Tag: Kyle Lowry

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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Sixers will lean on Kyle Lowry ahead of play-in matchup vs. Heat

The Philadelphia 76ers will lean on Kyle Lowry ahead of their play-in matchup with the Miami Heat.

CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers will play host to the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament on Wednesday in the 7 vs. 8 matchup. The winner will be the No. 7 seed and take on the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs. The loser will have to prepare for another play-in game on Friday.

The Sixers will, obviously, depend on Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey to get the job done against the Heat, but Kyle Lowry will be a factor.

“I think in general, I would lean on him, as I do with some of the other vets,” said coach Nick Nurse at practice on Monday. “Obviously, with our little bit longer relationship, I probably have a little bit more conversations with him just because of the comfort factor. He knows a lot of what I’m thinking and I know what he’s thinking a little bit. We go over some of that stuff.”

Lowry had been with the Heat for 2 1/2 seasons before joining Philadelphia in February. He knows how Miami operates, and he was with the Heat on their run from the play-in to the finals in 2023.

“Certainly, in this, he knows this team very well,” Nurse added. “He’s played for them, right? So he knows the personnel and he knows some inner workings of things that he thinks they might do. We’ve been talking about those this morning.”

At this stage of the season, everybody knows what everybody runs. It’s no secret. Especially, with film and other scouting, but Lowry will be able to give the Sixers an idea of how to slow the Heat.

“Obviously, having Kyle, he’s been in that system,” added KJ Martin. “He knows guys’ tendencies and stuff like that. Obviously, we watch film on and off so just having him on the court, playing there for a couple years, it helps.”

The Sixers and the Heat will match up at 7 p.m. EDT on Wednesday in Philadelphia.

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Joel Embiid praises new Sixers teammate Kyle Lowry for basketball IQ

Big man Joel Embiid praises new Philadelphia 76ers teammate Kyle Lowry for his high basketball IQ.

MIAMI — The Philadelphia 76ers are in the process of reintegrating Joel Embiid back into their game after the big fella missed two months due to a left meniscus injury.

The Sixers look different now; they have added key pieces such as Kyle Lowry, for example, to the roster. Lowry spent the first part of the season with the Miami Heat before he was traded to the Charlotte Hornets and then waived clearing his way to sign with the Sixers.

Embiid and Lowry have appeared in sync through their first two games together. That is because the two of them understand the game of basketball at a high level.

“It’s easy,” Embiid said of his pairing with Lowry following a 109-105 win over the Heat. “He’s been connected to Philly for a long time so I’m glad he’s finally here, but I always say this: when you put smart basketball players together, it’s just easy. We already have that connection while we’ve been playing and it’s only gonna get better as I figure myself out and finally get back to — I don’t think I’m gonna get back to where I wanna be, but I’m pretty close to it so we’re only gonna get better.”

A big key to the success is Embiid talking with his teammates and wanting them to be in the spots he needs them to be in to be successful. That has helped Lowry and the rest of the new players to fit in next to the reigning league MVP.

“I think we just have more of a communication level of what he wants us to do,” Lowry added. “I think the more he communicates with us, it’s better. The over-communication is great for us. We need that and he’s been very vocal on where he wants us at and where in the spots and Nick (Nurse) has done a great job of showing us on film where he wants the ball or when he needs the ball and what we should be doing.”

The Sixers need to develop this pairing as the season draws to a close. Philadelphia has five games left on the docket before the postseason begins, and that is when this franchise will be judged.

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Kyle Lowry gives love to Jimmy Butler, Heat ahead of return to Miami

Philadelphia 76ers guard Kyle Lowry reflects on his time with Jimmy Butler and the Heat ahead of his return to Miami.

MIAMI — Before making his return to his native Philadelphia to play for the 76ers, Kyle Lowry was a key member of the Miami Heat for 2 1/2 seasons.

After nine seasons as a member of the Toronto Raptors, Lowry signed with the Heat in the 2021 offseason. His numbers in Miami were not up to par with his All-Star level of play while with the Raptors, but he had some good moments while helping the Heat reach the Eastern Conference finals in 2022 and the NBA Finals in 2023.

As he returns to Miami on Thursday as a member of the Sixers, Lowry gave a lot of love to the Heat organization and what they accomplished together.

“This organization’s meant a lot to me,” Lowry told Sixers Wire of the Heat. “I have admiration for these coaches, the players, the ownership group, Pat (Riley), Andy Elisburg, like I have admiration and love for those guys. Those guys gave me an opportunity to go to East Conference finals, go to a finals, get a house here, have my family settled. Like I said, I cheer for them except for when I’m playing against them.”

Former Sixer star Jimmy Butler and Lowry have kept a strong friendship beyond the basketball court, and he is looking forward to seeing Butler and his former Heat teammates on Thursday.

“One of my closest friends in the world is Jimmy Butler, and I love him and I will love him past basketball, beyond basketball,” Lowry added. “Kevin Love, I’ve created relationships that are lifelong relationships in a place that I love.”

Lowry and the Heat reached the finals as the No. 8 seed in 2023. With the Sixers in a similar position, one has to wonder if there are any similarities between what Miami did and what this Sixers team can do.

Lowry shut that notion down, however. The Sixers are in a different situation compared to what the Heat had to go through.

“No,” he said succinctly. “Completely different situation. A completely different year. I can’t look at what I helped the team do last year. I got to look at what we have right now and what we’re doing now.”

Either way, Lowry will look to lead the Sixers against his former Heat team on Thursday and lead Philadelphia to a win.

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Sixers big man Paul Reed learning a lot from veteran Kyle Lowry

Philadelphia 76ers big man Paul Reed is learning a lot from veteran teammate Kyle Lowry.

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia 76ers veteran Kyle Lowry has seen it all in his 18-season Hall of Fame career. He has seen every scenario, every defensive scheme and every possible situation one can see while playing the game of basketball.

Now at 38 years old, Lowry is able to pass down his knowledge to the younger players in the league.

For example, Sixers big man Paul Reed learned a great deal from Lowry and what he brings to the floor.

“He does a lot, man,” Reed told Sixers Wire. “Having a veteran guy like that, that has experience and championship games and knows ins and outs of the NBA and referees and all that. I mean, it’s a huge plus because he’s a great leader. He leads. Not just me, but he leads everybody on the team and guiding everybody to do the right thing. He’s like a coach for real.”

Lowry is a great communicator out on the floor. One can see him barking out instructions to his teammates and making sure they’re all in the right spots to have success defensively and offensively.

His basketball IQ is off the charts, something Reed is learning from his veteran teammate.

“I will say just the way that he thinks the game,” Reed added. “He takes it to another level. I’ve kind of picked up on that as I’ve been around him. Just trying to understand more the point guard vision. What they see rather than what I see as a big.”

Reed is going to play a big role in whatever the Sixers do in the playoffs when April 20 rolls around. Whatever the challenges may be, Lowry will be there to help him through it all.

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Sixers enjoy ovation Kyle Lowry received from Raptors fans in return

The Philadelphia 76ers enjoyed the ovation Kyle Lowry received from the Toronto Raptors fans in his return on Sunday.

The matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors on Sunday featured more than just a regular season contest in late March. The Sixers feature a couple of Raptors legends who made another return to Canada.

Coach Nick Nurse was an assistant coach in Toronto for five seasons and head coach for another 10. Kyle Lowry is arguably the greatest player in Raptors franchise history.  When they were introduced pregame, Nurse and Lowry received a nice ovation from the Scotiabank Arena crowd on Sunday.

“They gave a really good cheer for Kyle,” Nurse told reporters after the win over the Raptors. “I like to see that. He’s — seriously — he’s, in my mind, I was there 10 years or nine years with him. He’s certainly, if not the best, one of the best ever play here.”

Lowry, who returned to Toronto multiple times while with the Miami Heat, expressed his desire to eventually sign a one-day contract with the franchise to retire as a member of the Raptors. He spent nine seasons with Toronto and won a title with them in 2019 and he gave the same sentiment on Sunday.

“The relationships that I created here that I’ll have forever and I always see the same people over and over and I enjoy seeing those same people,” Lowry added. “My places I go to — I can’t tell you. They’re my places — but I get to go there. They take very care of me and like I said, this is home and I said it before. I said it many times. My last day as a player is going to be a Toronto Raptor.”

Of course, Nurse addressed his return to Toronto for the first time back in October. He received another ovation on Sunday.

“Listen, I keep saying this, it was 10 amazing years here, right?” said Nurse. “Really, really amazing. A lot of, a lot of, a lot of wins, right? So it’s where I started in the NBA. I don’t know anything different other than Toronto and now, half a year in Philly, right? So it’s nice.”

For now, Lowry, and Nurse, are looking to help the Sixers move forward. One has to wonder what Philadelphia can do once Joel Embiid returns.

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Sixers’ Kyle Lowry expresses desire to retire as a member of the Raptors

Philadelphia 76ers veteran Kyle Lowry has expressed a desire to retire as a member of the Toronto Raptors.

When the Philadelphia 76ers pay a visit to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, it will not just be a regular-season game in March. It is an important place in the careers of both Kyle Lowry and coach Nick Nurse.

It will not be the first time both make an appearance in Toronto, but it means a lot for the men who led the Raptors to their only championship in franchise history in 2019.

Lowry spent nine seasons in Toronto, during which he was named an All-Star six times. He is the franchise leader in assists and steals while ranking  second in points. For the North Philly native, the city of Toronto and the Raptors franchise means something different to Lowry.

“It’s home,” Lowry told reporters following a tough loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. “It’s home. It’s a place I love. It’s a place I hope to sign a one-day contract to retire with. I’ve said it plenty of times. I’ll say it again. It’s a place that I appreciate a lot. I built my career there and kind of kept it flourishing from there.”

Who knows when retirement will be for Lowry? The 18-year veteran has had some nice moments since signing with the Sixers, including 23 points in Friday’s loss to the Cavs. There is still a lot that he can give to the game at 38 years old.

However, he has made it clear that when he does decide to hang it up, he wants it to be as a member of the Raptors. It would be the right way to end it for a Hall of Fame career.

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Complete injury report for Kyle Lowry, Sixers vs. Clippers on the road

Here is the full injury report for Kyle Lowry and the Philadelphia 76ers as they take on the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday afternoon.

The Philadelphia 76ers will remain in Southern California on Sunday to take on the Los Angeles Clippers as part of this four-game road trip. The Sixers are 0-2 to begin the trip and seek a much-needed win.

The Sixers will once again be very short-handed. Joel Embiid (left knee meniscus procedure), De’Anthony Melton (lumbar spine bone stress) and Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise) are out again.

Kyle Lowry is also listed as out for this matchup due to rest. Considering the workload Lowry has had to take on recently and the Sixers playing three games in four days, it makes sense he would get a day off on Sunday.

The Sixers will see a familiar face in James Harden on Sunday when they take on the Clippers. Tip off from Crypto.com Arena is set for 3:30 p.m. EDT.

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Kyle Lowry, Buddy Hield ready for adjustments when Joel Embiid returns

Kyle Lowry and Buddy Hield are ready to make new adjustments for when Joel Embiid returns to the Philadelphia 76ers.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers brought in Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers and Cam Payne from the Milwaukee Bucks at the trade deadline. The Sixers then picked up Kyle Lowry in the buyout market in an effort to stay afloat until Joel Embiid returns.

Nobody knows when Embiid will return, but the Sixers hope he will return sometime in April before the playoffs begin. Whenever the reigning league MVP does return, Lowry and the rest of the Sixers will have to make adjustments on the floor.

“I haven’t had the opportunity to play with big fella and I’m looking forward to that,” said Lowry. “I’ve heard things out here and I’ve seen it. Like, I’ve seen it of course, but in person, it’s a lot different, and I think one thing that I’ve learned so far — his basketball mind is very sharp. A very, very smart basketball player. A smart individual.”

Embiid is one of the smartest players in the league. He has the ability to read the game in a certain way to make sure his teammates get involved and they get their shots and the Sixers miss him greatly.

For example, a guy like Hield is likely going to benefit the most from Embiid’s return. He is an elite shooter and he will be able to play off the big fella well.

“I know when he gets back, it will be a whole different style of basketball,” Hield said of an Embiid return. “That’s all I know. Just right now, we just trying to sustain this storm right now, until he gets back, it’s going to be a whole different style of basketball because I’ve been on the other side, where I had to prepare to guard him – and the guy is getting traps all day. So, what we are playing now is a wholly different game.”

The Sixers will certainly look to Embiid to give them more than a boost. With the big fella, Philadelphia is confident it can go on a deep playoff run. As long as he’s upright and can get time in with guys like Lowry and Hield, anything is possible.

“We just got to be patient until he is back and for me, I’m just, I’m looking forward to the opportunity,” Lowry added. “Part of the reason to come here was Tyrese (Maxey) and Joel, and those two are the big main reasons for me to be here.”

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Kyle Lowry sees Tyrese Maxey, Sixers growing without Joel Embiid

Kyle Lowry sees Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers continuing to grow without Joel Embiid.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers have won two in a row following a 98-91 win over the Miami Heat on Monday night. The Sixers improved to 12-22 on the season without Joel Embiid, and Philadelphia is now 38-30 on the season.

Kyle Lowry had 16 points in the win over the Heat, and he made some big plays down the stretch. He and Tyrese Maxey have continued to grow as a backcourt pairing, and Lowry knows that the Sixers will rely on Maxey until Embiid returns.

The Sixers have to continue to grow that backcourt. Lowry and Maxey are the leaders of this team with Embiid off the floor. Lowry also wants to make life easy for Maxey.

“We just gotta continue to be together,” Lowry explained. “Repetitions, being on the floor together having the same — we’re on the same wavelength. And I think he respects me and I respect him and he’s just trying to, he’s learning me and I’m learning him and I just want him to — all I’m here to do is make it better. However that is, and make his job easier.”

Without Embiid, the Sixers are still struggling. The 12-22 record speaks for itself. However, there have been good moments of late. Philadelphia gave the Milwaukee Bucks all they could handle in a March 14 loss and then knocked off the Charlotte Hornets and the Heat.

The wins aren’t exactly impressive considering the Hornets have been dreadful all season and the Heat were missing numerous key pieces. However, the wins are evidence the Sixers are growing without Embiid. That’s a positive one can take.

“I think we’re continuing to get better,” Lowry added. “I think we’re just continuing to be more disciplined, more patient. I think guys are starting to find themselves, find their rhythm, find their spots on the floor. We understand what we’re going to do, we’re going to go through Tyrese is going to do this right now. Kelly (Oubre Jr.) is going to lead us right now. Guys that’s going to lead us and they know they’re comfortable with their position so we know what we’re getting so it’s pretty cool.”

The Sixers begin a four-game West Coast road trip on Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns.

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