Tag: Al Horford

Sixers vs. Thunder preview: Sixers look to end road losing skid

The Philadelphia 76ers will continue the road trip on Friday when they visit the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Philadelphia 76ers will continue their road trip on Friday when they take on the young and rebuilding Oklahoma City Thunder. They will be looking right the ship on the road as they have now lost four straight road games following the three-game skid to end their last road trip.

The Sixers will finally have a fully healthy and active roster. No rest days, no nagging injuries, just a full roster. It will only be the fifth time this season where Philadelphia will trot out their entire starting lineup and it’s the team’s 12th game. It will give a bit of an indication of how good they can be.

With that being said, it’s now time for Friday’s game preview:

How to watch Sixers vs. Thunder

  • Date: Friday, November 15
  • Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
  • Location: Chesapeake Energy Arena Oklahoma City, OK
  • TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia

Injury report

  • Sixers: NONE
  • Thunder: OUT: Andre Roberson(left knee recovery), QUESTIONABLE: Hamidou Diallo(left knee sprain)

Storylines

Struggling Tobias

Harris shot 0-for-3 from deep on Wednesday as a follow up to his 0-for-11 shooting in Tuesday’s game with the Cleveland Cavaliers and he is now shooting 20.4% from deep overall on the season. For the Sixers to have any type of success, they will need Harris to get back on track and coach Brett Brown understands that as he stated:

I think it’s just human nature. He wants to please. He wants to shoot the ball. He wants to score. We need him to score. We needed Al (Horford) and we needed Tobias to score. We had a drought in the last period and we had a long night in that regard offensively. It consistently reminds me of two things. One, it always in any level of team that you have, it takes longer for offense to catch defense. And two, during that spell you better guard. You better guard. It’s the only insolation that you have if you’re going to miss shots at the rate that we’ve been missing shots. And, so be it.

Sixers shooting struggles

It is not just Harris, the Sixers as a whole are struggling recently as they are shooting a combined 16-for-68 from deep in the previous two games which is causing them to be 24th in the league in 3-point shooting at 32.8%. No matter how ugly the numbers look, the Sixers need to continue shooting the ball in order to breakthrough.

Al Horford understands that notion as he stated:

We have to keep shooting and we have to keep shooting with confidence. I trust all our guys here. We work on those shots all the time. They were a lot of good looks, but I don’t want to say it is so much about the shots, it’s just the overall feel defensively. We had a lot of breakdown there which is not like our group I feel. It is something we have to address.

Prediction

The Sixers will finally have a fully healthy roster against a scrappy, and talented. Thunder team. Oklahoma City can use Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Terrance Ferguson to bother the Sixers on the perimeter while Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel do a solid job of protecting the basket. This will not be an easy game–then again, none of them are in the NBA–but it is one the Sixers should come out on top of. Harris is due to a breakthrough and Joel Embiid will be returning to help out Ben Simmons and company.

Pick: Sixers pull away late

Sixers vs. Thunder season series

Game 1 November 15:

Game 2 January 6:

[lawrence-related id=19294,19279,19262]

Three key stats that stand out in early part of season for Sixers

There are three key stats that have stood out with the Philadelphia 76ers in the early part of the season.

The Philadelphia 76ers are off to a 7-4 start despite not having much cohesion for being a brand new team. So why does it seem like the sky is falling?

There are three key numbers that stand out here in the early going of the season and it’s a reason why the team, despite their record, does not look as dominant as some people had expected.

20.4%

That is Tobias Harris’ 3-point percentage. He had a ton of expectations coming into the season. The team re-signed him to a lucrative contract with hopes that he would provide the wing scoring and the shooting the team so desperately needs. However, it just has not been there and it’s been an absolute struggle for him, especially in Philadelphia’s last two games where he shot a combined 0-for-14 from deep. Coach Brett Brown did reveal that he’s sick, but it does not really excuse the poor shooting.

The Sixers need Harris to get it going. His play is something that Brown has singled out on multiple occasions for them to truly succeed on the offensive end. What’s even worse, he’s shooting 23.7% on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers through the first 11 games after shooting 38.2% on such shots in 2018-19 and shooting 40.7% in 2017-18.

0

That is the total number of 3-pointers Ben Simmons has taken in2019-20. It’s so hard to truly nitpick at a player as talented as Simmons is, but the fact that he has yet to take a 3-pointer after all of the hype in the summer is disappointing. Everybody saw those videos he put out in the offseason and everybody was expecting him to at least attempt some 3-pointers. The expectations grew in the preseason when he drilled a 3-pointer in their preseason opener.

Brown has stated on Simmons’ jumper in the past:

I will say, and maybe you don’t agree, but I’ll say it, this still isn’t ‘the thing.’ It’s hugely important, we understand that, especially in April, May and June and we have to set the stage, but where I see the world with him is I think he can be the best defensive player in the NBA.

The Sixers really need Simmons to breakthrough and at least attempt a jumper. It would go a long way in their success.

4

The projected starting lineup of Simmons, Josh Richardson, Harris, Al Horford, and Joel Embiid have played a grand total of four games together. Due to Embiid’s suspension and load management, Simmons’ injury, and a rest day for Horford, the Sixers have not had much time to really play their big starting lineup together. It’s hard to get a real assessment of this team after just 11 games and they’ve had a full starting lineup for only four of those games. There needs to be more shown from this team before a panic button needs to be pushed. [lawrence-related id=19270,19262,19254]

Al Horford on Sixers offensive struggles: ‘We have to keep shooting’

Philadelphia 76ers big man Al Horford is upset with the Sixers on the offensive end in a loss to the Orlando Magic.

The biggest fear heading into the season for the Philadelphia 76ers was the fact that they did not have much shooting on the offensive end after losing JJ Redick in the offseason to free agency. The previous two games have brought that fear to life.

After shooting for 8-for-38 from deep in Tuesday’s win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Sixers shot another dreadful 8-for-30 in a loss to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. Unlike in the win over the Cavaliers, the defense was not able to get the stops needed to make up for the anemic offense.

Al Horford, who shot 2-for-8 from deep, and Tobias Harris, 0-for-3, were the main culprits for the offensive struggles and this comes after an 0-for-11 showing against Cleveland for Harris.

At the end of the day, the Sixers have got to continue to shoot the ball and make teams get out on them and respect their shooters as Horford stated:

We have to keep shooting and we have to keep shooting with confidence. I trust all our guys here. We work on those shots all the time. They were a lot of good looks, but I don’t want to say it is so much about the shots, it’s just the overall feel defensively. We had a lot of breakdown there which is not like our group I feel. It is something we have to address.

The Sixers do plan on hanging their hat on the defensive end in the 2019-20 season, but they will need the offense to get going if they are to be taken seriously in the Eastern Conference.

Horford added:

I mean I will have to look at the game over again, but what I felt out there we weren’t running things with enough force and pace. I think it all goes together. We did miss a lot of shots, but I think we can do a lot better job of running the offense.

Running the offense falls to the responsibility of the point guard in Ben Simmons who maybe does need to do a better job of running things and setting up his teammates better. It is then their responsibility to knock down the open looks they have been given.

It’s 11 games into a long 82-game season and there’s no need to hit the panic button just yet, but the offensive spacing does remain an issue for this team. [lawrence-related id=19262,19254,19247]

Sixers vs. Cavaliers preview: Sixers look to make it two wins in a row

The Philadelphia 76ers will look to make it two wins in a row against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Philadelphia 76ers returned home on Sunday and put a screeching halt on a dreadful three-game losing streak by knocking off the Charlotte Hornets. Now, they will look to make it a winning streak when they host Collin Sexton and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday.

They will have to do it without Al Horford, who will miss the game for a scheduled rest day with it being the first game of a back-to-back, and possibly without Ben Simmons who is still dealing with an ailing AC joint sprain. The Sixers are a perfect 3-0 at home and they will need the contributions of others to make sure they get to 4-0.

With that being said, it’s time to dive into this matchup with the works:

How to watch Sixers vs. Cavaliers

  • Date: Tuesday, November 12
  • Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
  • Location: Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia, PA
  • TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBATV

Injury report

  • Sixers: OUT: Al Horford(rest) QUESTIONABLE: Ben Simmons(right AC joint sprain) DOUBTFUL: Shake Milton(left knee bone bruise)
  • Cavaliers: OUT: John Henson(right hamstring strain), Dylan Windler(left lower leg stress reaction), Ante Zizic(left foot plantar fascitis)

Storylines

Limiting turnovers

Despite the 6-3 start, turnovers have been an eyesore for the Sixers. They committed 20 in their win over the Hornets on Sunday and it’s something that coach Brett Brown lamented after it was all over.

This is what I tell the team: until we can fix this, this is a house built on sand. It is fool’s gold and we have to find a discipline and a better way to control that. The turnovers in the first half, some of them were live ball, a lot of them were just getting things batted out of our hands. We can’t fool ourselves, this is a problem. This is a problem and we need to own it.

The Sixers are now committing 18.8 turnovers per game which is good for 28th in the league. That will not get it done for a championship-contending team.

I’m the head coach. I’ve got to find a way to fix it. There needs to be a level of accountability with the players and that’s that. It’s not anything we take lightly, we don’t dismiss it, the times are over where you’re looking at some of the young guys and you can justify it. You can’t do that anymore and it’s time that we get better at that. The players know it, they understand it, but we’ve got to fix it.

Chemistry

The Sixers are a relatively new group. New players like Horford and Josh Richardson as well as reserves Raul Neto and Trey Burke have all played a key role on this Sixers team this season. That causes some confusion on the floor with guys learning a new scheme and it can be the cause of a lot of turnovers. Due to this fact, Richardson tries to put it into perspective for a lot of people.

It felt great, a win is always a great. A win is always positive energy in the locker room so after a tough skid, I think it was good for us to come out here and get this win. You’ve got to remember though we’ve only been playing together for three weeks, honestly in games so it’s going to take time for everything to jell.

Prediction

The Cavaliers will not be an easy win for the Sixers. Coach John Beilein has done a terrific job here in the early going of getting the most out of his players and getting them to play hard and Kevin Love is back healthy averaging 18.3 points and 13.4 rebounds for Cleveland. Also, Tristan Thompson is always a problem on the glass so it will be up to Joel Embiid to hold up his end of the bargain with Horford out resting. The Sixers are the more talented team so they should win, but it won’t be easy.

Pick: Sixers in a close one

Sixers vs. Cavaliers season series

Game 1 November 12:

Game 2 November 17:

Game 3 December 7:

Game 4 February 26:

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Al Horford out, Ben Simmons questionable for Sixers matchup with Cavs

The Philadelphia 76ers will have a few more injury issues to handle on Tuesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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As the Philadelphia 76ers look to make it two straight wins against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, they will have to do so while missing some key players.

The Inquirer.com’s Keith Pompey is reporting that Al Horford will miss the contest due to a scheduled rest day, Ben Simmons is still questionable with his right shoulder AC joint injury, and Shake Milton is doubtful due to the lingering bone bruise in his left knee.

The news will cause coach Brett Brown to continue to play with his rotations. With Simmons out, Brown has turned to Raul Neto and Trey Burke to handle the point guard duties and that pushed out rookie Matisse Thybulle. With Horford out on Tuesday, one has to wonder if that opens the door dor Thybulle to re-enter the rotation.

With Tuesday being the team’s 10th game, it will mean they will possibly have to change their starting lineup for the 5th time in the early season. That causes the team to continue to have chemistry issues which then causes them to commit a high number of turnovers. The team really needs a clean bill of health for them to continue to grow as a team.

The Sixers and the Cavaliers tip-off at 7:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday. [lawrence-related id=19083,19074,19038]

Al Horford says chemistry with Joel Embiid is progressing for Sixers

Philadelphia 76ers big man Al Horford says the chemistry with Joel Embiid is progressing.

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For the Philadelphia 76ers to truly reach their full potential, they will need Al Horford and Joel Embiid to form some real, unbreakable chemistry. They need them to be able to play off each other and become the formidable duo the Sixers envisioned when they brought in Horford in free agency.

On Sunday night in a win over the Charlotte Hornets, Embiid had 18 points and nine rebounds while Horford added 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. It has been tough for the two to actually get some court time in the early going as Embiid has missed three of the team’s first nine games of the season, but Horford does see some progress in their on-court relationship.

Yeah, I do believe that it is progressing. For me, it’s continuing to understand what we’re trying to do on the offenisve end and just kind of being in the right place and right time for him and for our group and not necessarily thinking like ‘oh what’s this play?’ so it’s coming along. I think everything takes time to be perfect, but it is coming along.

The Sixers are going against the current NBA trend with two traditional big men start in Horford and Embiid so it can be a bit clunky and disorganized a bit in the early going. The only thing that can continue to help them is time and continuing to play together. They just need to continue to trend in the right direction. [lawrence-related id=19038,19027,19013]