead of playoff matchup

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    In several recent seasons, the Sixers dominated the New York Knicks in the regular season. There was a multi-year span in which the Knicks failed to notch a single victory over the Sixers. Things changed in 2024, though, when the new-look Knicks took three out of four contests against the Sixers, with two of those wins coming in Philadelphia and all three of them occurring in blowout fashion. This past regular season was the first in which the Knicks won the season series over the Sixers since the 2015-16 campaign in which the Sixers finished 10-72.

    Season series results are often not emphatic indicators of playoff series outcomes, and this is an example of that: Sixers superstar center Joel Embiid only played in one of the four games these two teams faced off in this season. But across the four games, spanning from the beginning of January to the second week of March, there are some lessons we can learn.

    Just so you would not have to, I spent my Thursday afternoon and evening rewatching all four Sixers-Knicks contests looking for any sorts of tells that may indicate how the playoff series will turn out. Here is what I found:

    Tyrese Maxey will see a lot of different looks — but one more than most

    Like the Sixers and the Miami Heat team they just defeated, the Knicks have faced a tremendous amount of adversity this season, mostly in the form of injuries, and they have faced that adversity better than the Sixers or Heat all year long. Even now, as the dust settles before the playoffs begin, the Knicks will be without three-time All-Star forward Julius Randle, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury.

    There are many obvious negatives to dealing with a massive amount of injuries, but there are some silver linings. One of those is that it enables many players to prepare to fill several different roles throughout a season, so that no matter what challenges are thrown their way in the postseason, they do not have to enter uncharted territory. 

    The Knicks’ All-Star point guard, rising superstar scorer Jalen Brunson, finished this regular season 10th in the NBA in total minutes played. But two Knicks actually played in more contests than Brunson: fellow Villanova products, workhorses Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, who each logged 81 games. Hart is one of the game’s best rebounders; DiVincenzo is one of the game’s best three-point shooters. But both are tried and true defensive forces. Hart uses his incredible strength to take on bigger assignments, while DiVincenzo is more reliable against guards.

    The Knicks, however, swung a significant trade at the end of December, acquiring wing OG Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors. Because of his late arrival and ensuing injuries, Anunoby has only played 23 games in blue and orange — but when he has suited up, the Knicks have been dominant: New York went 20-3 in the regular season when the two-way threat was available. Part of the reason why was that he immediately stepped in as one of head coach Tom Thibodeau’s most trusted perimeter defenders. 

    At 6-foot-7 and 232 pounds, Anunoby can guard big wings and even some big-men. But because of his tremendous athleticism and foot speed, he may profile as the Knicks’ best chance to slow down Maxey, the Sixers’ first-time All-Star guard who may be in line to win the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award after averaging 25.9 points per game — 11th-best in the NBA — in his fourth professional season.

    Anunoby only played in two of the four Sixers-Knicks games this season — though Sixers head coach and former Toronto shot-caller Nick Nurse’s former trusted wing did play against the Sixers twice in the early portion of the season as a member of the Raptors. But when Anunoby did suit up for New York against the Sixers, he was often Thibodeau’s first choice to defend Maxey. When one glances at Maxey and notices his frame, they would not expect someone who looks like Anunoby to be his primary defender over the course of a playoff series. But the Knicks’ starting wing figures to draw the assignment more than any of his teammates.

    This is where we must circle back to the Knicks’ bumpy journey, though. Because they have had to live life without Anunoby on plenty of occasions, the Knicks have both Hart and DiVincenzo more than prepared to take on the Maxey assignment at any given moment. Anunoby’s superior speed likely makes him Thibodeau’s choice to open things, but if either of Hart or DiVincenzo need to step into that role, they can. The Knicks’ rotation also features an x-factor of sorts: 23-year-old guard Miles “Deuce” McBride, whose ability to defend his position at a high level while also knocking down 41 percent of his three-point attempts on significant volume has made him a fan favorite in New York. 

    Things did not go perfectly for Maxey against Miami. Unfortunately for him, they are not going to get much easier against New York. The time for him to step up is now.

    The Sixers do stand a chance against Brunson

    Brunson is, as Maxey referred to him after Wednesday night’s Play-In Tournament victory, New York’s “head of the snake.” The Villanova product who was born in New Brunswick, NJ put together an absolutely stellar season featuring yet another massive leap. Brunson received his first All-Star nod in the first half of the season and only got better from there, ultimately averaging 28.7 points per game — the fourth-highest average in the NBA over the course of the season.

    As you have probably heard by now, Sixers veteran wing Nico Batum had the game of his life to save the Sixers’ season Wednesday night: he scored more points (20) than he had in any game in over a calendar year, put on a defensive clinic and came through in every single important spot. 

    The Sixers did a good job limiting Brunson as a scorer across their four contests against the Knicks this season, holding him to 22.3 points per game on subpar efficiency (Brunson posted a true shooting percentage of 53.6). One of the primary reasons was Batum, who by my eye spent more time defending Brunson than any other Sixer. Batum may continue to come off the bench in this series — the Sixers’ starting lineup of Maxey, Kyle Lowry, Kelly Oubre Jr., Tobias Harris and Embiid has generally been quite successful since Embiid’s return from injury, and starting lineup changes this time of year are rare. But Batum’s ability to not just pressure Brunson, but do so across all 94 feet of the floor, make it easy to pencil him in as an integral part of the Sixers’ rotation in this series, perhaps even more than usual.

    But, like the Knicks, the Sixers have plenty of trustworthy defensive options on the perimeter as well. Lowry and Oubre were both stellar on that end of the floor against Miami, and will both see some of Brunson (Oubre would be my pick to open games defending him). Maxey lacks the physicality to counter the immense strength that helps make Brunson so lethal, but his defensive strides in recent weeks have been noticeable, culminating in an impressive outing in that department against the Heat. He can take on difficult assignments these days, even if for brief spurts of time. Harris is not the ideal defender against a point guard, but has enough reps in similar matchups that he would not be a terrible option against Brunson if needed.

    Slowing down Brunson may be even more challenging for the Sixers than slowing down Maxey will be for the Knicks. But in addition to the strategic advantages that come with having a coach as creative as Nurse, the Sixers do have the requisite personnel to make the fellow first-time All-Star guard’s life difficult.

    Hart attacks are on the way to Philadelphia

    By the end of any good playoff series, each fanbase has a newfound hatred for a player on the opposing team who they simply did not realize would frustrate them so much. Heat fans may never forget The Nico Batum Game. One reason the Sixers won that game is because Miami was without renowned Sixers Killer Terry Rozier. 

    Hart’s exploits have always been respected because he played at a high-profile school and won a national championship. His abilities have become even more appreciated in recent months as he stars in a significant role for one of the league’s flagship teams in one of its largest markets. He is even a viral podcaster these days. But at his core, Hart is simply a killer who will always find a way to torture his opponents and their fans.

    I do not say this lightly: Hart has the chance to frustrate Sixers fans more than any opposing role player has since Marcus Smart’s peak of annoyance with the Boston Celtics.

    First of all, the way the Sixers play on defense and their tendency to attempt to suffocate stars allow capable but imperfect three-point shooters to take big shots. One of the reasons they beat Miami is that someone like former Sixers developmental project Haywood Highsmith missed all four of his three-point tries. Hart fits the exact profile: he is not a good enough shooter that the Sixers will always stick to him when Brunson drives — Hart made just 31 percent of his three-point tries this season — but as a 34.4 percent three-point shooter for his career and a genuine big-game player, he has more than enough ability to knock down a crucial shot in a pivotal situation.

    Then there is the defense. Hart will likely get some cracks at Maxey; as a 6-foot-4 player that is the kind of matchup one might expect him to take on. But he will also see a lot of time — perhaps the majority of his minutes — against wings. Hart is extremely physical, enough to hang with guys who may have much better frames like Batum or superior athleticism like Oubre. 

    But Hart is also cerebral. There will absolutely be times when he goads Harris into making avoidable blunders. His timing on double-teams against Embiid will be pristine, and he will likely force the reigning NBA MVP to commit some turnovers that look like head-scratchers. Hell, he and Thibodeau are both so maniacal that he could end up guarding Embiid one-on-one at certain junctures. That is the kind of versatile athlete the Sixers will have to deal with here.

    This is perhaps all without mentioning the part of Hart’s game that will anger Sixers fans the most: his uncanny rebounding ability. Despite that 6-foot-4 listed height, Hart averaged 8.3 rebounds per game this season. He finished the season 16th in the NBA in total rebounds, an absolutely ridiculous feat for someone of his size. What is as impressive as Hart’s rebounding ability is the timeliness of his rebounds. He seems to come up with every single 50-50 ball, will revive possessions with offensive rebounds at crucial junctures of games, and is simply able to come away with the ball on occasions when he has absolutely no business doing so. 

    Prepare for at least one Knicks win in this series where Hart makes a defining play or has a signature moment or performance. It feels inevitable.

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • The Sixers’ 2024 Playoff Picture – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    The Sixers’ 2024 Playoff Picture – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    With the regular season over, the Sixers’ road to the Finals starts this Wednesday against the Heat in the play-in tournament.

    Since Embiid’s return, the Sixers have gone 8-0, including two games without Embiid.

    It’s no secret that he brings a boost to this team. As long as he can stay healthy, they have a shot at making a serious run.

    How’s the Knee?

    In a game against the Orlando Magic a few days ago, all Sixers fans had a scare. After driving to the basket and getting his own rebound, Embiid, wincing in pain, asked for a timeout and immediately headed to the locker room. Everyone watching probably had the same thought: here we go again. 

    To everyone’s surprise, Embiid returned to the game in the second half and continued doing his thing. Afterward, when Nick Nurse was asked about the status of Embiid’s knee, he said the knee “responded well.” So take that for what you will, but it was a good sign seeing Embiid return in the second half.

    Two Possible Matchups

    After they take care of business tomorrow against the Heat, they will match up against the Knicks. The Knicks went 3-1 against the Sixers this year, but they are both very different teams now than they were before. 

    Similarly, these two teams lost a star player in the latter half of the season, but the Knicks handled it much better. We all know what happened when Embiid went down, but the Knicks catapulted to the 2-seed in the absence of Julius Randle. Some may say the Knicks have a better chance without him, but not against the Sixers. Julius Randle has a rare combo of weight and speed that has caused trouble for the Sixers in the past. They do have some players more suitable to guard him now than last year, but I like our chances better without him.

    The Boston Celtics

    If the Sixers have Finals aspirations, then the Celtics shouldn’t scare them, but it’s more complicated than that. Lots of people are choosing the Celtics to not only win the East, but win the Finals as well. They are a great team and hold the NBA’s best record this year – by far. Normally, I’d say bring on the Celtics; we have to get them out of the way eventually, but not with the team chemistry we have now. When Embiid went down the team changed a lot, and teams need to be firing on all cylinders to beat the Celtics.

    The Celtics already beat the Sixers in 7 last year, and now they’re better. Now, they have Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday providing extra offensive threats. With two big men that can shoot (Porzingis and Horford), Embiid won’t have the privilege of camping down in the paint, anchoring the defense.

    With their other two stars, Tatum and Brown, the Celtics match up well against every team in the league. Not many teams have the athleticism, length, and interior defense to handle the caliber of players that the Celtics have. I think with the new additions of Oubre, Batum, and Lowry, the Sixers can beat this team in a tough series, but they need a few series to figure things out and build chemistry.

    What’s Different for the Sixers this year?

    First: Nick Nurse and not that scrub Glen Rivers (we already have two “Docs” in Philly. He’s not one of them). Nick Nurse is a great head coach with recent playoff experience that doesn’t involve choking leads. Watching Nurse’s offense for five minutes shows me how much of an upgrade we have at head coach. Rivers was stubborn. He wouldn’t change his defenses up or strategize his offensive scheme to expose weaker players. Nurse adapts. He switches his defense, targets other players, feeds the hot hands, and lets the players play to their strengths. He will help a lot, especially in a playoff series.

    Second: Joel Embiid has fresh(ish) legs. He just had surgery on his meniscus, but he obviously took rehab seriously to work on what he could. His shot is falling; he added a floater for a few games, and his defense hasn’t changed. As long as there are no more freak injuries like a broken face, torn thumb, another knee injury, etc., we’re in good shape and can beat any team in the league.

    Not one player in the NBA can hold Embiid down.
    It’s his time to build his legacy.

    Photo: Yong Kim

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    Collin Benjamin

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  • NBA playoffs preview: Play-in predictions, first-round series guide

    NBA playoffs preview: Play-in predictions, first-round series guide

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    Are you ready for some NBA postseason? We got a little taster on the season’s final weekend, with a few teams playing high-stakes games that resembled playoff environments. That was particularly true in the jumbled Western Conference standings, where the New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings were locked in a series of huge games that determined spots six through 10 in the West hierarchy.

    And now, we exhale. There are no games Monday, but we get two big play-in games on Tuesday and Wednesday before the final play-in for each conference on Friday; that sets the bracket for the main event to start this weekend with four games on both Saturday and Sunday. The first round runs two weeks, with potential seventh games on the weekend of April 27 and 28, and the bracket shrinks from there until Game 1 of the NBA Finals on June 6.

    I will have a more filled-out playoff preview later in the week, where we can get into predictions for the later rounds and more detail based on the play-in results. For now, however, let’s take the 10,000-foot view on what the play-ins and first round look like.

    Here is the least you need to know. (All TV times ET.)

    Play-In Predictions

    West: No. 7 New Orleans Pelicans vs. No. 8 Los Angeles Lakers, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., TNT

    In a rematch of a game played in the same arena on Sunday afternoon, the Pelicans may come into this one with greater motivation than their flat effort in Game 82. That said, this feels like a bad matchup for them – they lost three of the four meetings with L.A. in the regular season and were trounced in all three defeats, including an embarrassing 133-89 loss in Las Vegas in the in-season tournament semifinals.

    The Pels have Brandon Ingram back after he missed 12 games with a left knee contusion; Sunday was his first game since March 21. The Lakers, on the other hand, have to cross their fingers for Anthony Davis after the big man left Sunday’s game with hip and back spasms.

    Fun fact: The Lakers outscore opponents by 3.2 points per 100 possessions with Davis and LeBron James on the court this year … the exact same margin by which the Pels prevailed with Ingram and Zion Williamson on the floor together. Despite the scores of the first four meetings, I suspect this one will be close. I also think that somehow, some way, the Pelicans’ superior depth comes to bear and, with the help of the home crowd, they end up squeaking this one out.

    Pick: Pelicans

    West: No. 9 Sacramento Kings vs. No. 10 Golden State Warriors, Tuesday, 10 p.m., TNT

    A repeat of the seven-game 2023 first-round series that saw the Warriors prevail behind Steph Curry’s 50-point eruption in Game 7, this time the Greater Suisun Bay derby is a single-elimination affair. The Kings’ depth is threadbare after injuries to Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk, while after a rough start, the Warriors closed the year on a 26-12 heater and have been solid when Curry and Draymond Green take the floor together all season (+4.8 points per 100 possessions).

    GO DEEPER

    This is where the Warriors are now — 10th place and in March Madness mode

    It would be cathartic for the Kings to knock out the Warriors after what happened last year and light that glorious beam, and Green’s antics are a wild card in a one-game situation. That said, only a fool bets against Curry in a situation like this, especially with the Kings’ injuries. The Warriors aren’t what they were, but they have at least one more battle in them.

    Pick: Warriors

    East: No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 8 Miami Heat, Wednesday, 7 p.m., ESPN

    Last year, the Heat went from being the 7 seed entering the play-in to making the NBA Finals. Can the Sixers be the team to pull off that feat this year? Philly slumped in the standings due to Joel Embiid’s extended absence, but the reigning MVP (for a few more days, anyway) is back in the lineup and the Sixers went 29-7 in games he and Tyrese Maxey played in.

    The teams split the season series 2-2, but Embiid only played in the last one, a 109-105 Sixers win on April 4 when Maxey scored 37 and Embiid added 29. Don’t forget these teams also played a second-round series in 2022 with most of the same key players; the Heat mostly neutralized Embiid behind Bam Adebayo’s defense and ended up winning in six games.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    Miami Heat think they are ready to make another unlikely run: ‘It’ll be a show’

    Nonetheless, I think having Embiid and a home-court edge, and with Nick Nurse on the sideline this time, Philly has the advantage on a Miami team that hasn’t looked like itself all year and will be missing Duncan Robinson and Josh Richardson.

    Pick: Sixers

    East: No. 9 Chicago Bulls vs. No. 10 Atlanta Hawks, Wednesday, 9:30 p.m., ESPN

    Two injury-riddled teams limp into this one for the right to a one-game shot at the Sixers-Heat loser on Friday. Atlanta won’t have Jalen Johnson, Saddiq Bey or Onyeka Okongwu and just returned Trae Young from finger surgery on his left hand, while the Bulls are without Zach LaVine and Patrick Williams.

    Atlanta also thinned its rotation further with the bizarre move to not convert two-way wing Vít Krejčí to a roster contract, something the Hawks could have done unilaterally. He played at least 15 minutes in 19 of the final 20 regular season games and started 11 of them, but will be ineligible for the postseason.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    Load management doesn’t exist for DeMar DeRozan as he finishes as NBA’s minutes leader

    The Bulls won the season series 2-1, with Atlanta oddly winning the one game Young missed. Chicago also has all-defense lock Alex Caruso to sic on one of Young or Dejounte Murray. The Bulls just don’t have a whole lot else, especially if DeMar DeRozan can’t get cooking against the Hawks’ lone remaining reliable wing defender (De’Andre Hunter), so I’m betting on Atlanta’s top-level offensive talent winning the day.

    Pick: Hawks

    Friday: Chicago or Atlanta at Miami or Philadelphia, ESPN, Time TBD

    Ironically, Chicago and Atlanta were the teams Miami faced in the play-in a year ago; there’s a decent chance the Heat will again play one of them on Friday for the East’s final playoff spot. Remember, before the Heat’s magical run to the Finals, they lost a play-in to Atlanta when the Hawks smashed them on the offensive glass, then barely held off Chicago after trailing well into the fourth quarter.

    However, the Hawks are a lesser version of the team that took out Miami a year ago, let alone the one that went to the 2021 conference finals; Miami won three of four against them this year. I picked Miami to host this game, but regardless of whether it is Miami or Philadelphia hosting, and whether it is Atlanta or Chicago visiting, the Heat should have a huge advantage and advance as the eight seed.

    Pick: Heat

    Friday: Sacramento or Golden State at Lakers or New Orleans, TNT, Time TBD

    I have the Warriors playing the Lakers here based on the picks above, and in that case I would lean toward picking Los Angeles despite the fact that the Warriors beat the Lakers three times. The games were close and the Lakers were missing Davis in the last one. The Lakers playing at home in a game of this magnitude should give them a slight edge. Also, I don’t feel great about projecting the Warriors to win twice on the road to knock the Lakers out of a playoff spot; it feels closer to a 50-50 proposition if we get Lakers-Warriors, but Los Angeles’ overall pathway to the postseason is more favorable since it gets two shots at it.

    If it’s New Orleans, I like the Pels in either matchup. They won two of the three regular season matchups against Golden State, including a late-season contest in San Francisco that almost felt like a playoff game, and there’s a good reason to think they’d win again. The Pels have multiple active, harassing wing defenders to throw at Curry, and the Warriors are an old team that would be flying across the country on a short turnaround to play at New Orleans.

    The Pels would be slight favorites against the Warriors, but they’d be massive ones against the Kings. Sacramento was smacked five times by the Pelicans, including defeats by 36 and 33 points, and seemingly have no matchup at all for Williamson. It was the first time a team lost a season series 5-0 since 1995-96 (we got a fifth matchup rather than the usual four due to the in-season tournament).

    On the flip side, the Kings’ rooting interests in the first game on Tuesday could not be more obvious: The Pels own them, but Sacramento beat Los Angeles in all four meetings. Domantas Sabonis has never lost to Davis as a pro in 10 career meetings, although some of those games were with him as a bit player for the Thunder and Davis in New Orleans.

    Keep an eye on this if the Lakers can’t win in New Orleans on Tuesday; these are troubling matchups for them, especially Sacramento. But I think in a one-game situation at home, James can dial up enough energy for them to survive.

    Pick: Lakers

    Eastern Conference First Round

    No. 1 Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia/Miami/Atlanta/Chicago (starts Sunday)

    The Celtics aren’t getting enough respect as a title favorite after a 64-win season that included one of the highest scoring margins in NBA history at +11.4 per game. Recent playoff wobbles are likely the reason it’s been so hard to find Boston believers, so this spring offers a chance for the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown era Celtics to put those demons to rest.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    Kristaps Porziņģis’ career was at a crossroads. Then he learned to trust the numbers

    Boston would be a heavy favorite here regardless of the opponent, but obviously the Celtics would prefer the Atlanta-Chicago winner advance rather than the Miami postseason torture for a fourth time in five seasons, or alternatively having Embiid pound their bigs for two weeks and wear down their frontcourt for future rounds. The thin and historically frail Kristaps Porziņģis and the 37-year-old Al Horford might not enjoy this assignment.

    No. 2 New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia or Miami (starts Saturday)

    Regardless of opponent, this feels like the most compelling first-round series. The Knicks and Heat have had many bloody wars through the years, most recently last season’s second-round series that Miami won in six games. Meanwhile, a Knicks-Sixers Acela series (faster than the Turnpike!) would match Embiid against a rising force in the Knicks.

    New York won’t have Julius Randle, but the Knicks have a new go-to guy in star guard Jalen Brunson, a perimeter defensive ace in OG Anunoby and plentiful shooting on the perimeter. New York would probably rather face Miami and use Anunoby on Jimmy Butler, but the Knicks won three of four against Philadelphia and two of three against the Heat. Either way, they should be good with Brunson attacking.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    Knicks chose not to cheat the game and it could pay off: ‘Everything counts’

    Where Knicks fans might not be as comfortable is with coach Tom Thibodeau’s playoff history, especially if he’s drawn into another matchup against Miami’s Erik Spoelstra. But this feels like a different Knicks team, an enjoyable bunch that defends and shares the ball and has absolutely obliterated opponents in the 23 games Anunoby has played since being acquired from Toronto.

    No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Indiana Pacers (starts Sunday)

    Could we have an upset bracket here? The Bucks lost their final regular-season game and as a result got the one matchup they probably didn’t want, facing an Indiana team that beat them four of five times in the regular season, including at the in-season tournament semifinals in Las Vegas.

    All five meetings were before Jan. 3, but the Bucks only went 17-19 in their final 36 games and will enter this series with health questions after Giannis Antetokounmpo missed their final three games with a calf strain. Khris Middleton is seemingly permanently questionable, and several Bucks veterans have tailed off dramatically over the past two to three seasons. The comparative recent playoff histories of coaches Rick Carlisle and Doc Rivers also wouldn’t seem to favor the Bucks.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    Bucks’ familiar faults emerge in season finale, and now the Pacers await

    If Indiana is going to pull this off, it needs the early-season version of Tyrese Haliburton and not the one who labored through much of February and March with the after-effects of a hamstring injury. Trade deadline pickup Pascal Siakam didn’t play in any of the five games against Milwaukee, but he raises Indiana’s ceiling and gives it another potential Giannis defender.

    Now, can the Pacers’ 24th-ranked defense get any stops? Facing a Damian Lillard pick-and-roll with Antetokounmpo screening isn’t for the faint of heart.

    No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Orlando Magic (starts Saturday)

    Cleveland’s odd adventure on Sunday saw the Cavs seem to intentionally punt away a very winnable game at home against lowly Charlotte, all to avoid the potential for drawing Embiid in the first round (Cleveland would have been the second seed if New York’s overtime game against Chicago had gone to the Bulls.)

    The Cavs could have been seeded third, drawn Indiana in the first round and landed on the opposite side of the bracket from mighty Boston. Instead, they’ll face the Magic and, should they advance, Boston.

    Cleveland split the season series with the Magic (as it did with the Sixers and Pacers), so it’s not as if the Cavs had some special advantage over Orlando other than playoff experience. While it’s true the young Magic squad hasn’t been here before (only four players have ever played in the postseason, and only two – Joe Ingles and Gary Harris – have won a series), Orlando was awesome with defensive hydra Jonathan Isaac on the floor, outscoring opponents by 10.8 points per 100 possessions and allowing just 102.1 points per 100 possessions. He won’t start, but he’ll be a huge factor against the Cavs’ huge frontcourt.

    Cleveland also has to answer its own health questions after late-season knee troubles slowed down Donovan Mitchell. The Cavs played their best basketball during Evan Mobley’s injury absence, spacing the floor with more 3-point shooters and bombing away, but guys such as Sam Merrill and Dean Wade who made those units go might not see much run in these playoffs. Don’t sleep on this one: Points will likely be scarce, and it could become a ’90s-style rock fight.

    Western Conference First Round

    No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Lakers/New Orleans/Sacramento/Golden State (starts Sunday)

    Does playoff experience matter? We’re about to find out for the top-seeded Thunder, who rode an MVP-caliber season from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and breakout campaigns from rookie Chet Holmgren and sophomore Jalen Williams to the top seed in the West. Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort played one postseason round as wingmen for Chris Paul in the 2020 bubble, but otherwise Gordon Hayward is the only key Thunder player who has tasted the playoffs in any way.

    That would contrast rather sharply if they draw, say, James or Curry as a first-round opponent. As good as the Thunder were this year, this bracket presents some potentially problematic opponents. The Lakers beat them three times, Sacramento beat them twice, and two of their wins over Golden State went to overtime.

    Thunder fans will root for the Lakers to either win on Tuesday or lose on Friday, based on the season series and the presence of James and Davis as a first-round foe. Regardless, this 1-8 series seems likely to test them.

    No. 2 Denver Nuggets vs. Lakers/New Orleans (starts Saturday)

    Could we get a rematch of the Western Conference finals? Denver swept the Lakers en route to the 2022 championship and won all three meetings against them this year. Los Angeles has lost eight in a row to the Nuggets, who seemingly delight in tormenting the Lakers with Jamal Murray–Nikola Jokić pick-and-rolls, and have the size and defensive answers to handle the James-Davis combo defensively.

    So if it is ratings you seek, then Denver-L.A. it is, at least for five games or so. But if instead of “who’s your daddy?” chants you prefer a long, compelling series, might I guide you toward a possible Nuggets-Pelicans pairing? The two teams split their regular-season series, and the Pelicans’ superior depth has the potential to smash Denver’s iffy second unit during stretches when subs are on the floor. Nobody feels good about trying to knock off Jokić, who will likely win his third MVP award in four seasons, but the Pels might feel better about their chances than most.

    No. 3 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 6 Phoenix Suns (starts Saturday)

    This is a rematch of Sunday’s game where the Suns moved up to sixth, and moved Minnesota down to third, by thrashing the Wolves in Minnesota behind a 44-point first-quarter eruption. It was one of the few times this year it felt easy to believe in the Suns’ vision of three high-scoring shooters – Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal – with role players and defenders surrounding them.

    Just as in every other sport, Minnesota’s basketball playoff history is littered with disappointment … to the extent that the Wolves have participated at all. They haven’t won a playoff series since 2004 and have only made the postseason three times since.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    ‘It’s the Minnesota way’: After dream season, Timberwolves draw nightmare matchup vs. Suns

    This year that all seemed set to change, with Rudy Gobert a likely Defensive Player of the Year winner and Anthony Edwards an electrifying star. However, a dream season has been marred of late by an ownership squabble and a knee injury to Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns came back on Friday after an 18-game absence due to a torn meniscus but was still shaking off the rust against Phoenix, finishing with 10 points and five turnovers in 29 wobbly minutes.

    This is also a horrible matchup for the Wolves, who went 56-23 against the rest of the league but lost all three meetings against the Suns by double figures. Can they figure out how to hide Towns on defense against the likes of Durant, and mash the smaller, lighter Suns on offense?

    No. 4 L.A. Clippers vs. No. 5 Dallas Mavericks (starts Sunday)

    If you watch one first-round series, make it this one. This pairing is a rematch of the best series of the 2021 playoffs, a seven-gamer that saw several momentum shifts and tactical innovations, and among the best of the 2020 bubble.

    The superstar pairing of Luka Dončić and Kawhi Leonard is instant must-see TV, and the secondary stars (Kyrie Irving, Paul George, James Harden) are equally compelling. Leonard is a two-time champion, but otherwise the key players on both teams are still battling playoff demons of varying sizes. Finally, the winner has solid odds as a sleeper to come out of the West bracket.

    The Clippers won two of the three meetings, but all of them were played before Christmas. Since then Dallas acquired P.J. Washington and, more notably, Daniel Gafford, who has been a monstrous pick-and-roll partner feasting off lobs from Doncic. Dallas went 24-7 from mid-February until resting its key players the final weekend.

    The Clips, meanwhile, integrated Harden after a choppy start, morphed Russell Westbrook into a sixth man supreme and were good enough to go 32-9 over a full half-season stretch this year.

    As ever, the state of the Clippers depends heavily on whether Kawhi Leonard will actually play in the games. He had enjoyed one of his healthiest seasons, playing 68 games, until missing the final seven with knee soreness.

    This, of course, harkens back to last season when Leonard amazed in Game 1, scoring 38 in a Clippers’ road win, before missing the last three games with a knee issue as the Clips meekly exited in five. Even if Leonard comes back, can he make it through an entire series this time?

    You can buy tickets to every NBA game here.

    (Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photos: Getty; Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe, Logan Riely/NBAE, AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

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    The New York Times

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  • Philadelphia 76ers to host Miami Heat in NBA Play-In Tournament

    Philadelphia 76ers to host Miami Heat in NBA Play-In Tournament

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    PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — The Philadelphia 76ers will host the Miami Heat in the NBA Play-In Tournament.

    The game will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in South Philadelphia.

    The Sixers won their eighth straight game Sunday to fall just shy of earning the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference.

    The 76ers expect to have Embiid, the two-time NBA scoring champion, in the lineup for the postseason.

    Even with seeding that could have reached as high as fifth in the Eastern Conference at stake, the Sixers rested Embiid as a precaution vs. the Brooklyn Nets, the team said. Embiid tweaked his surgically repaired left knee in a game on Friday, the latest injury setback in a career riddled with them.

    A year after he was named NBA MVP, Embiid finished the season averaging 34.7 points and 11 rebounds in just 39 games. Embiid had the statistical oddity of scoring more points than minutes played, finishing with 1,353 points in 1,309 minutes.

    The 76ers clearly need a healthy — or, healthy enough — Embiid in the postseason to give them any shot at winning a round or more in the East. The Sixers finished 31-8 with Embiid this season; 16-27 without him.

    The Heat-76ers winner earns the No. 7 seed and will face the No. 2 seed New York Knicks in Round 1 of the playoffs.

    The loser will host either Atlanta or Chicago on Friday to determine the No. 8 seed.

    Copyright © 2024 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.

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    6abc Digital Staff

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  • NBA Pre-Postseason Player Tiers 1 and 2: Wembanyama quickly rising; Giannis, Jokić steady at top

    NBA Pre-Postseason Player Tiers 1 and 2: Wembanyama quickly rising; Giannis, Jokić steady at top

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    Yesterday, I largely focused on setting the table for the updated NBA Pre-Postseason Players Tiers before revealing Tier 3 (players between the 24th and 42nd spot) and Tier 4 (Nos. 43-80).

    Today, I’m going to get a little more into some of the more interesting and/or challenging placements, as well as note a few overall trends.

    For starters, a consistent bit of feedback — and one I’ve gotten from multiple sources since the release of Tiers 3 and 4 — is the always difficult evaluation of which player is more valuable between an elite role player and a good-but-not-great primary or secondary creator. A senior analytics staffer within the league went so far as to argue they would prefer essentially the entirety of Tier 4A, largely made up of elite role players or connectors, over Tier 3B, which is made up of borderline All-Star primaries.

    I don’t think there is a reliable way to solve this debate and on some level, deciding between, say, Mikal Bridges on one hand and Jaylen Brown on the other is more a function of the rest of the respective rosters than the individual players. In that particular comparison, I think it’s entirely possible, if not likely, that both the Celtics and Nets would be better if the two were exchanged!

    NBA Player Tiers: ’20 | ’21 | ’22 | ‘23: T5| T4| T3 | T2 | T1 | ’24: T3&4

    In some ways, this is really an extension of the long-simmering question of how to rate the sub-elite, yet still very good, level of on-ball players. At least to my way of thinking, there is nothing more valuable in the league than elite shot creation and nothing more overrated than mediocre shot creation, but finding the importance and desirability of players in between is just hard.

    It’s also, in some form, the reason to do this exercise in the first place, as identifying that there is a fairly wide gap between Brown and Jayson Tatum and that the difference between Luka Dončić and Donovan Mitchell is substantial is a vital part of roster evaluation. Avoiding the cheapening of the term “franchise player,” in other words.

    Another set of teammates who illustrate this dichotomy is Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. I didn’t think Banchero was an especially worthy All-Star this year. Through games of April 10, there are only eight players who have scored at least 100 fewer points than they would have a similar number of scoring attempts at league average efficiency according to Basketball Reference, with Banchero being seventh on that list. However, on some level, this is a result of Orlando’s lack of other creators. On my Simple Shot Quality model, his 50.2 percent expected eFG% is 24th lowest among the 162 players with at least 500 tracked shots attempted this season.

    But to swing back around, the players with the 21st, 22nd and 23rd hardest shot diets are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards and Tatum, all of whom have significantly outperformed their shot expectancies by 209 (SGA, third of 162), 73 (Edwards, 45th) and 151 (Tatum, 13th) points scored, while Banchero has shot essentially at the level of his shot quality (-3 points, 124th of 162). Should he get credit for helping keep Orlando’s offense afloat at all by at least being able to soak up possessions? How would he perform with more creative guard play around him? I’m not entirely sure, which is why Banchero is a hard player to rate.

    Meanwhile, Wagner does not have the same self-creation ability as Banchero, but he is superior in most other areas — more efficient scoring, better and more versatile defense, off ball play — in a way which would make him a very plug-and-play addition to any team that already had their primary creative roles filled.

    Moving on, there are a few notable players who might have been much higher had I done a tiers update around midseason. Tyrese Haliburton is one. He’s been great this year, a worthy All-Star and the driving force behind Indiana’s powerful offense. But the second half of the year hasn’t measured up to the first, whether as result of nagging injuries slowing him down or defenses starting to figure him out or most likely a combination of both. This, combined with my uncertainty over how well his style translates to the playoffs has him down in Tier 3 when for much of the season I had him penciled into the bottom end of Tier 2.

    Damian Lillard is another player who has dropped down a tier over the course of the season. Early in the year, it was easy to give somewhat of a pass based on both the adjustment to a new team and role as well as the coaching turmoil which beset the Bucks for the first stage of the season. But even though he has shown some of the old dominance in fits and starts, such as the 29 points (on 19 shot attempts) and nine assists he tallied on Wednesday to drive the Bucks past the Magic despite Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence, those performances have been the exception rather than the rule. Over his final four seasons in Portland, Lillard combined for 62.1 True Shooting on 31.4 Usage. In Milwaukee, his efficiency has dipped to 59.3 TS on 28.4 Usage, his least efficient full season relative to league average since his rookie year. For a player who has always been a huge question mark defensively, it’s a worrisome decline at age 33.

    Of course, he could shoot the hell out of the ball in the playoffs and help drag the Bucks to the Eastern Conference finals or even NBA Finals and prove he still belongs in the Top 20 discussion.

    Speaking of playoffs, I mentioned yesterday that there were a few players who couldn’t readily improve their tiering until the playoffs, with Tatum, Dončić and Joel Embiid as the prime examples. All three have great opportunities entering the postseason this year, with Dončić in particular seeming well-poised to go on a run; the midseason addition of Daniel Gafford and the Mavericks’ new ability to always be able to match Dončić’s creative mastery with a strong dive-and-dunk pick-and-roll partner surrounded with shooting appears to have unlocked something special.

    Meanwhile, there are a few players for whom I have already more or less assumed playoff greatness based on past experience. Jimmy Butler and Jamal Murray haven’t exactly had banner regular seasons, but both have track records of playoff dominance.

    Bouncing around a little bit, I’m not sure what to do with Ja Morant and so I am essentially treating this as a gap year while acknowledging he has secured himself extra scrutiny next year.

    Finally, let’s talk about the large Frenchman in the room. Victor Wembanyama in Tier 2B, among the Top 14 players in the league. I don’t think he has been All-NBA-level over the entire season, but he has been plenty good as a rookie and has shown development over the course of the year to suggest to me that he will start next season with a strong chance at all-league honors.

    This growth is especially evident if you compare before and after either his move to starting at center instead of power forward in early December or the insertion of Tre Jones as a starter in early January to pair Wembanyama with a competent point guard.

    On the former, he has been a top-five rim protector in the league since then, with a profile similar to that of Brook Lopez over that period. Meanwhile, prior to Jones joining the starters, Wembanyama only managed 53.3 True Shooting Percentage (on 29.9 usage), but since, that mark has jumped to 58.5 TS% on 33.7 Usage while he has raised his assist rate by nearly 50 percent. And all this with his 3-point shooting still very much a work in progress.

    Of course, the numbers don’t even tell close to the full Wemby story as demonstrated by the near nightly parade of “Wait, he did what?!” highlights. While he won’t get a chance to prove himself in this year’s playoffs, it seems almost inevitable that, if he can avoid injury, he’ll be knocking on the door of Tier 1 soon as he has delivered on everything he was hyped to be, and more.

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    (Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Photos: Michael Gonzales, Garrett Ellwood, Adam Pantozzi / NBAE via Getty)

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    The New York Times

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  • Philadelphia Sixers color announcer Alaa Abdelnaby shares his inspiring story

    Philadelphia Sixers color announcer Alaa Abdelnaby shares his inspiring story

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    He’s one of the voices synonymous with the Philadephia 76ers. He’s the outgoing and fun-loving color analyst for the team, Alaa Abdelnaby.

    Abdelnaby sits courtside for every game as he describes the action for all who are watching on NBC Sports Philadelphia.

    He is Arab and Muslim in an industry where almost no one has his same background.

    “When I was young, I used to tell people my name was Al, cause I just wanted to fit in. And Alaa in 73 and 74 was just a little too different for the youngsters. Now the world has changed,” he told NBC10.

    His story is like many other immigrants who come to the United States looking for a better life. Abdelnaby came to the country from Alexandria, Egypt.

    He told NBC10 that he used sports for acceptance, desperately wanting to fit in with others in his school and community.

    Sports is also how he first fell in love with the microphone.

    “After my baseball, little league baseball games were over, I’d run up to the booth and announce the games. Yeah, and now I remember how ridiculous that is because why would you let a fifth grader in front of the mic?” he joked.

    Even though his love for sports continued to grow, his mom and dad had other visions for his future. They saw him as a doctor, but as he stretched out in height to stand tall at 6 feet, Abdelnaby says they slowly allowed him to follow his dreams.

    “Growing up, they didn’t come to games. They had two other kids to raise. I don’t think they even wanted to encourage me. If I came then I’m approving of this. So you go to do your thing. And at times, I wanted them there ’cause other parents were there,” he explained.

    On the court, he excelled and eventually earned a scholarship to Duke University. Eventually, he was drafted in the first round by the Portland Trailblazers in 1990. But still, no matter where he went, he still felt that sense of wanting to belong.

    “I think it’s been my underlying desire all my life to fit in. I’m fortunate basketball has been a vehicle that has attracted, for the most part, people to me positively,” Abdelnaby said.

    He has now found a home and enjoys the responsibility of being one of the few Arab and Muslim voices in the game of basketball.

    As they say, success is a beautiful thing, and it’s safe to say that his mom and dad agree.

    “They don’t miss a game to this day. When at the beginning, I couldn’t get them to one. But they embraced it wholeheartedly,” he said.

    Abdelnaby is changing minds and perceptions while having no trouble fitting in anymore.

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    Emily Rose Grassi and Aaron Baskerville

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  • The Embiid Effect – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    The Embiid Effect – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    Everybody knows the Sixers’ hype died down after Embiid suffered a meniscus injury.
    Everyone also had a lot of doubts about when he would return: Would he be healthy? In shape? Will he get injured again? etc.’

    While we can’t overlook some of those doubts, he has already proven he can still be at the top of his game even after missing an extended period of time.

    The team already looks brand new after just a few games back.

    Biggest Beneficiaries

    First off, the whole team obviously has a confidence boost after seeing Embiid take the floor and return to his dominant form.

    There’s no question that any team would have their spirits lifted tremendously when the reigning MVP returns to action, but certain players will improve more than others upon his return.

    Tyrese Maxey

    Maxey reaps the greatest rewards out of anybody else on the team. Although they’ve played just two games back together again, you can’t help but see the freedom that Embiid gives Maxey. It’s no secret that speed is Maxey’s greatest weapon, and when teams can constantly double-team him, it is hard for him to get moving – especially for a player his size.

    With Embiid back, the defensive focus instantly shifts. Teams can no longer afford to double-team Maxey because they are busily double-teaming (sometimes triple-teaming) Embiid. Now, Maxey can scream through the lane for easy buckets or use his lethal step-back move to hit 3s, demoralizing other teams.

    Maxey is easily Embiid’s best number two in his whole career. They complement each other so well.

    Kelly Oubre Jr.

    In his last four games, Oubre Jr. has averaged 21.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3 assists, all significantly more than his season averages. When Embiid gets doubled, Oubre Jr. does well, placing himself in the dunker’s spot, where Embiid can quickly fire a pass over to him for an easy dunk.

    Other than Ben Simmons (who would pass on that shot), the Sixers haven’t had a player who could get quick elevation for intimidating dunks like Oubre Jr. in a long time. He has a way of switching the momentum and sparking runs with his explosive play.

    The Fans

    Whether it’s on the radio, TV, or talking with friends/family, nobody has cared about the Sixers recently. The home games have been subdued, and nobody wants to discuss them. Now, the juice is back. Embiid is the Luke Skywalker to the Sixers: our only hope. With him back, all balance can be restored to the process, and the Sixers could possibly win their first title in over 40 years.

    Playoff Picture

    With just three games left on the schedule, the Sixers find themselves one game behind the Pacers for the 6-seed and .5 games ahead of the Heat, holding down the 7-seed. The Sixers do not hold any of the tie-breakers with either team, so they need to finish a full game ahead of each team to lock in their spot.

    The two most likely opponents in the first round (after the play-in because that doesn’t count as a round in my book) are the Bucks or the Magic. Either one of those teams can end up as the second seed, and there is no reason the Sixers should lose the play-in game, putting them in the 2 vs. 7 seed game.

    Neither of those teams should scare anybody. The Bucks were 30-13 when they fired Adrian Griffin and then hired the incompetent coach, Glenn Rivers, to take his place. He has gone 15-17 in his tenure as Bucks Head coach. I really hope we get to play the Bucks.

    The Magic are a good team, but they are led by a second-year star, Paolo Banchero. Young teams typically struggle in the playoffs—especially against good, experienced teams like the Sixers. For the record, the Sixers went 2-0 against the Magic this year.

    The Sixers are a nightmare matchup for any of the higher-seeded teams.

    The Play-in

    A lot of people want to avoid the play-in, but why? If this Sixers team is good enough to make a run, then nobody should worry about any of the 8-10-seeded teams, and if they can’t handle a game against those teams, they have no business in the playoffs. It could give them some needed momentum and added time to gain chemistry before playing the better teams.

    Legacy Building

    Embiid could retire today and enter the NBA Hall of Fame, but that’s not what he wants. Right now, he’s an all-time Sixers great, but he could become one of the top five Philly athletes ever with a championship under his belt.

    Nobody would be angry with him about his injuries anymore.

    He is finally 100% healthy coming into the playoffs, and he’s rested. He needs to put it all together to make a run.
    The pieces are set around him to succeed this year—a good combination of veteran and young players, as well as a coach with championship experience.
    Let’s see what you can do, big man.

    Photo: Matt Slocum

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    Collin Benjamin

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  • New scene at NBA games: Fans screaming at players about their losing bets

    New scene at NBA games: Fans screaming at players about their losing bets

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    NBA players have always gotten an earful from fans, whether at home or on the road. It comes with the job.

    But this season, it’s getting darker.

    The recent surge in legalized gambling in every pro league, and throughout college athletics, has impacted American sports in ways thought unimaginable just a few years ago. But along with the potential good that hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenues bring to the NBA and other leagues, something new and ominous has arrived: verbal abuse directed at players and coaches based solely on fans’ wagers.

    GO DEEPER

    Trotter: With legalized betting, could society be the big loser?

    Fans can now bet in real-time on their smartphones, on all aspects of the game, including minutiae such as how many rebounds one player might get in the first half, and how many points will be scored by a team in the fourth quarter. And if their bets don’t deliver, they’re taking it out on the players.

    “It’s getting outrageous,” LA Clippers forward P.J. Tucker said recently. “It’s getting kind of crazy. Even in the arenas, hearing fans yelling at guys about their bets. It’s unreal. It’s a problem. I think it’s something that’s got to be addressed.”

    Teams have yet to make drastic changes to their security details, and the NBA has not recommended increased security near the court. But at least one team has added an extra security guard to its bench this season, in response to increased gambling-infused belligerence. Another team has beefed up its cybersecurity staff to detect especially odious vitriol sent by fans to its players online.

    “It’s all over the place,” said Ochai Agbaji, a guard for the Toronto Raptors. “It’s the wild, wild west right now.”

    For decades, other than one-off events like the Super Bowl and March Madness office pools, gambling was the third rail of sports. College basketball was rocked by numerous point-shaving scandals. Professional leagues forcefully distanced themselves from betting, even refusing to play games in Las Vegas, where it was legal and popular. Then the Supreme Court opened the door to legalized sports wagering in 2018, and a sea change ensued.

    Fans rushed into the nascent market, and the pro leagues quickly pivoted. If fans were opening their now-virtual wallets to spend money on games, the leagues wanted a piece of the action.

    Teams now have partnerships with casinos and build their arenas next to them. Announcers, long allergic to any references to betting, now commonly cite wagering information during broadcasts. The NBA recently announced that it would allow fans watching games on its streaming app to track betting odds and click through to make bets with the league’s betting partners, FanDuel and DraftKings.

    (The Athletic has a partnership with BetMGM.)

    But an unintended consequence of this new relationship comes out of the mouths of increasingly irked fans.

    “You see people on Twitter, you know, fans going back and forth with players on Twitter about how you lost their money,” Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum said. “I guess it’s kind of funny. I don’t know. I guess I do feel bad when I don’t hit people’s parlays. I don’t want to them lose money. But, you know, I just go out there and try to play the game.”

    Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said last month that a gambler somehow accessed Bickerstaff’s cell phone number and left him threatening texts and voice messages, intimating he knew where Bickerstaff and his family lived.

    “It is a dangerous game and a fine line that we’re walking for sure,” Bickerstaff said.

    Toronto Raptors forward Jordan Nwora said that comments about betting from fans are “all the time, nonstop.”

    “You get messages,” Nwora said. “You hear it on the sideline. You see guys talking about it all the time.

    “It comes with being in the NBA. People bet on silly things on a daily basis. So I mean, it’s part of being in the NBA, it’s what comes with it. I get it. People don’t complain when you have a good game. I don’t get messages with people saying, ‘Thank you for helping me.’ ”

    A league spokesman said that incidents of fan comments toward players and team staff about gambling were not more prevalent than other fan misbehavior at this point, but it is something the league continues to monitor.

    The root of much of the fury is what’s known as a prop bet, formerly a quirky corner of the underground betting universe that has quickly caught on with fans. Prop bets are wagers on parts of a game that might not have anything to do with the outcome. How long will it take for the national anthem to be sung? How many turnovers will a certain player have in the first half? How many total rebounds will there be?

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    NBA League Pass to offer option to place wagers in app

    Prop bets have been the subject of two recent incidents that raised questions about whether basketball players were under the sway of gamblers. A watchdog spotted irregular betting patterns on prop bets in some Temple University men’s basketball games this season. The NBA told ESPN last week that it was investigating Raptors forward Jontay Porter after betting irregularities were flagged on prop bets involving his performances in two games.

    NBA players have noticed the shift in fans’ interests.

    “To half the world, I’m just helping them make money on DraftKings or whatever,” Tyrese Haliburton, an All-Star guard for the Indiana Pacers, said last month.

    “I’m a prop,” he added. “You know what I mean? That’s what my social media mostly consists of.”

    Haliburton elaborated on his comments in a recent interview with The Athletic. He said verbal abuse at games was much worse than when he came into the league four years ago.

    “Bettors have this thing called the ‘banned’ list, and that’s when you don’t hit their bet,” Haliburton said. “So they’re like, ‘You’re on my banned list. I’m not going to continue to bet on you.’ And I think that’s literally all my mentions have been for the last six weeks,” he said, referring to social media.

    Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony also mentioned the banned list in noting the increased attention and pressure created by parlay betting, when multiple bets are combined into one wager.

    “There were a few where I was just like, ‘This is sickening,’ ” Anthony said. “Not sickening, but it’s funny, in a way, to see this stuff and see how serious a lot of people take this.”

    The NBA is especially vulnerable to this new fan dynamic. Its players are not hidden behind pads and helmets, and they perform close to fans, some of whom have conversations with coaches and players during games.

    Team security does not confront abusive fans — that falls to arena security. Behavior considered  “verbal abuse, or being disruptive,” including talk about gambling if it’s particularly nasty, can lead to ejections. Normally, fans are given a verbal warning by arena security that they are violating the NBA Fan Code of Conduct, which is promoted at games. A fan who does not stop the disruptive behavior may then be given a warning card — a written warning that further inappropriate behavior will lead to ejection. A third incident will cause the fan to be removed — though fans can be ejected if they are particularly nasty toward players or staff just once.

    The league monitors social media activity through its Global Security Operations Center, with an eight-to-10-person staff. The NBA also shares intel with other sports leagues. Certain players, coaches and referees tend to attract more attention on social platforms than others. League security meets with teams twice a season to remind them about gambling protocols.

    Bickerstaff, the Cavaliers coach, said he informed team security about the fan who was threatening him. Security tracked down the person who left the messages and texts, but Bickerstaff and the team declined to pursue a legal case.

    Tatum says the discourse “definitely has changed” from his first few seasons in the league.

    “I guess when you hit people’s parlays and do good for them, they tell me,” he said. “But then they also talk s–t. Like I’m on the court and I didn’t get 29.5 or whatever I was supposed to do.”

    — Sam Amick, Eric Koreen, Josh Robbins, James Boyd, Jared Weiss and Jason Lloyd contributed reporting.

    (Photo of Tyrese Haliburton: Ron Hoskins / NBAE via Getty Images)

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    The New York Times

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  • Kings head coach Mike Brown honors Domantas Sabonis’ milestone after 108-96 win over 76ers

    Kings head coach Mike Brown honors Domantas Sabonis’ milestone after 108-96 win over 76ers

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    SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) – Kings head coach Mike Brown shares his observations of Monday’s 108-96 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, the milestone from Domantas Sabonis who made history with his 54th consecutive double-double, which is the most since the NBA/ABA merger in 1976-77, as well as the impact from Davion Mitchell, who helped lead another impressive defensive effort from Sacramento.

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    Sean Cunningham

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  • Sabonis breaks NBA record for most consecutive games with a double-double

    Sabonis breaks NBA record for most consecutive games with a double-double

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    (FOX40.COM) — Domantas Sabonis was not selected for the 2024 NBA All-Star team, but that most likely won’t be what the All-NBA forward will remember about this NBA season.

    On Monday at home against the Philadelphia 76ers, Sabonis broke the NBA record for most consecutive games with a double-double, a record previously established by Kevin Love during the 2010-2011 NBA season.
    Video Above: Domantas Sabonis on the Kings’ 121-111 OT win over Grizzlies

    Sabonis’ record-breaking 54th straight double-double came at the Golden 1 Center on Monday in front of the Kings fans who have embraced the stat machine since Sacramento acquired him in a trade involving former Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton.

    Sabonis broke the record when he recorded his 11th point and 10th rebound in the third quarter with around five minutes remaining.

    Double-doubles aren’t the only thing Sabonis is good for, however. The big man also leads the NBA in triple-doubles this year with 24.

    “For me to be able to do this, I always give credit to my teammates,” Sabonis said during an interview with NBA TV following a 123-97 road win over the Toronto Raptors. “They make life easy for me, and I just say thank you to them.”

    In that game, Sabonis recorded his 24th triple-double, posting an absurd stat line of 13 points (4/7 from the field), 17 rebounds, and 10 assists.

    The Sacramento Kings are currently 6th in the NBA’s Western Conference, which if the season ended today would be good enough to avoid a play-in game. The team currently trails the Zion Williamson-led New Orleans Pelicans by two-and-a-half games for the 5th seed.

    If the season ended today, the Kings would have a playoff date with the No. 3 seed, the Minnesota Timberwolves led by All-Star guard Anthony Edwards and former Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.

    The Kings currently lead the 76ers 75-58. Sabonis is also one assist away from recording his 25th triple-double.

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    Aydian Ahmad

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  • Maxey Propels Sixers to 6-Seed – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    Maxey Propels Sixers to 6-Seed – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    After a few disappointing games, the Sixers rebounded against a bad Charlotte team which catapulted them to a victory over the Miami Heat. This game had huge playoff implications, with the Heat now at the 8 seed – one game behind the Sixers.

    Maxey’s Big Games

    After a sad performance against the Knicks, Maxey came back strong with 30 points in each of the last 3 games, with last night’s game against the Heat as his best. He tallied 10 assists to give him a double-double, while approaching a triple double with 8 rebounds. Maxey continues to grow and succeed while Embiid isn’t playing.

    Against the Bucks on Thursday, when the rest of the team failed to compete, Maxey kept the Sixers within reach up until the final minutes of the game. Nobody would have thought the Sixers could contend with the Bucks without Embiid, but Maxey is becoming such a special player that could possibly take the leap to superstar status within the next few years.

    After the Bucks, other Sixers players stepped up and brought energy to the Sixers so Maxey’s efforts would not be in vain.

    How can the Sixers win?

    Defense.

    The Sixers can’t replace 35 ppg with Embiid missing time, so they can only win if they keep the other team from scoring a lot. This team is not built to win shootouts without their best player, scoring approximately 13 points less per game without their big man.

    When holding their opponent to less than 100 points, the Sixers are undefeated this season. Players like Oubre, Batum, Lowry, Bamba, and Reed won’t light up the scoreboard much, but they have the tools to play some stifling defense.

    Batum’s Impact

    Nico Batum never has a flashy stat line, but when watching him, you can’t help but notice the impact he makes on the team. He’s never flustered and doesn’t make stupid plays. He knows where to be and how to deliver the ball cleanly to open teammates. He’s also long, which help him disrupt the opposing offense even if he’s not getting a steal or block.

    Just yesterday, against the Heat, Batum had a great block in the final minutes of the first half which led to a long outlet pass for a Kyle Lowry and-1. This gave the Sixers some good momentum going into the half.

    He only finished with 2 points, but his veteran impact is extremely invaluable to this young squad.

    Looking Forward

    The main goal is to stay out of the play-in tournament. Without Embiid, this team is obviously not playoff-caliber, but they need to remain competitive to make sure they don’t have extra games before the real playoffs begin, and they will give themselves an easier matchup against the Cavs or the Knicks.

    The rest of the schedule is not the easiest, with only five of the remaining 14 games at home. Their strength of schedule is right in the middle of the pack, but they always struggle on long road trips, especially on the west coast.

    Hopefully Embiid can come back soon and get in shape before the playoffs start. If he plays, there is still hope to do some damage and become the first 5, 7, or 8 seed to win the finals.

     

     

    Picture from NBA.com

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    Collin Benjamin

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  • This is Still the Same Tobias – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    This is Still the Same Tobias – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    Let’s all just take a chill pill on Tobias Harris. I get it. He scored a lot of points the last two games and was a significant factor in the Sixers getting two good wins. He played great. The only problem is, he has done this his whole time with the Sixers and his whole career before that.

    Last 10 Games

    Minus these last two games, Harris has scored over 20 points just one time. He averaged just 13 points per game in that 8-game stretch before games against the Hornets and the Mavs. Then, when you put those two games into the averages, voila, that average shoots up to over 16 ppg. 16 ppg is great, but the inconsistency kills.

    Career Numbers

    Over his career, he has averaged 16.3 ppg on around 47% shooting and a respectable 36.9% from 3. If that doesn’t tell you all you need to know, then I’m not sure what will. Those are essentially the exact number that he has put up over the last 10 games. Decent averages does not mean a good player. He has made a living from sub-par play boosted by the occasional 2-5 game stretch of good basketball that inflates his numbers to make him seem like a much better player than he is.

    This season, he averages 17.6 points per game, 50% field goal, and 35.6% from 3. These are the same numbers! He is who he is and there’s no changing that.

    Common Misconceptions

    There’s a state going around that says the Sixers are 98-47 when Harris scored 20 or more points. OK? I bet most teams win more than they lose when more players score more points. That’s just common sense. The problem with that stat is: he’s played 362 games. He has scored 20 or more points in just 145/362 games. Broken down, that equals approximately 2 out of every 5 games. That’s not good enough for a near-max contract player.

    Also, some people say “Tobias Harris can’t score like he used to anymore. He’s getting old.”

    No he’s not.

    Just look at his career numbers. They are the same this year as they have been every year. It’s not that he isn’t the player he was with us just a couple years ago. It’s that he isn’t sharing the court with the most dominant scorer the NBA has had in years (that’s Joel Embiid if you didn’t know).

    How Much More of This?

    Luckily, this is the last year of Tobias’ contract. It’s safe to say we only have to watch this consistently inconsistent basketball for just a few more months.

    The only way two ways Tobias stays:

    • They win the NBA finals
    • He comes back on a very team friendly deal (I mean he owes us right?)

    Those are the only two conditions that could warrant this man returning to Philadelphia next season. Daryl Morey will make a huge mistake resigning him. Even if he does sign a team friendly deal, I don’t think many people will be happy with it. He will have to take a reduced role, which could be awkward, and he’d be making less money. He would be better suited playing for a bad team where he can be his inconsistent self.

     

     

    Picture from Getty Images

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    Collin Benjamin

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