Tag: Cam Payne

Sixers give love to Cam Payne for big performance in Game 3 vs. Knicks

The Philadelphia 76ers gave a lot of love to Cam Payne for his efforts in a Game 3 win over the New York Knicks.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers picked up a huge 125-114 win over the New York Knicks in Game 3 on Thursday thanks to the heroics of Joel Embiid. The big fella had a playoff career-high 50 points despite the knee injury and Bell’s Palsy bothering him.

However, a big factor in the win was the play of Cam Payne. The spark plug hopped off the bench and had 11 points while knocking down three 3s. He had eight points in the second quarter and gave Philadelphia a boost on both ends of the floor.

Along with the eight points, he also had two blocks.

“Unbelievable,” Kyle Lowry said. “I think Cam Payne was the MVP of this game. He’s staying ready. He’s always constantly got energy and he’s a guy who’s been in this situation before. high energy, high-level IQ, and we need that. It’s a guy in the playoffs that always steps up for you and every single game, it’s a different guy and tonight, Cam Payne was our real-life X factor.”

To Lowry’s point, there is always somebody who steps up in the postseason to give his team a big boost. On Thursday, that guy was Payne as he came up with the big plays the Sixers needed off the bench to match what the Knicks were receiving from theirs.

“That’s what we expect out of him,” Kelly Oubre Jr. added. “Energy and then coming in and kinda keeping us alive. That’s exactly what he did tonight, but it’s tough to stay ready when things change a lot, but for him, he’s been in a lot of big moments. He’s been in a lot of big games and finals and things like that so we lean on him just for the energy and everything he brings to the game of basketball.”

The bench unit was a big factor in New York’s wins in games 1 and 2. The Knicks received big performances from Deuce McBride, Bojan Bogdanovic and Mitchell Robinson. Philadelphia responded in Game 3 with Payne stepping up.

“It was huge,” Tobias Harris stated. “Just his energy. His shot-making as well. His speed. Just to get a different dynamic for us out there on the floor. I just know he did a great job embracing the moment and got going for us.”
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Veteran Cam Payne providing spark, energy for Sixers off the bench

Cam Payne is focused on providing a spark and energy off the bench for the Philadelphia 76ers.

CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers will go as far as Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey take them in the NBA Playoffs, but there will be moments when somebody off the bench will have to step up and produce to turn the tide.

Cam Payne is an example of that. He is a bundle of energy and is somebody who can knock down 3s and give Philadelphia points in bunches. He has finals experience from his days with the Phoenix Suns in 2021 and will look to give Philadelphia the same impact.

“My energy,” said Payne. “Luckily, the game’s cracking…My family’s always there, so I’m going to be locked in. At any point in time, I know I could go out there and have an impact, help the team win. I bounce around all the time. If y’all see me bouncing around during timeouts, that’s me staying ready.”

Payne is shooting 38.2% from deep since being acquired by the Sixers and he will have to knock down those looks in the postseason in order to earn a consistent role.

Another way to earn minutes would be for him to provide solid defense on New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson in Round 1 of the playoffs.

“Show your hands,” Payne said of defending Brunson. “Also, figure out the physicality of the game, see how the refs are calling the game. It’s a big-time awareness game. Just make sure you show your hands. You know he’s good at drawing fouls and you’ve just got to try to be smart defensively, keep your hands out of there.”

It will be interesting to see how Payne will be used in the playoffs.

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Cam Payne lays out his goals for Sixers in final stretch, talks comfort level

Cam Payne lays out his goals for the Philadelphia 76ers in this final stretch and discusses his comfort level.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers have seven games left on the docket as they return home to play host to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night. They are sitting eighth in the Eastern Conference standings and are looking to move up.

Cam Payne has been a big part of Philadelphia’s bench unit since he was acquired at the deadline from the Milwaukee Bucks. He’s averaging 10.3 points and 3 assists while shooting 38.9% from deep in 24 games for the Sixers.

With seven games left, Payne has only one goal on his mind: Win games.

“Man, honestly, nothing but getting wins honestly like literally,” said Payne at shootaround on Tuesday morning. “I feel like that should be everyone’s personal goal and whatever I gotta do to help the team win because, at the end of the day, that’s what we need to do to get in the playoffs. Not individually, we need the whole team. We need everybody locked in on one goal and that’s getting a win every night.”

The Sixers are 2 1/2 games behind the Indiana Pacers for the sixth place, which would guarantee a playoff spot without the need for the play-in tournament.

In terms of his comfort level with the Sixers, Payne is still working on it, but  he believes he will be OK down the stretch.

“It’s getting there a little bit,” Payne stated. “A lot of the guys are starting to get familiar with my game a little bit better. It’s been feeling good shots. Shot’s been going in but, honestly, it’s just a comfortability with the guys. Learning me. Knowing where I like it. Me knowing were they like it. It’s just a little bit of that. Just keep being out there playing.”

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Cam Payne, Sixers explain their success after road win over Clippers

Cam Payne and the Philadelphia 76ers explain their success in a road win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Philadelphia 76ers picked up an impressive win on Sunday. They went into Crypto.com Arena and defeated the Los Angeles Clippers, 121-107.

The Sixers withstood a number of runs by LA. Philadelphia led by 17 in the first half before the Clippers rallied to tie. The Sixers responded and pushed the lead as large as 21. It was an impressive showing for the Sixers.

Cam Payne provided a huge lift for the Sixers with 23 points off the bench, including 13 in the fourth quarter.

“I just try to bring that swagger to the game, energy, lot of fun,” Payne told reporters after the win. “Like people always say, it’s a kid’s game at the end of the day so make sure you have fun no matter what, win or lose, so tonight we were on the positive side of it, got a win, and just having fun with it, showing love to my teammates while I’m out there.”

Along with a big night from Payne, the Sixers received 24 points out of Tyrese Maxey and another 24 out of Tobias Harris. Maxey, especially, made some big plays in the second half to help Philadelphia get it done. He had 19 points in the second half, 11 in the fourth quarter, as the Sixers answered a few big Clippers runs.

“We just hung in there and we didn’t get discouraged at all,” added coach Nick Nurse. “We kept getting baskets. We kept getting loose balls, rebounds, turnovers, etc. I thought we played pretty fast. We were up the court pretty quick a few times and that was huge. When they tied it and we answered it with a 5 or 6-0 run, we took it right back to five or six there, and then that gave us a lot of confidence. You keep on looking up and it was five and it kind of seemed to stay there and it started creeping up from there.”

Whenever the Sixers needed a bucket, Payne came up with a big shot. Maxey drove to the basket and made a big play. Harris made a big shot or Kelly Oubre Jr. made a big play. It was an all-around effort.

“We knew that this game was much needed for us,” added Harris. “We had that effort out there, and there were guys who hit big, timely shots for us tonight as well to kind of make sure that the momentum didn’t swing in their direction. There was a point there in the third where it was tied up, but from there we were able to find something to get to. Tyrese got downhill to create some plays, and we got some more stops. So, that was the main game for us was to get stops and figure out ways to create a mismatch out there to get downhill and to score.”

The Sixers look to go 2-2 on this trip when they visit the Sacramento Kings on Monday.

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Sixers react to having big man Joel Embiid back at practice on Sunday

The Philadelphia 76ers react to having Joel Embiid back at practice on Sunday afternoon.

CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid returned to practice on Sunday for non-contact drills. The big fella continues to recover from a meniscus injury in his left knee and the subsequent surgery on Feb. 6.

Embiid participating in practice does not mean a return to the floor is right around the corner, but having the big fella do something in practice is a morale boost. His mere presence is a big positive as the team’s leader and unquestioned best player.

“He looked pretty good to me,” smiled Cam Payne. “For my first time seeing him, he looked pretty good, man. He attracts a lot of attention out here. So it’s probably gonna make our job a little bit easier.”

Payne, who was acquired from the Milwaukee Bucks at the deadline, has yet to play with Embiid on the floor. He needs to get some type of practice time with him as he gets integrated with the Sixers on the floor.

Philadelphia is 11-22 without Embiid, and they have missed him in a variety of ways. Obviously, the big fella averages 35.3 points per game. Any team misses that, but there is another area the Sixers miss him the most.

“I mean, when you have a team around one guy that pretty much like gravitates all around — I mean, of course, it’s tough to not play with him, but like I said, something that I’m so impressed by him this year was his playmaking,” Nic Batum said. “Yes, he’s scoring 35 points per game. That’s insane, but his playmaking, like the way he plays for the other guys is something that he got better. It’s something very underrated. It’s something I think we’re missing a lot.”

Embiid was averaging a career-high 5.7 assists on the season before the injury. Once he returns, one has to wonder how he will help Payne and Buddy Hield on this roster. Those guys will benefit greatly from the attention Embiid attracts on the floor and will make the offense flow so well.

With 15 games left, Philadelphia needs to continue to stay afloat until the reigning league MVP can return. As long as Embiid is on the floor, the Sixers will always have a chance.

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Cam Payne battled through the flu to try and help Sixers battle Nets

Cam Payne battled through the flu to try and help the Philadelphia 76ers battle the Brooklyn Nets.

NEW YORK — At this stage of the season, it’s all hands on deck for the Philadelphia 76ers. Missing Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and other key pieces, the Sixers visited the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday looking for a win.

After leading by as many as 14, the offense went stagnant, and Philadelphia was unable to find a groove the rest of the night. The Sixers ended up dropping one to the Nets, 112-107, and falling to seventh in the East.

The Sixers received a Herculean performance out of Cam Payne. The veteran started and played 22:35 despite battling the flu. He had 15 points on 5-for-10 shooting in the loss.

“I started feeling it when we got to Dallas,” Payne said after the game. “On the plane, it kind of kicked in. That’s why I missed the game. Today, I was at shootaround. I wasn’t feeling too good, but got back to the hotel, slept the whole time, and I was like I’m gonna give it a go. I told him I was 75-80 when he came in and said you sure? I was like yeah. He was like you’re starting then. Gotta stay ready. You gotta fight through it.”

One assumes Payne gave the effort he did due to Philadelphia missing Maxey, but he said that wasn’t the rationale. He wanted to help the Sixers take on the Nets regardless of how he was feeling.

“Nah, it wasn’t one of those things,” Payne added. “Just for me honestly, like, I was like ‘Man, I’m 30 years old bro. Get out there and play. Sick or not, bro. Just get out there and help your team.’ That’s all it was.”

Coach Nick Nurse wasn’t sure how much Payne could really give the Sixers so he turned to newly signed two-way player Jeff Dowtin Jr. in the second quarter for some backup minutes.

“At that point of the game, we weren’t sure what Cam was going to have because he played those three minutes and said he needed a sub,” said Nurse. “That was time to get Jeff’s feet wet a little bit, just in case Cam wasn’t going to be able to play much tonight. We were able to get Cam in and out and in and out to get through it. We were trying to make sure, just in case we were down to one (backup) point guard, that Jeff had already had some minutes under his belt.”

The Sixers will take on the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday back at home.

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New addition Cam Payne discusses on adjusting to Sixers quickly

Cam Payne discusses how he’s been able to adjust so quickly for the Philadelphia 76ers to succeed.

CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers made moves at the deadline that should help them right now and in the future. They brought in Buddy Hield and Cam Payne.

Through three games with the Sixers, Payne is averaging 13.7 points and 5.3 assists. He has stepped right in and run the offense efficiently. It looks as if the offense hasn’t skipped a beat when he steps onto the floor as they head into the stretch run. It helps that Payne has some familiarity with the Sixers.

“The crazy part is, Adrian Griffin coached under Nick Nurse so he brought a lot of those things to Milwaukee while he was there, so I picked up on some of those things,” Payne said of the terminology. “When I got here, they said some of the words. I said ‘I know that!’ He said something else I was like ‘I know that play!’ so a lot of the stuff is pretty similar, but obviously, they got a few different things that I’m learning, but it’s been pretty much consistent since I’ve been here learning the stuff. I’ve been pretty figuring it out pretty easily.”

Along with Payne’s familiarity with Nurse through former Bucks coach Griffin, he also knows assistant coach Bryan Gates from their days together in Phoenix. That helps him: Gates sends him video clips which he will watch once the team heads into the All-Star break.

“For sure,” Payne added. “I know around like Monday, Tuesday, we’re gonna be back in here probably getting a lot more reps in, but B-Gates (Bryan Gates) has already been sending me clips of things that I — stuff with Joel and he’s not even here yet and I’ve been learning those things already so of course, I’m gonna get a lot more information in during this little break, but I’m gonna be in Philly a lot so that’s gonna help me, too.”

Watching film and being able to see how plays unfold do wonders for Payne and his learning ability. It is one of his best ways to learn before he implements them on the floor. It has been something of a combination of those learning styles that has helped him.

“Honestly, seeing it visually is best for me,” Payne explained. “Being able to see it visually and also coming out here and doing it. A little bit of both. I know point guards, you gotta know so much. You gotta know so many plays. You gotta know everybody’s position so it’s a big learning curve for me so it’s a little bit of both. A lot of practice and a lot of film. It’s a combination.”

Just going back to Gates and what he’s done for Payne’s adjustment, the familiarity of his voice and his willingness to reach out to him helps his process at the moment.

“That was huge,” Payne finished. “B-Gates being there. He was there when we landed. I was with him in Phoenix so that close connection was pretty dope and awesome for him to come in and send me all these clips right away and as soon as I got on the plane he sent me film and he just kept saying ‘Can’t wait to get you here. Can’t wait to get your energy’. It’s just cool and fun to have somebody you know is here as well.”

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Cam Payne is impressed by new Sixers teammate Tyrese Maxey

Cam Payne is feeling impressed by new Philadelphia 76ers teammate Tyrese Maxey and what he brings to the table.

CAMDEN, N.J. — Cam Payne has been a member of the Philadelphia 76ers for less than a week and has played only two games with All-Star Tyrese Maxey, but he has been impressed.

On the season, Maxey is averaging 25.6 points, 6.4 assists and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 38% from deep on 8.1 attempts per game. He has been terrific and has earned that All-Star appearance he was given.

Payne, who comes to Philadelphia from the Milwaukee Bucks, had a glowing review for his new teammate after practice on Tuesday.

“Man, he’s tough,” Payne said of Maxey. “Shoutout to him being an All-Star first and foremost. I ain’t even nowhere near that. I’m still getting better. I think his place in the game is amazing. He has a great feel for the game. He knows how to get downhill, he knows how to create contact, get fouls, that’s huge for a lot of guys that’s young in the league. They don’t really pick up on how to get fouls so early so big shoutout to him.”

Payne has been in the league since 2015 and has been around great point guards Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul and Damian Lillard. He knows what a great point guard looks like, and he sees that level of greatness in Maxey. He had some advice for his young teammate.

“I think probably just seeing more of the game,” Payne added. “Being more of a point guard and putting guys in a position. Like ‘Kelly (Oubre), I need you to come out left!’ just kinda like chessing it out sometimes. Being a chess player sometimes instead of always just attack mode is something for Tyrese to be better, but we’re learning.”

An underrated part of Maxey’s game is his ability to get to the foul line. He’s averaging 5.6 free throw attempts per game, which is up from the 3.6 he attempted in the 2022-23 season. Payne believes he can even be better in that area.

“I know we were talking a lot during the game last night (Monday),” Payne added. “We pulled out the win, but we were talking a lot about how to get more fouls, how to get to the line when we’re in the bonus. Just little things like that, but nothing major, man. He’s amazing.”

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Buddy Hield, Cam Payne discuss joining Sixers while missing key pieces

Buddy Hield and Cam Payne discuss joining the Philadelphia 76ers who are currently missing some key pieces.

PHILADELPHIA — New additions Buddy Hield and Cam Payne have played two games with the Philadelphia 76ers, but it hasn’t been while the team is whole at the moment.

Both Hield and Payne will play a very important role in whatever the Sixers do in the 2023-24 season, but this Sixers team is still missing key pieces.

Obviously, they haven’t played with Joel Embiid yet who is out due to undergoing a meniscus procedure on Feb. 6. They made their debuts with Tyrese Maxey sidelined before he returned on Saturday and they haven’t yet played with the injured De’Anthony Melton, Nic Batum, and Robert Covington.

“Nobody is gonna feel sorry for you in the NBA,” said Hield. “There’s no crying in basketball. My high school coach always used to say that in the Bahamas so you gotta figure it out. First day from physicals straight to the arena, watching film on the plane trying to figure out the schemes, but you never figure out everything until you’re really out there.”

Hield is all about professionalism. He has been thrust into some tough situations before in Sacramento and Indiana and will be looking to continue to be that same guy in Philadelphia despite so many key pieces missing at the moment.

“Just figuring out the team, figure out the terminology, we had a different type of terminology,” Hield added. “It’s the first day of school, man. Just trying to learn your new classmates and learn your new teachers which is the coaches and just figure out how everybody talks and communicates. You gotta be professional and embrace it and the end goal is to win a game and no matter what happens, we’re happy to get a win.”

Payne, who had to start in his debut in place of Maxey before coming off the bench on Saturday, has had to play a couple of different roles early. The Sixers will look to get him integrated as well as Philadelphia moves forward.

“It’s definitely different, but it’s OK, man,” Payne laughed. “We got a lot of good guys in there. We got some guys that are gonna fight to the end. Like me as well, I’m gonna fight so I love the guys. We out there playing with a lot of heart. We were down big, but we fought back and that’s a credit to the guys that’s on this team, but it will be a big bonus when we get those guys back, though.”

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Cam Payne discusses joining Sixers after making debut in loss to Hawks

Cam Payne discusses joining the Philadelphia 76ers after his debut in the loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers made a flurry of moves at the deadline, but their big acquisitions were Buddy Hield and Cam Payne. Both Hield and Payne are expected to make contributions to the Sixers as they move forward.

The debut for both players came on Friday in a 127-121 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. It was a loss, but the Sixers received strong play out of both players. Hield had 20 points, six assists and four rebounds while Payne had 20 points and five assists. The players combined to make eight triples.

“Shoutout to Pat Bev for getting that physical done, so I could come out here and play with my new team,” Payne jokingly said after the loss. “It’s been kind of a whirlwind. Got here super late last night. I met all the guys today, learned some offense today. It was pretty cool, though. It’s happened before so I’m kinda used to it, but hey man, shoutout to plan. I feel good. I’m cool.”

It’s extremely tough to come out the way Payne and Hield did on Friday with no practice time, but they were able to have a lot of success. The fact that they both were able to have solid scoring nights and make plays for others is a good sign for this group for the future even though Friday was a tough night in the loss.

“It’s really tough,” Payne admitted. “I played alright, but there’s still a lot of things, but man. I gotta find out tendencies of the other guys. I feel like I’ve been playing with Buddy Hield forever, but I’ve never played with him, but we started to find some synergy today. Me and Tobias Harris as well. It’s just gonna be different for me.”

It also helps that Payne played for coach Adrian Griffin a bit in Milwaukee. Griffin was an assistant under coach Nick Nurse so that helped with the transition a bit when it comes to similar offensive sets and the system Nurse runs because Griffin ran something similar.

Now, it’s just all about getting on the same page as his teammates.

“I gotta figure out the offense a little bit more,” Payne stated. “Figure out where all my guys can strive. Figure out their spots. I know Kelly (Oubre Jr.) likes getting to his left so I gotta figure out more ways to get him to the left throughout the offense. Man, shoutout to Nick Nurse, too. He was big time today getting me acclimated as well.”

As Payne and the Sixers move forward, the goal is to help make a big playoff run. This is all about pushing toward a championship and Friday was just the first step.

Philadelphia plays Saturday night in Washington, so there isn’t much time before the next game to figure everything out.

“A lot of film,” Payne said of the next steps. “I know tomorrow, we’re gonna watch a lot of film. Find out more ways to be aggressive, more ways to get easier baskets, figure out the defense. I’m still learning. Like I said, it’s my first day so it was pretty cool for my first day here. I just wanna keep getting better, keep learning the guys, keep learning the offense, keep learning the principles, just ready to make this push. Ready to make this run.”

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