PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers were in need of an energy boost on Friday when they played host to the Toronto Raptors. They had a slow start and trailed by as many as 15 in the first half.
The Sixers recovered for a 121-111 win thanks to the brilliance of Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid, but Philadelphia received a spark from Danuel House Jr.
House had only three points in 22:59 of playing time, but he was a plus-15. He made a big difference with his athleticism and defensive activity to help the Sixers walk away with their 20th win of the season.
“I thought House especially came in and just played really hard,” said coach Nick Nurse. “He was just running hard, rebounding hard, just fighting hard. I thought Cov (Robert Covington) started fighting. They weren’t perfect, but at least they raised the level I think of our fight and our compete.”
Despite being in and out of the rotation, House has continued to stay professional. The work that he puts in to stay ready and prepared for whenever his number is called is an important aspect of this group and the Sixers know it.
“He’s big time,” Maxey added of House. “He’s been around the league for a long time. So he knows how to stay professional know how to stay ready and what he did tonight and that other night, I think that was two nights ago, he guarded Anthony Edwards, he guarded a lot of other people that night. So he’s been huge.”
This isn’t the first time House has stepped in and given the Sixers a boost when they needed it. He was fantastic in Philadelphia’s Game 5 win over the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs this past spring, and Philadelphia knows he can be relied upon.
“We know he’s a guy that plays in the playoffs,” Maxey added. “Last year, he was big in the playoffs. So we know he’s always going to be ready, and we appreciate him for that.”
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