The Philadelphia 76ers brought George Hill in at the trade deadline on March 25 due to his ability to play both ends of the floor and provide a veteran hand. He provided both of those skills in a 109-107 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
Hill had 11 points on 4-for-7 shooting and he made two steady plays late. He called a timeout when Philadelphia was scrambling and the timeout was able to calm the team down and then he made a big defensive stop in order to seal the win.
Hill stayed in front of New Orleans’ Eric Bledsoe and he forced a turnover to win it for Philadelphia. Those are the plays that the team expected of him and he is providing them despite still learning his new team.
“I’m still getting in shape, things like that, trying to find my rhythm, trying to find my role here,” Hill explained. “It’s been a little up and down, but it’s something I’m used to my whole career of just coming in and trying to find a way and figuring it out. It’s taking a little longer than expected, but just keep putting one foot in front of the other.”
Hill’s efforts did not go unnoticed by his teammates. Despite the Sixers blowing a big lead and having to scramble and rally late, he did make two heady plays in order to survive in this one.
“G. Hill made a big play and called that timeout when we had two left, but we never really want to be in that position,” said Ben Simmons. “We want to be up by a lot more and hold that lead. I think it’s good for us, but guys get a little tired at the same time so it’d be nice to be able to keep that lead a little bit longer.”
While Simmons is right, the Sixers were still able to come away with the win and that is all that matters as Hill continues to make an early impact with his new team.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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