Tag: Joel Embiid

Sixers vs. Nuggets preview: Sixers look to remain dominant at home

The Philadelphia 76ers take on the Denver Nuggets at home on Tuesday.

The Philadelphia 76ers are continuing to grow together as a group and they are riding high after a win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday despite still not being at full strength. The win improved them to 12-0 at home as they continued to lay the groundwork for a real home-court advantage.

The Denver Nuggets invade the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday in a big matchup between two elite big men in Sixes star Joel Embiid and Nuggets star Nikola Jokic. Denver rallied and knocked off the Sixers in Denver in the earlier part of the season thanks to the heroics of Jokic and Philadelphia will be looking for a little revenge on Tuesday.

With that said, it’s time for the complete guide to this one in South Philly:

How to watch Sixers vs. Nuggets

  • Date: Tuesday, December 10
  • Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
  • Location: Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia, PA
  • TV: TNT

Injury Report

  • Sixers: QUESTIONABLE: Josh Richardson(right hamstring tightness)
  • Nuggets: NONE

Storylines

Brown upset with turnovers

The Sixers were able to come away with a win over Toronto on Sunday, but it was an ugly finish as the Sixers almost blew an 18 point lead over the final five minutes of the game. Philadelphia committed seven turnovers, three of them from Embiid, over that final stretch and Toronto made it a 109-104 game before the Sixers closed it out. It was a finish that coach Brett Brown was not happy with despite earning the win.

“Where do we begin?” asked Brown. “Some of the passing decisions are stuff that you just got to get better with. Some of it, you just scratch your head and try to coach them better and help them more. It is disappointing the way that ended because for the most part, I thought we played good basketball. It’s just the way it ended, you have a little bit of a sour taste in your mouth.”

Harris finding his groove

Heading into the season, the Sixers expected Tobias Harris to be one of their main scorers and a guy who could take over for stretches on offense. On Sunday, Harris scored 26 points against a good Raptors defense and over the last 13 games, he’s averaging 21.5 points and shooting 41.4% from deep. Ever since being acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers at the February deadline in 2019, Harris says this is the best he’s felt on the offensive end as a member of the Sixers.

“Yes. 100%,” confirmed Harris. “I think I’m in a really good rhythm of just going out and embracing and feeding off my teammates and getting into a flow. I pride myself on playing in the flow of the game. I’ve done a really good job of being able to do that and being able to have guys on the team look for me in different spots and get me going. Coach has done a really good job of having that rhythm come our way a little bit faster.”

Prediction

The Sixers truly are a different team at home. The numbers support it, the eye test supports it, and so does the team’s record. The Nuggets are definitely a handful between Jokic, Paul Millsap, Jamal Murray, and others, but the Sixers will be motivated to avenge the early season loss in Denver, which was an inexcusable loss, and playing in front of the home crowd will do them well.

Pick: Sixers in a close battle

Sixers vs. Nuggets season series

Game 1 November 8: 100-97 Nuggets

Game 2 December 10:

[lawrence-related id=20987,20980,20973]

Brett Brown says he has a ‘sour taste’ after Sixers sloppy finish to win

Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown says he has a sour taste in his mouth following a win over the Toronto Raptors.

The final score read the Philadelphia 76ers knocking off the Toronto Raptors 110-104 on Sunday night, but it felt weird. It didn’t feel like a win. It felt as if the Sixers let one slip away.

In a way, it almost felt like a loss.

Philadelphia led by as many as 21 and they led 102-84 with 4:57 left after James Ennis III knocked down two free throws. From that point on, the Sixers committed seven turnovers, three of them from Joel Embiid, and the Raptors whittled the lead down to 109-104 with 14 seconds left. The Sixers almost gave this one away and it had coach Brett Brown searching for answers.

“Where do we begin?” asked Brown. “Some of the passing decisions are stuff that you just got to get better with. Some of it, you just scratch your head and try to coach them better and help them more. It is disappointing the way that ended because for the most part, I thought we played good basketball. It’s just the way it ended, you have a little bit of a sour taste in your mouth.”

The Sixers did play terrific basketball for three quarters. They built the large lead on the strength of taking care of the basketball and they did a terrific job of sharing it and playing great defense. Then, it all fell apart in that final stretch and Brown even benched Embiid late in favor of Raul Neto. Embiid finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, but he also committed seven more turnovers.

“I think that his energy was good,” said Brown on Embiid. “At the end, they pressed with a bunch of athletes, he had some rough decisions and it’s unfortunate because I think for the large part of the game, he’s one of the main reasons we won although it may not jump at you on a stat sheet, it’s still Joel Embiid and his length and them trying to finish over him, you could feel his presence affected some of their rim stuff.

At the end, I came in trying to get in some ball handlers and it’s something that we will learn and grow from.”

At the end of the day, the Sixers did win both of the games at home after a terrible loss to the Washington Wizards on Thursday.

“Then I’m reminded that it was a good weekend, we just beat the NBA champs and there’s lots of good things that came out of it,” he finished with. “Just the last part wasn’t one of them.”

The Sixers will now turn their attention to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday where they will continue to try and improve as a team. [lawrence-related id=20924,20917,20901]

Toronto Raptors at Philadelphia 76ers odds, lines, picks and best bets

Analyzing Sunday’s Toronto Raptors at Philadelphia 76ers matchup, with NBA betting odds, lines, picks and best bets

The Toronto Raptors (15-6) and Philadelphia 76ers (16-7) mix it up at Wells Fargo Center at 6:00 p.m. ET Sunday. We analyze the Raptors-76ers odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.

Raptors at 76ers: Key injuries

Raptors: SG Patrick McCaw (knee) and SF Stanley Johnson (groin) are each out until mid-December.

76ers: C Joel Embiid (hip) is expected to be ready, while SG Matisse Thybulle (ankle) is more questionable. SG Josh Richardson (hamstring) has been ruled out again.

Raptors at 76ers: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 7:15 a.m. ET.

Prediction

76ers 106, Raptors 101

Moneyline (ML)

The 76ERS (-150) should get a much bigger test than they did Saturday in their 141-94 victory against the Cavaliers. The Raptors (+125) haven’t lost three games in a row in over one calendar year, but they’ll be up against it in Philadelphia against with an unblemished (11-0) home record.

New to sports betting? Every $1 wagered on a Philadelphia win profits $0.67 if the 76ers prevail. (Ex: Bet $10 to win $6.70, $20 to win $13.40, $5.99 to win $10).

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Take the 76ERS (-2.5, –115), even though they’re just 8-17 ATS in the past 25 against the Raptors (+2.5, -106). Go lightly on the 76ers, as even though they’re just 2-5 ATS in the past seven in the second end of a back-to-back, they’ll have fresh legs with Embiid back in action after a rest Saturday.

Over/Under (O/U)

PASS. For the second straight day I just don’t care for the total in a Philly game. There is too much uncertainty with Embiid back, and the fact the rest of the team is playing in the second of a back-to-back. The under is 7-2 in the past nine meetings in this series, so if anything, there is a slight lean in that direction.

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[lawrence-newsletter]

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Sixers to start Mike Scott in place of Joel Embiid vs. Cavaliers

The Philadelphia 76ers will start Mike Scott in place of Joel Embiid on Saturday night.

The Philadelphia 76ers will be looking to bounce back from a very disappointing loss to the Washington Wizards on Thursday when they welcome in the Cleveland Cavaliers into Philadelphia on Saturday. They will have to go to battle without two of their starters.

As Josh Richardson will miss his fifth straight game with right hamstring tightness and Joel Embiid will miss the game with a left hip contusion, the Sixers will turn to Furkan Korkmaz again in place of Richardson and they will turn to Mike Scott in place of Embiid.

Korkmaz will start his 10th game of the season while it will be the first for Scott. The Sixers will need his toughness down low against Cleveland big man Tristan Thompson and out on the perimeter against Kevin Love.

Scott has struggled shooting the 3-ball lately, but the Sixers need him to really put those struggles behind him and help spread the floor for them on offense. It would certainly help the turnover issues with a more open paint.

Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. EST from the Wells Fargo Center. [lawrence-related id=20784,20778,20769]

Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers odds, lines, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Cleveland Cavaliers (5-16) and Philadelphia 76ers (15-7) tip-off at Wells Fargo Center at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday night. We analyze the Cavaliers-76ers odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.

Cavaliers at 76ers: Key injuries

Cavaliers: PF Kevin Love (illness) is questionable, while SG Dylan Windler (shin) is out until mid-December.

76ers: C Joel Embiid (hip) and SG Josh Richardson (hamstring) are out. C Kyle O’Quinn (calf) remains out indefinitely, too.

Cavaliers at 76ers: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 12:45 p.m. ET.

Prediction

76ers 113, Cavaliers 93

Moneyline (ML)

The 76ers (-833) are overwhelming favorites, and there is no way to justify risking eight times your money for a small return. The Cavaliers (+550) are giant underdogs because they’re not a good team, and they might be without their best player, Love, who is under the weather.

New to sports betting? Every $1 wagered on a Philadelphia win profits $0.12 if the 76ers prevail. (Ex: Bet $10 to win $1.20, $20 to win $2.40, $83.33 to win $10).

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Take the 76ERS (-11.5, –115), even though they’ll be a little bit short-handed without Embiid. They’ll still be in good shape against the struggling Cavs.

Over/Under (O/U)

PASS. The Under has cashed in 19 of the past 27 meetings in this series, and 10 of the past 14 battles in Philadelphia. With Embiid out, and Love possibly joining him, the defense actually could be lacking. There is just too much uncertainty to wade into the total pool here.

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[lawrence-newsletter]

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Sixers to be without Joel Embiid, Josh Richardson against Cavs

The Philadelphia 76ers will be missing both Joel Embiid and Josh Richardson against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Philadelphia 76ers will be looking to bounce back from a very disappointing loss to the Washington Wizards on Thursday night when they return home for a home back-to-back on Saturday when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers. In order to do so, they will have to persevere not only without Josh Richardson but Joel Embiid as well.

Richardson will miss his fifth straight game on Saturday with the right hamstring tightness that has hampered him since their Thanksgiving Eve game against the Sacramento Kings. Embiid, on the other hand, reported some hip discomfort on Thursday and he has been diagnosed with a left hip contusion which will keep him out the Cavaliers game at least.

Embiid had 26 points and 21 rebounds in Thursday’s loss to the Wizards, but he had eight turnovers that really hurt the Sixers chances at winning. The team will be looking to try and hold off Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson on the boards without their superstar big man as Al Horford will probably slide over to the center spot and contain him.[lawrence-related id=20760,20751,20732]

Brett Brown says Sixers have to help Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons’ turnovers

Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown says the team needs to help out Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons in the turnover department.

It was a long night for the Philadelphia 76ers All-Star duo of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons as the two combined to commit 15 of the Sixers’ 21 turnovers in a 119-113 loss to the Washington Wizards on Thursday night. It was a performance that, simply put, will not get it done in the NBA. If you turn the ball over, you’re going to lose. It’s that simple.

Embiid had a monster stat line of 26 points and 21 rebounds, but the number that people are going to remember the most is the fact that he committed eight turnovers. Simmons had 17 points, 10 assists, and five rebounds, but as with Embiid, everyone will remember only the seven turnovers he committed.

It’s an issue that will not win games in the NBA and a visibly frustrated Brett Brown was not happy afterward.

“We’re always trying to help our two young guys,” said Brown. “I think Jo had eight, Ben had seven. You’re trying to help those guys get better. It’s not going to win anything, it won’t win any game that matters, let alone a regular-season game. It’s not going to put us in any position where we can close out a game. We have to do better in that area and I gotta help them.”

Washington scored 30 points off of those 21 turnovers committed by the Sixers and with 15 of them coming from their All-Star leaders, it’s something to be concerned about as they move forward. The team has got to get this under control in order to make a serious run at a title.

The Sixers will have a day off to think about things before getting back at it on Saturday when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers to begin a back-to-back at home. [lawrence-related id=20716,20708,20699]

Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid react to turnovers committed in Sixers loss

The Philadelphia 76ers All-Star duo of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons react to the turnovers they committed.

If you commit turnovers in the NBA, you won’t win many games. That’s how it is in this league. For the Philadelphia 76ers, they committed 21 turnovers to the Washington Wizards on the road and it ended in a 119-113 loss on Thursday night.

All-Star leaders Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons combined to commit 15 of those turnovers, eight from Embiid and seven from Simmons, and it hindered any type of comeback attempt the Sixers tried to put on.

“We’re just not taking care of the ball,” Simmons said. “Charges, travels, they had a few steals on us. We just didn’t take care of the ball.”

Could the Sixers have come in and underestimated the Wizards? Especially after two days off?

“I just think we came in too relaxed,” the All-Star point guard added. “We didn’t take care of the ball, we waited too long down the stretch to try and get the game back.”

Embiid, on the other hand, had 26 points and 21 rebounds, but it was overshadowed by the fact that he committed the eight turnovers.

“There’s always two or three guys on me every time I have the ball so I know it’s coming,” said the big man. “I’ve got to make sure to take my time and make the right play.”

Philadelphia will look to regroup on Saturday when they begin a home back-to-back with the Cleveland Cavaliers. [lawrence-related id=20699,20669,20661]

Brett Brown upset with Sixers response to Wizards pace in loss

Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown was upset with the team’s lack of urgency in a loss to the Washington Wizards.

The Philadelphia 76ers knew what they were getting into on Thursday night. They were facing off with one of the best offenses in the NBA and they did not respond like they were aware of that. They allowed the Washington Wizards to score too easily and the Sixers had no answer until it was too late. It resulted in a 119-113 loss to the Wizards that kept the team winless in D.C. since 2013.

Coach Brett Brown was upset with the Sixers as he felt like they did not respond like a championship team should have after building an 11 point lead in the first quarter.

“I didn’t think we responded well at all,” said a frustrated Brown afterward. “I thought that it took us about 36 minutes, 38 minutes to come with an energy that we have been playing with. You don’t attain defensive standards and rankings playing the way we did in the first three periods and some.”

The Sixers entered the night ranking fourth in the league in defensive rating, but that all fell apart in the second quarter. Wizards forward Davis Bertans caught fire and he scored 22 points on a perfect 8-for-8 shooting and 6-for-6 from deep as Washington outscored Philadelphia 40-22 in the quarter.

“Some of it you shake your head and you give Bertans a lot of credit,” Brown added. “Some of the shots that he was making, you give him some credit…I don’t think we responded from a sense of urgency standpoint like we needed to.”

Joel Embiid had 26 points and 21 rebounds, but his effort was not enough to stop the Wizards.

“They made some threes,” said Embiid. “Bertans got hot.”

The Sixers return home for a back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday. [lawrence-related id=20679,20669,20661]

Turnovers doom Sixers in disappointing loss to Wizards

The Sixers put forth a sloppy effort in Washington and the Wizards made them pay.

The Philadelphia 76ers put forth one of their most disappointing efforts of the season Thursday night in Washington, losing to the Wizards 119-113.

Things started off fine in the nation’s capital, with the Sixers scoring 33 first-quarter points and building an eight-point lead.

The second quarter proved to be an utter disaster as the Sixers were outscored 40-22. The Sixers defense got torched, in particular by Davis Bertans, and the offense couldn’t keep pace. Suddenly, their eight-point lead was a 10-point deficit.

The teams played even in the third quarter, and the Sixers trimmed a few points off the deficit in the fourth but it wasn’t enough as they simply didn’t make enough plays and couldn’t get out of their own way.

Two things jump off the stat sheet. First, the Sixers committed 21 turnovers. That’s simply way too many. Making matters worse, the biggest culprits were the team’s two cornerstones, the guys who handle the ball the most. Joel Embiid had eight while Ben Simmons had seven. That duo holds far too much responsibility for the success of the team to be that careless with the basketball.

The other is the defensive glass. The Sixers won the overall rebounding battle by a narrow 44-41 margin, but surrendered 13 offensive rebounds to the Wizards, subsequently getting outscored 21-9 in second-chance points.

As a result, Washington got up 13 more shot attempts than the Sixers and was able to offset a decent offensive night from the Sixers. Philadelphia shot 53.2% from the field and 46.4% from 3 to Washington’s 45.6% and 40.7%. Between the turnovers and offensive rebounds, the Sixers simply gave the Wizards too many extra opportunities.

Outside of his turnovers, Joel Embiid had a nice game with 26 points and 21 rebounds, earning 14 trips to the free-throw line.

Tobias Harris poured in 33 points to go with seven rebounds and three assists. Ben Simmons added 17 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, and three steals. Al Horford chipped in 11 points and five rebounds, while Furkan Korkmaz added eight points getting the start for Josh Richardson.

The Sixers didn’t get much from their bench, as the second unit contributed just 18 points, 11 of which came from Raul Neto. One bright spot from the bench was the six assists from Matisse Thybulle.

There’s really no way around it, this was a game the Sixers were expected to win and they put forth a sloppy, disappointing effort. The loss marks the 10th straight loss for the Sixers in Washington, where they haven’t won since 2013. It also ends the team’s four-game winning streak. They’ll look to get back on track Saturday when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers.