Even though preseason does not matter in the grand scheme of things, it is always good to get on the floor and get some live game action in to prepare for the long season.
For the new star duo for the Philadelphia 76ers, they were able to make their preseason debuts on Thursday in a 125-113 win over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday.
Embiid played 20 minutes and he finished with 10 points and six rebounds while also committing three turnovers. The big fella was facing constant double teams all night long and he had to react quicker than usual to a lot of them for a preseason game.
“I felt good,” said Embiid. “The first game, I felt pretty good. Playing against Toronto is always a challenge for me. Not necessarily a challenge, but these are the types of games where I’m really focused on passing the ball and inviting double teams, and kicking it out. This is not the type of team I’m going to go out and score 50 because they are going to double and triple-team on every single possession.”
Harris, on the other hand, got off to a slow start, but he did end up finishing with 14 points with four rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes out on the floor. He shot 5-for-9 from the floor and he knocked down a triple on two attempts.
“I felt good,” he said. “Just getting back out there with the guys. Obviously, in training camp we’re going against each other day in and day out. We played them a few days ago so we made a lot of adjustments just from that game, especially on the defensive end of how we wanted to play and our style of basketball.”
Harris did get off to a tough start as he seemed that he was amped a bit and he needed to calm down a little and play within himself like he usually does. That is why coach Doc Rivers left him out there for a few extra minutes more than Embiid.
“Tobias needed the extra minutes,” he explained. “You can see that he was kind of trying to find his way and then late in the game, I thought he finally started catching his rhythm. That’s why I kept him out there a little longer. Joel looked like Joel Embiid. Exactly, like him.”
Embiid did also finish with three assists along with his turnovers so he can make a case that he was able to do what he wanted to do on the floor. For a first preseason game, it was a solid outing.
“It was good,” the big fella finished. “My focus coming into tonight was, I told Tyrese (Maxey) I was gonna have zero points and 10 assists. I was trying to get guys and figure out how to be a better passer. A few turnovers here and there, but we can always get better.”
The Sixers do not play again until Monday when they host the Brooklyn Nets.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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