MIAMI — The last time Matisse Thybulle played in a game was in Game 5 against the Toronto Raptors in Round 1 of the playoffs. He was ineligible to play on the road in Canada due to his vaccination status and it appeared to throw off his rhythm a bit.
After two solid games to begin the series, he had a very tough Game 5 back in Philadelphia in that series. He shot 1-for-6 with his only bucket coming off a miss that the Raptors mistakenly tipped in and he also didn’t have the same defensive impact that he normally has.
As Philadelphia prepares for the Miami Heat in Round 2, Thybulle can now play in every game and coach Doc Rivers is not worried about his poor Game 5 performance as they look to move forward with him.
“It’s just life in sports,” said Rivers. “You don’t have a great day every day in your life. You don’t have a great day every day you play basketball. I don’t say anything. That’s why guys practice and it’s just life.”
Thybulle has a chance to make an impact in this series with his defensive ability against a guy like Heat star Jimmy Butler. As Philadelphia moves forward, they will be looking at him to give help on that end.
“With my players, if they have the right intent, that is all I ask for,” Rivers added. “That doesn’t guarantee they’re always gonna play well, but if they have the right intent, then you live with it. That was Matisse. He didn’t play well in that game, but he didn’t come not to play well. He prepared like he should have so I didn’t have any qualms with it.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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