Category: 76ers

Sixers vs. Wizards preview: Sixers look to end nasty D.C. losing skid

The Philadelphia 76ers hit the road to face off with the Washington Wizards on Thursday.

The Philadelphia 76ers have been a very good team in recent seasons. They have won 50+ games in back-to-back seasons and they are considered legitimate NBA title contenders. However, they have not been able to figure out a way to win a road game against the Washington Wizards.

The last time the Sixers won at Capital One Arena, it was November 1, 2013, and they were led by Thaddeus Young and Evan Turner. That, of course, was the beginning of the infamous “Process” years and they have not been able to win in D.C. ever since. Thursday offers a new opportunity to end that nasty skid.

With that being said, it’s time for the game preview with the works:

How to watch Sixers vs. Wizards

  • Date: Thursday, December 5
  • Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
  • Location: Capital One Arena Washington D.C.
  • TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia+

Injury Report

  • Sixers: OUT: Josh Richardson(right hamstring tightness), PROBABLE: Shake Milton(right hip discomfort)
  • Wizards: OUT: Thomas Bryant(right foot stress reaction), C.J. Miles(left wrist ligament), John Wall(left Achilles) QUESTIONABLE: Ian Mahinmi((right Achilles strain), Moritz Wagner(left ankle sprain)

Storylines

Sixers prepare for Bradley Beal

Despite John Wall being out for the season, the Wizards have one of the best offenses in the league led by Bradley Beal who is averaging 27.8 points on the season and is coming off a game where he scored 42 points in a loss to the Orlando Magic. He is becoming one of the better scorers in the league and coach Brett Brown has high praise for the Wizards star.

He can fire it, he can drive it, he’s really good at moving without the ball, so he’s got the whole thing,” Brown continued. “He can shoot it as a base and I think it’s out of evolution, you start learning well, ‘people won’t let me shoot it, not I got to learn how to drive it’ and ‘uh oh, now they’re really guarding me close, now I’ve got to set people up and move without the ball and free myself up and expose fouls to refs’ like he’s got the whole thing. For those reasons, he’s a really hard ask to guard.”

Horford helping Korkmaz

Furkan Korkmaz has had a nice breakout season with the Sixers in his third season in the league and it is mostly due to the leadership of Al Horford. Korkmaz has taken leaps and bounds forward on both ends of the floor and he said it is due to the fact that he and Horford are communicating well. The veteran is in his ear helping him correct mistakes.

“After a possession, we’re normally talking to each other,” said Korkmaz. “He’s trying to explain to me what I can do better or what I did good so next possession if I see him, I ask him ‘Hey, what should I do? What am I supposed to do?’ We communicate really well.”

Prediction

This is the type of game where the Sixers could have a letdown. The Wizards are not one of the better teams in the league, despite their powerful offense, and they are the worst defense in the league based on both defensive rating and points given up per game. Beal does a great job of getting his teammates involved and it could hurt the Sixers all night long. However, with Thomas Bryant out, it could lead to a big night from Joel Embiid and Horford. It will be close, but the Sixers should come away with a win in D.C. for the first time in six years.

Pick: Sixers in a close one

Sixers vs. Wizards season series

Game 1 December 5:

Game 2 December 21:

Game 3 March 16:

Game 4 April 3: 

[lawrence-related id=20635,20628,20618]

Brett Brown happy to begin implementing zone defense with Sixers

Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown is happy to implement a zone defense for the Sixers moving forward.

The Philadelphia 76ers are built to be one of the best defensive teams in the league as they plan to chase an NBA title in the 2019-20 season. To be a great defensive team, you have to have the personnel and the will, but you also have to be willing to switch up your defensive schemes.

Coach Brett Brown has implemented a zone defense in recent games to take advantage of how long his team is and to also limit the opposition’s three-point attempts. The zone defense will never be Brown’s go-to defensive scheme, and they most certainly will not use it on Thursday against the Washington Wizards, but it could come in handy down the road now that he has begun to implement it.

“I think that they’re infrequent and I think that they have been good,” Brown said. “I’m glad that we have it in our package. You’re always wondering ‘What are you going to need in the playoffs?’ You recognize quickly that it ain’t for everybody. For instance, I wouldn’t even consider it against Washington, but I’m glad that we implemented it.”

The Sixers have big defensive impact players on their team led by Ben Simmons and Josh Richardson out on the perimeter and Joel Embiid and Al Horford down low. Any scheme that Brown can come up with should be able to be executed well by the team they have constructed.

“We’ve tried it enough, we have a little bit of a sample size, you can actually coach it, and understand rotations,” the coach continued. “They have a little bit better idea like ‘This is my coverage area. Are we bumping here? Are we going to stay?’ and so on. So I think the small dose has been good enough for me to feel two things: glad that we did it and excited to persevere with it.”

The zone defense is not a popular scheme in the NBA as the man-to-man defense is the more popular way to go, but sending a zone defense can really confuse an opponent midgame. It is an adjustment that Brown and the Sixers can have in their back pocket if things aren’t going their way.

The Wizards are one of the best offensive teams in the league as they are fourth in offensive rating at 113.0 and they are third in the league in scoring at 118.9 points per game. On the flip side, Philadelphia fourth in the league in defensive rating at 103.0 so something will have to give on Thursday. [lawrence-related id=20628,20618,20609]

Sixers’ Tobias Harris: ‘I pride myself on doing things to help us win’

Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris is willing to do whatever it takes to win games.

The Philadelphia 76ers are a supremely talented team that has title aspirations for the 2019-20 season. In order to do so, they will need contributions from everybody in order to get it done.

That means working hard in the gym every day, not straying from the path, and doing the little things in games in order to get wins. The little things sometimes mean getting a big stop, setting a screen to get a teammate open, and sometimes it means scoring late in games.

For Tobias Harris, he’s willing to do whatever it takes to win games.

“I pride myself on doing all of the things to help us win games,” Harris said. “If we go out there and we play the way we need to play defensively and offensively to win a game, all of the other stuff doesn’t matter. That’s my biggest focus game after game.”

The Sixers have done a lot of that lately as they have won eight of their past nine and they will head out on the road to face the Washington Wizards on Thursday looking to extend that strong play.

Harris has been a big part of that as he has taken on more of a scoring role for the Sixers. Being the main scoring option late down the stretch for a team that has a chance to win a championship is something that Harris has always wanted.

“It’s always something that I’ve wanted throughout my whole career,” he said. “Coach obviously put the rock in my hands a lot this year, especially in the fourth quarter, and there are things I work on day after day too. To be efficient and down the stretch of the fourth quarter so those are things I can continue to get better at. There are things I can continue to progress on that end.”

Harris and the Sixers tipoff with the Wizards at 7:00 p.m. EST from the Capital One Arena on Thursday. [lawrence-related id=20618,20609,20597]

Brett Brown, Tobias Harris discuss fourth quarter closer ‘mentality’

Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown and Tobias Harris discuss the fourth quarter mentality.

One of the many questions surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers heading into the 2019-20 season was “who would be the team’s closer?” It was a debate that many people have discussed and many people have argued over and the majority of people look at a guy like Tobias Harris who was re-signed to a $180 million max contract over the summer.

Coach Brett Brown has stated in the past that he would like Harris to have a “scorer’s mentality” meaning he wants him to focus on his offensive game and putting the ball in the basket. After putting up bigger numbers in the second halves of games and specifically in the fourth quarter recently, Brown likes what he sees.

“It’s a mentality,” said Brown. “I want him to have a scorer’s mentality. I want him to find the rim. Then from that point on, he’ll figure it out, ‘I got a jump shot. I can drive it.’ I still think he passes up two threes a game. We’ve gone through him, put him in environments, and he’s such an unselfish player that sometimes he makes a pass that he might not need to.”

Harris is growing into that guy slowly. He is averaging 20.6 points while shooting 49.1% from the floor and 35.7% from deep over the last seven games.

“I’m always comfortable when I’m in rhythm,” said Harris. “I take my opportunities when they’re there and I pride myself on being a player that plays in the flow of a game and tries to get the offense created throughout other teammates and things that we’re doing. I’m definitely taking advantage of a lot of things and scenarios out there on the floor and I think it’s a good sign.”

Harris is taking 4.0 threes per game over that same span as mentioned above, but after looking at the film, Harris sees what his coach is talking about and it can help him move forward in that role.

“When I look at the film, I see a couple of them, but I like to evaluate my shots in rhythm,” Harris said. “I definitely understand where he wants me to let them fly, especially from three. I think I look for those shots more for sure.”

Brown has a lot of faith in Harris and wants to continue this recent upswing. He has all of the physical tools to get to grow into that type of player.

“I think he’s a talent and he’s so young and he’s gifted and that’s how I want to try and grow him,” Brown finished with.

The Sixers will hit the road next to take on the Washington Wizards on Thursday. [lawrence-related id=20609,20597,20584]

Al Horford has been big part of Furkan Korkmaz’s emergence for Sixers

Philadelphia 76ers guard Furkan Korkmaz credits Al Horford for his emergence in 2019-20.

The Philadelphia 76ers brought in Al Horford to help the team chase a championship on the court. However, he has also been a big key in helping the younger players as well. After Matisse Thybulle praised Horford for his leadership on Tuesday at practice, another young Sixer had praise for him on Wednesday at practice.

Furkan Korkmaz, who has emerged as a key player for the Sixers, had some high praise for the veteran leader on the team.

“With Al, he has a lot of experience,” said Korkmaz. “Every time he plays the game, he’s like so relaxed, he doesn’t rush. He knows what I can do, that’s why he has different feelings in the game. He can read his teammates well, that’s why we have such a great relationship. It’s hard to get that feeling with the big guys sometimes because they’re on a different pace, but with Joel(Embiid) and Al, we have good chemistry.”

Korkmaz is averaging 9.1 points and 2.3 rebounds while shooting 36.2% from deep while starting eight of the 20 games so far this season. With Josh Richardson currently ailing and due to a variety of other reasons why other starters are out, coach Brett Brown continues to turn to him. His improved play has a lot do with Horford pulling him aside and helping him learn new things.

“After a possession, we’re normally talking to each other,” said Korkmaz. “He’s trying to explain to me what I can do better or what I did good so next possession if I see him, I ask him ‘Hey, what should I do? What am I supposed to do?’ We communicate really well.”

With Richardson already ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Washington Wizards, it can be assumed that Korkmaz will start again in his place. That offers another chance for the third-year player to learn and grow as a player. [lawrence-related id=20584,20576,20559]

Sixers prospects Norvel Pelle, Zhaire Smith lead Blue Coats to win

Philadelphia 76ers prospects Norvel Pelle and Zhaire Smith shine in the Blue Coats win.

While the Philadelphia 76ers focus on winning and growing together as a group, their younger players continue to grow down in the G League. Two players, in particular, stood out as the Delaware Blue Coats earned a 115-106 win over Raptors 905 at home on Tuesday night.

Two-way player Norvel Pelle, who recently had a solid NBA debut for the Sixers, led the Blue Coats with 20 points and 14 rebounds with two blocks while second-year man Zhaire Smith had 18 points and five rebounds. Smith shot 8-for-13 and he also drilled one from deep which is a good sign in terms of his developing shooting touch.

On top of the shooting touch, Smith showed he still has the athleticism and the bounce that made the Sixers trade for him on draft night in 2018.

Rookie Marial Shayok, who has had a solid season for Delaware, had 16 points to go along with five rebounds off the bench and Haywood Highsmith, who was a two-way player for Philadelphia in 2018-19, had 11 points.

The Blue Coats play next on Friday when they host the Capital City Go-Go. [lawrence-related id=20576,20559,20550]

Allen Iverson, Matt Barnes dared rookie Lou Williams to drink beer

Former Philadelphia 76ers guard Lou Williams tells the story of a time he was dared to drink beer.

When a rookie gets brought into the NBA, they go through the customary rookie hazing period. For Lou Williams, he was a 19-year old rookie straight out of high school when he joined the Philadelphia 76ers in 2005 and he received a dare from his veteran teammates.

Being 19, Williams obviously was not old enough to have a drink just yet, so Allen Iverson and Matt Barnes dared the rookie to drink a six-pack of beer for $15,000.

Williams and Barnes told the story on the All The Smoke podcast. Barnes stated:

We made a bet that he had to drink a six-pack. He’s fresh out of high school…that (expletive) killed it!

Williams added:

They said I couldn’t drink a six-pack of beer before we got on the plane for $15,000.

Being only 19, the alcohol hit Williams fairly quickly and the veterans, who added Chris Webber to the plan as well, had to come up with a plan to get him on the bus without the team suspecting something. Barnes said they had a plan as he put it:

He kind of had his arm slumped on AI’s shoulder, and then me and C-Webb was kind of in front. He was still there, but he was—He handled himself well, but he was (expletive) up. You know what I mean? So, we had to kind of camouflage his ass up onto the plane.

The 2005-6 version of the Sixers didn’t do so well on the court finishing with a 38-44 record, but they certainly appears they had some fun off of it.

Williams has since gone on to become one of the best 6th men the NBA has ever seen while Barnes has retired after winning a title in 2017 with the Golden State Warriors. [lawrence-related id=20559,20550,20542]

James Ennis III, Matisse Thybulle praise Al Horford as leader for Sixers

The Philadelphia 76ers applaud the addition of Al Horford to their team.

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The Philadelphia 76ers brought in Al Horford over the summer to help the team move forward in their quest for an NBA title. His ability to be one of the better defenders in the league and also be one of the more efficient offensive players is a big plus to the group as a whole.

There is one other thing that Horford offers and that’s his leadership ability. He is a guy who has been around the league for a long time and he has seen a lot of things in the league. It’s that leadership that allows him to help the Sixers in other areas as well.

“Al’s good,” said James Ennis III. “He’s been in the league for a long time. He’s been to the playoffs his whole career being in the NBA. I’m happy he’s here. We can learn a lot from him, he always has something to say, positive, so it’s good vibes from him.”

It’s also that type of leadership that can help out the younger guys like rookie Matisse Thybulle who still has a lot to learn in this league.

“For me, just talking to me and helping me understand that ‘this is the NBA and things are different’ and just coaching me through a lot of that,” the rookie said. “Whether it’s helping me out because I get in foul trouble really easily and he goes to the refs because he has a relationship with them already and he talks to them on my behalf and he comes back to me with advice on how to do it better next time.”

Horford is also good for the team, not just for individuals. He wants to help everybody.

“I think he’s done a lot, not just for, but for the team,” Thybulle added. “I know we’ll have team meetings and he’ll jump in and give advice to everyone. Whether he’ll just go down the line and just stop at people and what he thinks can help them and help the team in different ways.”

The Sixers still have a lot of growing to do, but the addition of Horford is paying off in plenty of ways. [lawrence-related id=20550,20542,20535]

Brett Brown responds to Pacers coach saying he ‘hates’ the Sixers

Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown responds to Indiana Pacers coach Dan Burke’s comments that he hates facing the Sixers.

On Monday night before the Indiana Pacers took on the Memphis Grizzlies, a video of Pacers assistant coach Dan Burke went viral after he had a few choice words, in a respectful manner, about the Philadelphia 76ers.

Burke went on to say how much he “hates” playing against the Sixers and that Joel Embiid gets away with, in his words, “a lot of crap”. This comes after the Sixers knocked off the Pacers on Saturday behind a big night from Embiid and he went to the foul line 15 times.

Burke said in the video:

I hate that team. I really wanted to win that game. I think Embiid gets away with a lot of crap that the league ignores.

At the beginning of the season, coach Brett Brown wanted the Sixers to play bully ball due to their size and he loved hearing the comments from Burke. He took them as a compliment.

“Absolutely,” beamed Brown. “One of the questions that comes up from me to them is ‘What would you want them to say? What would it look like? Who are we?’ Whether it’s style of play, whether it’s character, whether it’s defense, whatever it is it is, it’s an interesting question to ask like ‘How do you want to be judged?’ What would you like to feature on a scout take?”

The Sixers are one of the bigger teams in the league and those types of comments are things that he loves hearing from other coaches around the league.

“I would bring him to my house for Christmas and he can share in the Christmas dinner,” Brown added with a laugh.

Now, what about the Embiid comments?

“He would not be able to have dessert because I don’t agree with him,” Brown decided. “He can still eat at the house, if it was offered as a compliment to bully ball and tough and physical, dinner. If he’s hitting Joel, no dessert. That’s how it works.”

The Sixers and the Pacer matchup again on December 31 in Indiana. [lawrence-related id=20542,20535,20518]

Sixers prepare for their next challenge: Bradley Beal and the Wizards

Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown praises Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards.

The Washington Wizards are certainly not an NBA powerhouse by ant stretch of the imagination, but they are a tough team to handle on the offensive end. Washington is fourth in the NBA in the offensive rating and they are scoring 118.8 points per game which is good for third in the league.

That in itself makes it a challenge for a Sixers team who is fifth in the league in defensive rating, but they do give up 108.4 points on the road compared to 98.6 at home. If they don’t bring their hard hat defensively, it will be a tough night on Thursday.

“They really can score and they have some bigs that can shoot which is different than some of the team we have been playing,” said coach Brett Brown. “It challenges some of the defensive schemes that we have put on some of the recent teams so we have some decisions to make on how to guard them. All over the place, they’re dangerous and our defense has to be very much on point to win.”

Specifically, the Wizards are led by an All-Star guard in Bradley Beal who, without backcourt mate John Wall, has made a lot of moves forward as a player averaging 28 points with 7.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds. He’s also shooting 34% from deep on 8.0 attempts a night along with getting to the foul line consistently so he’s a tough cover.

“He’s got that thing that he puts the fear of everybody in, he can shoot,” Brown added. “All of a sudden, you’ve got that base and the world becomes a little bit clearer. You’ve got to close him out close. He’s athletic enough and smart enough to go body-body ball and have long steps through shoulders.”

Beal has continued to take big steps forward in Washington as he has consistently improved on his scoring average and he has done a good job of adding to his game in terms of scoring. It’s why he was finally named an All-Star in 2019.

“He can fire it, he can drive it, he’s really good at moving without the ball, so he’s got the whole thing,” Brown continued. “He can shoot it as a base and I think it’s out of evolution, you start learning well, ‘people won’t let me shoot it, not I got to learn how to drive it’ and ‘uh oh, now they’re really guarding me close, now I’ve got to set people up and move without the ball and free myself up and expose fouls to refs’ like he’s got the whole thing. For those reasons, he’s a really hard ask to guard.”

Both Ben Simmons and Matisse Thybulle have been terrific on the defensive end and both have said they enjoy taking on the opponent’s best scorer. They will get another test on Thursday against Beal and the Wizards. [lawrence-related id=20535,20518,20507]