Tag: DeAndre Jordan

Sixers to start big man DeAndre Jordan again in Game 2 vs. Heat

The Philadelphia 76ers will start DeAndre Jordan again in Game 2 against the Miami Heat.

The Philadelphia 76ers will be looking to avoid an 0-2 hole on Wednesday when they take on the Miami Heat in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. Without Joel Embiid in this one, the Sixers will have to find a replacement and get some type of production out of the center spot.

In Game 1, Philadelphia turned to DeAndre Jordan to start in place of Embiid and the minutes were a disaster. Philadelphia faced a double-digit deficit early and the Sixers were a minus-22 in 17 minutes when he was on the floor.

A performance like that would normally call for a lineup change, but coach Doc Rivers has been adamant about his belief in Jordan and he will get the start again in Game 2. He will join James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, and Danny Green in the lineup.

Philadelphia will have to make some type of adjustment in this one even with Jordan starting. They will have to use more small-ball lineups in order to pull off a big win over the Heat before the series shifts back to the City of Brotherly Love for Game 3.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Doc Rivers defends play of DeAndre Jordan to begin series vs. Heat

Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers defends the play of DeAndre Jordan in the series-opener with the Miami Heat.

MIAMI —  To begin the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Philadelphia 76ers are facing a lot of questions after deciding to start veteran DeAndre Jordan in the place of Joel Embiid against the Miami Heat in Game 1 on Monday.

The Jordan minutes were a disaster as Philadelphia was a minus-22 in those 17 minutes he played. The Heat got whatever they wanted at the rim and with Jordan playing a “drop” coverage in pick-and-roll, Miami walked into easy mid-range jumpers with not much defense there.

Coach Doc Rivers was adamant that they will continue to start Jordan in place of Embiid until the big fella returns and he defended Jordan’s play from Game 1 at shootaround on Wednesday morning.

“When you look at the first half, he didn’t have a lot to do with why we were down,” said Rivers. “They scored every time, but he just played freer and not in thought. I thought (Paul) Millsap gave us some good minutes as well, I thought Paul Reed gave us some good minutes, but again when you watch the tape, all three of them is not the reason. Any of those three had very little to why we were losing or ahead in the game, but we’re gonna need more from all of them.”

Give Rivers credit for always going to bat for his players. That is what a good coach does, but Jordan did have a very poor start to that game on Monday and that is something that has to be addressed going into Game 2 on Wednesday.

Even Jordan admitted that he did have a better second half than the first. He was a bit better to start the third quarter and the Sixers built a bit of an advantage early.

“Watching the film from the first half, it was night and day from the second half,” said Jordan. “There was a little bit more energy. Not just from me individually, but just for our team so I feel like if we can harness that, we’ll be alright.”

Rivers and the Sixers know they will be counting on James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, and Tobias Harris to score the ball for them. The key for the others out on the floor is to space and make those guys have the room to operate. It will be a big key to earning a split in this series.

“I think the intensity in the second half, even watching clips, it was more of a stance, more active, more alert to different actions and things like that and that’s just defensively,” Jordan added. “Offensively, we know who are scorers are gonna be. It’s not like we’re giving me the ball and asking me to score points for us. I think on offense, it’s just about spacing.”

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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NBA Twitter reacts to Doc Rivers’ infatuation with DeAndre Jordan

NBA Twitter reacts to Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers’ love for DeAndre Jordan replacing Joel Embiid.

The Philadelphia 76ers took a rough loss to the Miami Heat in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Monday and the fans were not happy with coach Doc Rivers’ decision to start DeAndre Jordan in place of the injured Joel Embiid.

The Sixers struggled with Jordan on the floor as he was a minus-22 in only 17 minutes of playing time. The Heat were putting him in a blender in the pick-and-roll and Philadelphia really couldn’t come up with an answer with him on the floor.

Afterward, Rivers was adamant that the Sixers will start Jordan moving forward until Embiid is ready to return. Now, the Sixers do have better options there such as going small or dealing with Paul Reed and his foul trouble.

Either way, NBA Twitter had some really big reactions to Rivers’ infatuation with Jordan as the Sixers prepare for Game 2 back at FTX Arena on Wednesday.

Doc Rivers explains why Sixers will continue to start DeAndre Jordan

Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers discusses why the team is going to start DeAndre Jordan going forward.

MIAMI — The Philadelphia 76ers had themselves a tough night in Game 1 against the Miami Heat on Monday to open up the Eastern Conference semifinals where they trailed by as many as 21 in a 106-92 loss.

Without Joel Embiid, the Sixers turned to DeAndre Jordan in his place. The 14-year veteran did some good things in terms of catching lobs, but he had a hard time on the glass and he was bad on the defensive end. He finished as a minus-22 in only 17:17 of playing time.

In Jordan’s defense, the entire starting lineup wasn’t good in this one. He also gave the team a boost a bit to start the third quarter in order to give Philadelphia a cushion, but overall, it’s hard to justify starting him going forward.

However, coach Doc Rivers and the Sixers are going to continue going to him.

“We talked to our guys,” said Rivers after the loss. “They wanted a big roller and I thought in the second half, that’s how he has to play every night. Those first four or five minutes were great from him. That’s what we need. We love Paul (Reed), but we don’t need Paul in foul trouble and that’s why you don’t wanna start him.”

Heading into Game 2, Rivers did reveal that the Sixers will continue to go to the veteran out of Texas A&M.

“We like DJ,” Rivers added. “We’re gonna keep starting him whether you like it or not. That’s what we’re gonna do because our guys believe in him. At halftime, we asked our key guys because we were thinking about it because I thought Paul Millsap gave us some decent minutes, and to a man, that’s where they wanted to go.”

Game 2 against the Heat is set for Wednesday in Miami. While Jordan had himself a tough night, Reed did have five fouls in 13:03 and Millsap had a few bad moments on defense. Without Embiid, there really isn’t much Rivers can do.

As they move forward in this series, Jordan may very well just be the guy.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Player grades: Shorthanded Sixers fall late to Heat in Game 1 on the road

The shorthanded version of the Philadelphia 76ers fell late to the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on the road.

MIAMI — The Philadelphia 76ers knew this series was not going to be easy. To go up against the No. 1 seed in the East without your best player is a tall task for any team. Without Joel Embiid the Sixers got a little funky with their lineups and they gave the Miami Heat a bit of a battle all night long in Game 1.

Despite falling behind by 14 points early, Philadelphia battled back and they took a 51-50 halftime lead in Miami. Every time it looked like the Heat would then pull away in the second half, the Sixers would answer back and make it a game. Alas, the Heat did eventually pull away and walked away with a 106-92 victory, but the Sixers can feel good about their effort heading into Game 2. They had a lot of open looks, but they couldn’t convert.

Tobias Harris led the Sixers with 27 points and six rebounds, James Harden had 16 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, and Tyrese Maxey added 19 points. Paul Reed gave four points and nine rebounds off the bench.

Here are the player grades following the Game 1 loss:

Sixers plan to go center by committee in the absence of Joel Embiid

The Philadelphia 76ers plan to go center by committee with Joel Embiid not available.

CAMDEN, N.J.–The Philadelphia 76ers have a very tough situation on their hands as they get set to take on the Miami Heat in the Eastern semifinals. As they knocked off the Toronto Raptors in Game 6 of their Round 1 series on Thursday, Joel Embiid took a hit to the face and he now has an orbital fracture and a concussion.

The injury will keep Embiid out for at least Game 1 of this series and he could be out for even longer depending on how quickly he recovers from this injury.

For Philadelphia, the question is what will they do at center? They utilized Paul Reed as the backup in Round 1 while veterans DeAndre Jordan and Paul Millsap waited in the wings. With Embiid out, coach Doc Rivers says they will use those three as well as rookie Charles Bassey who has recovered from a right shoulder sprain.

“We are not gonna be shy with playing different guys,” said Rivers. “I know you guys wanna make a big deal about those first three minutes and whoever is announced in the starting lineup, it doesn’t matter to us. I’m just telling you that right now. We’re worried about the last six minutes. That’s gonna be the key for us in this series and it will be with anybody, but definitely now.”

Will Rivers really try and use all four guys?

“The one thing about Miami is if nothing else, they’re clever, and they are foul magnets,” he added. “So that’s a concern for us for two reasons. They shoot free throws well so we don’t wanna play a whole series in penalty and number 2, getting some of our guys in foul trouble because Bam (Adebayo) does a great job of that. Jimmy Butler may be the best at it in this series now without Joel and Kyle Lowry does it so we just have to be very smart in how we plan our bigs.”

With that being said, one just doesn’t replace a guy like Embiid. He led the league in scoring at 30.6 points per game and he threw the Sixers on his back more often than not. If it wasn’t for the big fella, there would be no success in Philadelphia.

“You can’t replace the MVP,” said Jordan. “He’s averaging 30 and whatever for the season and he’s extremely dominant. He has been during these playoffs, the first round, so it’s gonna be hard to replace that, but we’ll just have to pick it up by committee and everybody will be ready to go regardless of who it is. I’m sure we’ll all kinda see some time at some point, but hopefully, we’ll get him back as soon as possible.”

The good thing is that Embiid seems as if he is in good spirits despite the bad news.

“I think so,” said Jordan. “You can’t be negative about it. It’s unfortunate, but we gotta stay optimistic and positive that he’ll be back as soon as possible for our team, but we want him to be healthy though.”

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Sixers react to Joel Embiid’s injury, discuss how they replace his scoring

The Philadelphia 76ers react to Joel Embiid’s injury while discussing how they replace his offensive production.

CAMDEN, N.J.–The Philadelphia 76ers are in a tough spot as they prepare for the Miami Heat for Game 1 of the Eastern semifinals without their superstar big man in Joel Embiid. The big fella suffered an orbital fracture and a concussion in the team’s Game 6 win over the Toronto Raptors.

The Sixers will now have a huge challenge as they prepare for this next series without their best player. Philadelphia will be in trouble if other guys don’t step up on the offensive end in this series and as they get set to head down to Miami on Monday, they will have to figure out just how they replace him.

Ranking the 3 most important players in order for Sixers to beat Raptors

We are ranking the 3 most important players in order for the Philadelphia 76ers to knock off the Toronto Raptors in Round 1.

As Game 1 of Round 1 between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors gets closer, Sixers Wire will continue their series preview by ranking the three most important players in this series in order for the Sixers to come away with a win.

Other than Joel Embiid and James Harden, the Sixers will have to rely on other players in order to get the job done and win this series. Philadelphia does not have the same continuity that a team like the Raptors has and they will need other players to step up and provide some help to the star duo.

The Matisse Thybulle situation also throws a wrench into what the Sixers want to do and this will be a tough series all-around. Sixers Wire editor Ky Carlin and contributor Austin Krell will give their three important players in this series for the Sixers:

Doc Rivers discusses Sixers’ backup 5 minutes ahead of Raptors series

Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers details the team’s backup center spot ahead of the playoffs with the Toronto Raptors.

PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers will officially be the No. 4 seed and they will take on the Toronto Raptors in Round 1 of the playoffs. There will certainly be a lot of challenges in that series, such as Matisse Thybulle’s status, but the question of who will be the backup center in that series is an interesting question.

Ever since the Sixers signed veteran DeAndre Jordan to a deal off the buyout market, he has gotten the majority of the minutes behind Joel Embiid. However, due to a smaller and energetic team like the Raptors, they might go to second-year big man Paul Reed who has gotten the backup center minutes over the final three games of the regular season.

Reed had 25 points and six rebounds in Sunday’s win over the Detroit Pistons, but coach Doc Rivers wasn’t ready to anoint him or anything.

“I’m not gonna go on a Paul Reed victory tour, so don’t start,” said Rivers. “We’re tying to win a world championship.”

The big issue with Reed has always been the fact that although he is talented and energetic, he can be in the wrong position a lot of the time and he had five fouls on Sunday. However, he has been playing well lately and the Sixers will take that.

“It’s important,” Rivers added. “That’s huge for us, but having said that, I got a feeling that Joel will be playing more. Unless y’all want us to sit him so I don’t get caught up in all that stuff.”

When Rivers was pressed a bit more about playing Reed more over Jordan, he broke it down very swiftly.

“Let me clarify this one more time for everybody who struggles with this,” Rivers said. “When there’s a small lineup, we’ll play smaller with Paul. When there’s a big 5, you play bigger with DJ.”

Reed does have a tendency of getting into foul trouble early That causes a lot of issues for the Sixers when the time comes for the playoffs and that is something that is going to have to be considered in the postseason.

Rivers trusts his staff as they prepare for the Raptors.

“Against big 5s, because of fouling, we like DJ,” Rivers continued. “We have a whole coaching staff, who I’m just gonna guess knows a little bit more and they watch every game. They watch every practice. We believe against big 5s, DJ is good for us. We believe against smalls, Paul. Could we play Paul with a big 5? Yeah, you could. He may get in foul trouble early in a playoff game which could swing a game. I’ve been around a long time. Trust that.”

Rivers has a good point. Everybody loves Reed, and it’s fair, he’s shown a lot of bright flashes, but at the end of the day, he might not quite be ready for extensive playing time just yet. He can be pretty wild out on the floor at times and that is why Jordan gets the majority of the playing time.

It will be interesting to see what the Sixers do with the position come playoff time.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Player grades: Shake Milton leads Sixers past Pistons in season finale

Shake Milton led the Philadelphia 76ers past the Detroit Pistons in the season finale at home.

PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers were looking to end the season on the right foot as they played host to the Detroit Pistons in the season finale on Sunday night. It was the second night of a back-to-back and in preparation for the playoffs, they rested Joel Embiid and James Harden for the games that matter.

As far as the matchup with the Pistons is concerned, they focused on making sure everybody was healthy going into the postseason and making sure everybody was in the right groove. The game didn’t mean much for them as the Boston Celtics thrashed the Memphis Grizzlies so that locks the Sixers into the No. 4 seed and a date with the Toronto Raptors in the playoffs.

The Sixers came away with a 118-106 win as Shake Milton hopped off the bench and scored 30 points, Tyrese Maxey had 25 points, Paul Reed had 25 points and six rebounds, and DeAndre Jordan had eight and 11 rebounds. Tobias Harris had six, six assists, and five rebounds and Furkan Korkmaz had nine with Isaiah Joe adding eight. Philadelphia will finish 51-31 on the season.

Here are the player grades following the win: