Tag: Jalen McDaniels

Sixers discuss how to slow Celtics stars Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown

The Philadelphia 76ers discuss how they can slow down Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

BOSTON — The biggest challenge for the Philadelphia 76ers in this Eastern Conference semifinal series, other than overcoming the injury to Joel Embiid, will be slowing Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

One of the more fearsome duos in the league, they are responsible for everything the Celtics do on the floor. Tatum is a ruthless scorer who can also rebound at an efficient rate. He is also a willing passer who gets his teammates involved. Brown can score at a high rate while also being one of the top defenders in the game on the other end.

Defending those two will be a big priority in this series for Philadelphia.

“I don’t think about really stopping them,” Jalen McDaniels said. “It’s just like making it hard for them just because they’re great players. They’re gonna get to their spots. It’s not like you can stop somebody from making one shot, a couple shots, so I feel like when they’re trying to score, making it hard on them, a lot of pressure.”

McDaniels will be one of the defenders coach Doc Rivers will call upon to try to slow Tatum and Brown. McDaniels was acquired from the Charlotte Hornets for these moments.

“My length would bother them,” McDaniels added. “Just trying to make it harder, I can’t not let him score a couple points you know? So just making it hard is the biggest thing I say. No easy points, stuff like that.”

Along with the elite scoring Tatum and Brown bring to the table, they also get their teammates involved. Derrick White, Al Horford, Grant Williams, Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams III thrive off what those two do on the floor.

“Because they don’t mind sharing the ball,” PJ Tucker said. “They move the ball really well no matter who it is. They hit the open guy and they’re always attacking. They’re in attack mode at all times. So on closeouts, trying to close out to touch to make sure they don’t pull up for a shot, and still controlling the drive, and it’s really it’s easier said than done, but they do a good job of moving the ball and playing together.”

Game 1 of this series is set for 7:30 p.m. EDT on Monday in Boston.

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Celtics projected to go for a wing, two forwards in 2023 free agency

It might seem early, but you can bet that the team’s front office already has its eyes on some potential candidates to pursue to shore up the team’s needs around the margins.

It is probably a bit early for most of us to be thinking about the 2023 NBA draft, never mind the summer free agency period that will follow it for the Boston Celtics, but you can bet that the team’s front office already has its eyes on some potential candidates to pursue to shore up the team’s needs around the margins.

And the Celtics’ front office is not alone in that regard, with some analysts already beginning to sniff around the pool of free agents that mike make sense for Boston to try and sign to a deal this summer.

One such analyst is Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley, who has three such targets in mind for the Celtics — let’s take a look (and be sure to check out the full article).

Player grades: Joel Embiid-less Sixers eliminate Nets with Game 4 win

The Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers eliminate the Brooklyn Nets in Game 4 to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

NEW YORK–The Philadelphia 76ers looked to eliminate the Brooklyn Nets in Game 4 on Saturday afternoon as they were looking to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals and give Joel Embiid as much time to rest up as possible. The big fella is dealing with a right knee sprain and the Sixers had to battle the Nets on Saturday without him.

After the Nets opened up an 11-point lead and they sustained it for the most part, the Sixers began to stir in the third quarter. After it looked like they had been sleepwalking for most of the day, they were able to kick it into high gear and rally for a 96-88 win. Philadelphia earned its first sweep of a seven-game series since 1985 when they swept the then-Washington Bullets and is in the semifinals for the third consecutive season.

Tobias Harris had 25 points and 12 rebounds, James Harden had 17 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds, Tyrese Maxey had 16 and eight boards, and Paul Reed had 10 points and 15 rebounds. De’Anthony Melton added 15 points with all of those coming in the fourth quarter.

Here are the player grades following the win:

Jalen McDaniels draws praise from Sixers for growth as playoffs continue

Jalen McDaniels has drawn praise from the Philadelphia 76ers as his first playoff run continues.

NEW YORK — The Philadelphia 76ers made their move at the trade deadline when they brought in Jalen McDaniels from the Charlotte Hornets in a four-team deal that sent Matisse Thybulle to the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Sixers were bringing in somebody they believed they could trust more to contribute in the playoffs at both ends of the court. McDaniels is a very strong defender while also being able to knock down 3-pointers when the time calls for it.

Through his first three career playoff games, McDaniels has made an impact with his athleticism. He has bothered the Brooklyn Nets guards on the perimeter, and he has shown a knack to knock down an open shot.

“I think Jalen has been spectacular,” Georges Niang said on Friday. “To be tossed into a group that is in a win-now mode after being in Charlotte, no offense to them, and having devour the details every single day focusing on the winning habits. Not saying that he didn’t have any already, but as a team, every little thing that we do is focused towards winning and winning a championship.”

McDaniels has had some struggles, but, overall, the Sixers have been happy with what they have received from the athletic wing out of San Diego State. His ability to get into perimeter scorers and give the Sixers a spark on that end as well as being able to run the floor is helpful.

“He’s done just a great job of coming in and using his size and using his ability to defend and finish at the rim to really propel us over the top,” Niang added. “That was something that we had been missing. Someone that can play on both ends of the floor and he’s been spectacular.”

He’s also having to do this in a situation where it is not easy to play in Philadelphia for a young kid. He hasn’t blinked since he joined the Sixers.

“Credit to him because I couldn’t imagine being a young kid, traded, then his real pressure in Philadelphia, these fans will let you hear it,” Niang laughed. “The media let you hear it. So for him to come in and fit in with us, I guess, speaks volumes to who he is and how focused he is on being a winner.”

The Sixers will look to sweep the Nets on Saturday afternoon in Game 4 of this first-round series.

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Player grades: Tyrese Maxey, Sixers put away Nets to take 3-0 lead

Tyrese Maxy and the Philadelphia 76ers put away the Brooklyn Nets in the second half of Game 3 to take a 3-0 series lead.

NEW YORK–The Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets took this series north to Barclays Center where the Sixers were looking for a 3-0 stranglehold in this series while the Nets were just looking to get on the board in this series. Everybody knows that no team in NBA history has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit to win the series.

The Sixers built up a 13-point lead in the first half and while the Nets battled back to take the lead in the third quarter, then a lot of nonsense happened on both sides, and Philadelphia was able to put them away for a 102-97 victory. Tyrese Maxey had 25 points to help the Sixers take a 3-0 lead in this series.

James Harden had 21 points, five rebounds, and four assists before being ejected for a flagrant-2 foul, and Joel Embiid had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Tobias Harris had 15 points and six rebounds and De’Anthony Melton added 13 off the bench.

Here are the player grades following the win:

Player grades: Tyrese Maxey leads sluggish Sixers over Nets in Game 2

Tyrese Maxey led the way for the sluggish Philadelphia 76ers to knock off the Brooklyn Nets in Game 2 at home.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers were looking to take advantage of having home court advantage in their first-round series with the Brooklyn Nets and take a 2-0 series lead before they paid a visit to the Barclays Center for Game 3. Considering the talent and experience gap, this was a good opportunity for Philadelphia.

However, the Sixers looked sluggish. They were not finishing at the basket. They had a tough time taking care of the ball, and they played into Brooklyn’s strengths all night. However, Tyrese Maxey came to the rescue, and the Sixers walked away with a 96-84 victory in Game 2 at home.

Maxey had 33 points to lead the Sixers. Tobias Harris had 20 points and 12 rebounds. Joel Embiid had 20, 19 rebounds and seven assists, and De’Anthony Melton had nine off the bench. James Harden added eight points, seven assists and five rebounds in an off night for him. PJ Tucker grabbed eight rebounds.

Here are the player grades following the win:

Doc Rivers praises Jalen McDaniels for his work in Sixers playoff debut

Doc Rivers gives praise to Jalen McDaniels after he made his playoff debut for the Philadelphia 76ers.

CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers made a move at the deadline to bring in Jalen McDaniels to add more versatility to their bench unit. The four-year man out of San Diego State had five points off the bench, and he made some big defensive plays in his playoff debut on Saturday.

It wasn’t the most perfect playoff debut. He made some defensive mistakes, such as leaving Seth Curry open for 3, but he was a very positive player in the Game 1 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

“He was great,” Rivers said of McDaniels. “I thought him and Melt (De’Anthony Melton), at times, you had to remind them that they were guarding the best player and they were over-helping and lost sight of their guys a couple times and got beat off the dribble because of that.”

McDaniels was able to knock down a 3-pointer and he was able to provide some strong play for Philadelphia with his ball-handling. He was able to run some pick-and-roll with the bench unit which makes things easier for that group on the offensive end of the floor.

“Other than that, Jalen is a factor because of his ability to handle the ball in the paint,” Rivers added. “He made a great play to Paul Reed, he made another one where he threw it out, and he can finish with his size. So he’s a big factor for us.”

The Sixers look for McDaniels to continue his strong play in Game 2 with the Nets on Monday.

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Jalen McDaniels reacts to finally making playoff debut in Sixers’ win

Jalen McDaniels discussed finally making his playoff debut after the Philadelphia 76ers knocked off the Brooklyn Nets in Game 1.

PHILADELPHIA–Before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers at the deadline back in February, Jalen McDaniels was toiling in NBA obscurity with the Charlotte Hornets. Those teams in Charlotte had some talent, but they were not able to make any playoff appearances during his time there.

On Saturday, McDaniels finally stepped on the court to make his playoff debut in Game 1 against the Brooklyn Nets. The lanky forward out of San Diego State had five points, four rebounds, and two assists and he knocked down a 3-pointer in a 121-101 win over the Nets in the Round 1 opener.

After the win, McDaniels discussed what it was like to get some playoff minutes against the Nets.

“Honestly, the playoffs is way different,” he said wide-eyed. “Like everybody says just like the intensity of the game. Everything, every detail matters. I think I did something like little and Doc (Rivers) was like ‘Hey, like that can’t happen’ and I’m like ‘Yeah, you’re right. It can’t’. So it’s locking in. That’s the big thing in the playoffs.”

McDaniels did make a few defensive mistakes when he allowed Seth Curry to step into an open triple for the Nets, but overall, he played very well. His defensive activity and his movement off the ball gave Brooklyn trouble and the Sixers were able to benefit from it.

Philadelphia will now be looking for more of that when they move on to Game 2 of this series on Monday at home. They will look for a 2-0 series lead before the series shifts to Brooklyn.

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Player grades: Joel Embiid leads Sixers over pesky Nets in Game 1

Joel Embiid leads the Philadelphia 76ers over the pesky Brooklyn Nets in Game 1 of this Round 1 playoff series.

PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers began their playoff journey on Saturday afternoon as they played host to the Brooklyn Nets in Game 1 in their first round playoff series. The Sixers enter this postseason with championship hopes as they feel like they have a terrific shot during this run.

The Sixers had some issues defending the Nets early, but they eventually found a rhythm on both ends of the floor as they were able to walk away with a 121-101 win to open the series. It was a wire-to-wire victory as Brooklyn was unable to break through despite really hanging around for the majority of this one.

Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 26 points and five rebounds, James Harden had 23 points and 13 assists, Tobias Harris had 21, and PJ Tucker added six and seven boards. Tyrese Maxey added 13 and six rebounds while Paul Reed had 11 and four rebounds.

Here are the player grades following the win:

6 burning questions surrounding Sixers vs. Nets in Round 1 series

Here are six questions surrounding the Round 1 playoff series between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets.

As the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets get set to begin the first round of the playoffs on Saturday, now is the time to break down some questions on both sides.

The Sixers enter this playoff run with a great deal of pressure. After being ousted in the Eastern Conference semifinals in four of the past five seasons, they are looking to finally get over the hump.

The Nets are continuing to grow as a team after their big deadline trades sent away Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. They have been a solid team since the deals. Mikal Bridges and Spencer Dinwiddie have led the way.

In this edition, Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire teamed with Sharif Phillips-Keaton of the Nets Wire ahead of this playoff series to tackle six burning questions: