Sixers acquire Buddy Hield from Pacers for Marcus Morris Sr., others

The Philadelphia 76ers will acquire Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers for Marcus Morris Sr. and other pieces.

The Philadelphia 76ers pulled the trigger on their first deadline deal Thursday morning. After losing Joel Embiid to a left knee meniscus injury, the Sixers needed to get immediate help.

They acquired Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Marcus Morris Sr., Furkan Korkmaz and three second-round picks. Morris and Korkmaz will get new starts in Indiana. Hield will try to help Philadelphia stay among the Eastern Conference leaders without Embiid.

On the season, Hield is averaging 12 points per game. He is shooting 38.4% from deep on 6.9 attempts. The Sixers look for him to provide shooting and spacing on the floor and to be even more effective when Embiid returns.

The Sixers have been searching for another shooter and scorer, and Hield provides that. He will be a free agent in the offseason, but one has to assume the Sixers will do their best to keep him in Philadelphia.

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Sixers vs. Warriors: Marcus Morris Sr. out, Joel Embiid to return

Marcus Morris Sr. is out and Joel Embiid is in for the Philadelphia 76ers against the Golden State Warriors.

The Philadelphia 76ers are set to take on the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday in the fourth game of a five-game road trip and they will have their star big man return to the floor.

Joel Embiid, who missed the previous two games due to left knee soreness, will return against the Warriors. The big fella tweaked his knee to begin the trip and missed the two games against the Denver Nuggets and the Portland Trail Blazers.

As for Marcus Morris Sr., he will miss the matchup due to the bothersome left foot plantar fasciitis. He was listed as questionable, along with Embiid, for this contest.

Embiid’s return will obviously help the Sixers, who are 0-3 on the trip, but the Warriors will be a tough opponent to get on the board against.

Tip off from the Chase Center is set for 10 p.m. EST.

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Sixers to be without Tobias Harris, Marcus Morris Sr. vs. Pacers

The Philadelphia 76ers will be without Tobias Harris and Marcus Morris Sr. when they take on the Indiana Pacers on Thursday.

As the Philadelphia 76ers begin a 5-game road trip on Thursday with a matchup against the Indiana Pacers, they will be missing some key pieces as they look to build on their 6-game winning streak.

The Sixers already knew they would be without De’Anthony Melton due to lumbar spine stress response, Robert Covington due to a bone bruise in his left knee, and Mo Bamba due to right knee inflammation. They will now be down two other key pieces.

The Sixers will be down Tobias Harris due to an illness while Marcus Morris Sr. will also be on the sidelines due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot.

With the Sixers missing Harris and Morris, one has to figure that an opportunity will arise for Furkan Korkmaz and Jaden Springer to get some playing time. Coach Nick Nurse told reporters in Indiana that Springer is available for this one.

Tip off from Gainbridge Fieldhouse is set for 7 p.m. EST.

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Nick Nurse gives updates on De’Anthony Melton, other injured Sixers

Coach Nick Nurse gives an update on De’Anthony Melton and the other injured Philadelphia 76ers.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers continue to grow under coach Nick Nurse and learn the way he wants them to play. To do that, they need everybody to be on the floor and be healthy.

As the Sixers get set for the San Antonio Spurs on Monday at home, they will be missing:

  • De’Anthony Melton due to lumbar spine stress response
  • Patrick Beverley due to an illness
  • Mo Bamba due to right knee inflammation
  • Robert Covington due to left knee inflammation
  • Jaden Springer due to right ankle tendinitis
  • Marcus Morris Sr. due to left foot plantar fasciitis

Before the matchup with the Spurs, Nurse updated the conditions of Melton and the other injured Sixers.

“OK, so let’s go through them all really quick,” Nurse stated. “Pat Bev is still sick so we’re hoping he’ll get better and be back shortly. Marcus we’re hoping as well this is a one-game thing with him. Cov is out for a good chunk yet I think, but we’re hoping to get a bigger update on that. Melt is the one that’s probably a little closer. We should get a good eval on our next practice whenever that is Tuesday or Wednesday. Jaden is also kind of day-to-day and I think Mo is day-to-day as well.”

Covington has not played since Dec. 30 as he recovers from the knee issue. One has to wonder when he will be able to return. The Sixers have a five-game road trip following this home contest.

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Marcus Morris Sr., Sixers praise Patrick Beverley after win over Rockets

Marcus Morris Sr. and the Philadelphia 76ers praised Patrick Beverley following a win over the Houston Rockets.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers picked up a 124-115 matinee win over the Houston Rockets on Monday mainly due to Joel Embiid. The big fella had 41 points and 10 rebounds in his return from a knee injury.

However, the bench unit gave the Sixers a big lift.

The six reserves that played combined for 34 points led by Patrick Beverly, who had 11 points, six assists and five rebounds. Marcus Morris Sr. contributed eight points and five boards. Paul Reed chipped in seven points and four rebounds. Danuel House Jr. finished with six points and five boards.

Beverley did a terrific job in the third quarter to stabilize the Sixers when the Rockets threatened to take the lead. The veteran presence of Beverley played a huge part for Philadelphia.

“That’s who he is,” Morris said. “He’s a veteran, always under control, efficient, and knows who the ball needs to go to.”

Beverley brings abundant energy and passion, which is a big plus for the Sixers.

“I just think he plays the game — he loves and plays with so much passion that I just think that if that’s kind of in your heart all the time that good things are gonna happen to you as a player personally,” coach Nick Nurse said. “It certainly happened for him tonight, and it was a big effect for our team as well.”

Overall, the bench unit played well. Nurse wanted to give the group a shoutout, especially, for what it did in the first half to help the Sixers create separation.

“Great job in the first half the way those guys — they really did a great job,” Nurse added. “I thought they started jarring the ball loose. I thought they were really, again, ball movement. I thought they were in, out, over with some passes, creating shots for each other. Yeah really, really great stint by kind of the start of the second quarter, too. Tobias (Harris), House had a really good — I thought House had one of his best stints for a while. Pat Bev got another good game.”

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Sixers’ Marcus Morris Sr. receiving the key to the city of Philadelphia

Philadelphia 76ers veteran Marcus Morris Sr. will receive a key to the city of Philadelphia.

Philadelphia 76ers forward Marcus Morris Sr. hails from the city of Philadelphia and went to Prep Charter High School. He represents his city with pride, and he loves everything about the city as he fulfills his dream of representing the Sixers on the basketball court.

Acquired in the big James Harden trade from the Los Angeles Clippers, Morris is averaging 6.1 points and shooting 43.3% from deep with the Sixers. He has taken on the role of being a veteran mentor to the younger players, and he has done a great job of adding offense to the bench unit.

Per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Morris will receive a key to the city of Philadelphia on Thursday:

“I’m just grateful,” Morris said. “You know I have been repping my city and doing stuff for my city for a long time. I never, ever looked for recognition or anything like that. It’s not why I do it.

“For them to be recognizing me and my family — not just me, but the last name — is surreal.”

Morris and the Sixers look to make a deep playoff run when the calendar turns to April and May.

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Sixers’ Marcus Morris Sr. talks thrill of starting intro in Philadelphia

Philadelphia 76ers veteran Marcus Morris Sr. discusses the thrill of being introduced last in the starting lineup at home in Philly.

PHILADELPHIA — Marcus Morris Sr. is a North Philadelphia native. The veteran went to Prep Charter High School before playing his collegiate career at Kansas and beginning his NBA career in the 2011-12 season with the Houston Rockets.

Since then, Morris has played for the Phoenix Suns, the Detroit Pistons, the Boston Celtics, the New York Knicks and his hometown Sixers, which is a thrill for the 34-year-old.

On Saturday, the Sixers were short-handed so coach Nick Nurse started Morris along with Paul Reed to fill in for the injured Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid. Morris was introduced last in the starting lineup by PA announcer Matt Cord as from “North Philly” which is something Morris only dreamed of.

“Definitely surreal,” Morris reflected after the loss to the Utah Jazz. “(Expletive) if you would’ve asked me this in a million years, I would’ve said I didn’t think it would happen. My boys being able to see it, my family being able to see it, it was big for me. Just grateful for the opportunity.”

Being introduced last in the starting lineup is reserved for the team’s best player and their leader. For example, Embiid gets introduced last in Philadelphia every time. With the big fella out, that honor went to Morris.

What he didn’t know was that he would receive that honor during pregame introductions.

“I didn’t know,” Morris added. “I definitely didn’t. I walked out fourth thinking I was going fourth and then they were gonna introduce P-Reed, but Philly’s home. I’m just happy that they did that. It meant a lot.”

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Tyrese Maxey, Sixers single out Marcus Morris Sr. after win over Rockets

Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers single out Marcus Morris Sr. after a road win over the Houston Rockets.

When one sees how the Philadelphia 76ers were able to defeat the Houston Rockets on Friday by a score of 131-127, one will see how dominant Tyrese Maxey was.

The rising star had 42 points on 13-for-26 shooting for Philadelphia on the night. He had 27 points by halftime and he was absolutely fantastic all night long. Maxey did what he was supposed to do to help beat the Rockets.

However, one could argue that the Sixers don’t win that game without the production of Marcus Morris Sr.

Morris was fantastic off the bench. He finished with 14 points and 10 of those came in the fourth quarter. He converted a huge 4-point play to help the Sixers seal it and Philadelphia needed it in the worst way possible.

“He’s been huge,” Maxey told reporters of Morris. “He’s been huge since we got him. Since he’s settled into his role, he knows what the coach wants from him, he knows what we need from him, and it’s been big. He’s going out there and he plays his role. A tough guy that we need, you know the toughness he brings to that leadership. We appreciate him.”

Coach Nick Nurse turned to Morris down the stretch because of the trouble Alperen Sengun and Fred VanVleet were giving the Sixers. Houston spammed the pick-and-roll combination between the two of them and it was a tough matchup for Paul Reed and Mo Bamba to try and slow down.

Therefore, Nurse turned to Morris and he rewarded his coach’s faith in him.

“I just think he (Sengun) was such a tough matchup for both Paul and Mo, right?” Nurse told reporters. “I thought Paul played pretty good in the second half and Marcus did have five (fouls) and we were ready to go back with Paul if we needed to late but I mean, that crew just kind of got it going and it’s kind of one of those things where you just want to let the guys playing it and out there keep trying to figure it out and they did eventually.”

While Morris was obviously huge, Patrick Beverley also made clutch plays. He scored nine points on 3-for-3 shooting in the fourth quarter and he came up with the big rebound to find Morris to convert the 4-point play late. Maxey was blocked at the rim by Houston’s Tari Eason and Beverley then swooped in for the rebound.

“First of all, Maxey did a great job of keeping us in the game,” said Morris. “Early on, we started very slow and he was very aggressive and then down the stretch a lot of the veterans came in and stepped up. Pat just being in the right place at the right time, like always, was able to corral the rebound and kick it right to me. It was what it was after that.”

The Sixers will now look to finish the road trip the right way on Saturday against the Chicago Bulls.

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Marcus Morris Sr. is serving as a veteran mentor to Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey

Marcus Morris Sr. has taken on a mentor role for young Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey.

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Philadelphia 76ers are in a good spot for the 2023-24 season. The ascension of Tyrese Maxey has made him a serious All-Star candidate and a potential All-NBA team member.

However, all great players will have a tough night out on the floor. Maxey had one on Christmas Day against the Miami Heat when he shot 4-for-20 from the floor in the loss. He bounced back against the Orlando Magic; he dropped 23 points in the win.

Marcus Morris Sr., a Philadelphia native, is serving as a veteran mentor to whoever on the team needs it. He has continued to stay in Maxey’s ear.

“All the time,” Morris said. “All the time. Like I said, all great players in this league had to go through some certain things to get to where they need to be, and Maxey, he had a one-off game. I wouldn’t even say it was bad. The ball just didn’t go down and you can’t really control that every night.”

Maxey has always been a confident player. It shows in his ability to put tough games behind him and be able to bounce back the way he has shown time and time again.

“It just shows you how good he really is,” Morris added of Maxey. “To come back next game and it’s like it never happened. He didn’t let it linger and he got us the win.”

Maxey and the Sixers look to finish their four-game road trip strongly when they take on the Houston Rockets on Friday and the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.

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Sixers veterans single out Tyrese Maxey bouncing back in win over Magic

The veterans on the Philadelphia 76ers singled out Tyrese Maxey for bouncing back in a win over the Orlando Magic.

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Philadelphia 76ers needed a bounce-back effort from Tyrese Maxey after the Christmas Day loss to the Miami Heat. Maxey shot just 4-for-20 that night.

The Sixers received that bounce-back performance in a 112-92 win over the Orlando Magic. The rising star had 23 points, and he knocked down three 3s.

Poor nights happen in the league. Maxey, in his fourth season in the NBA, hasn’t had many rough shooting nights. Veterans on the team wanted to let him know those things happen and the key is being better in the next game.

“That’s what I told him,” started Marcus Morris Sr. “I told him that last game that great players miss shots. Great players have bad games. That’s just the nature of the league.”

With Maxey being so young at this stage of his career, the performance against the Heat could have been the start of a slump for the rising star. Instead, he bounced back against a very solid Magic team on the rise.

“This is his first time having the keys to the team like that,” Morris added. “It’s hard being a young player. That can mess with you mentally while you’re playing because it’s the same shots that you take and you normally make, but it wasn’t going in. Me being a vet, I just told him, ‘Hey man. Players miss shots. The best players bounce back.’ And that’s the beauty of the league. You’ve got games back-to-back and it can change very quick.”

Patrick Beverley, who has been in Maxey’s ear since he arrived, was proud of the way the young guard bounced back. He didn’t view the performance against the Heat as a tough night. The ball just didn’t drop.

“You think it was a poor performance?” asked Beverley. “I mean, you go and write a paper and misspell some words, it’s a poor write up? Or you just misspelled some words? Just because you miss shots doesn’t mean it’s a — I think his plus/minus was a 4. I honestly think the bench didn’t do a good job last game. I don’t really think it was a poor performance. He just missed shots. Just like any writer that misspells words or anything else. You know what I’m saying?”

To Beverley’s point, Maxey was a plus-3 despite the rough shooting night. He was then able to find his rhythm against the Magic.

“It’s expected, right?” Beverley added. “He’s a perennial All-Star. I hope he’s in the starting lineup of the All-Star this year. Everybody wants to see him do it without Jo which is a great thing, a motivated thing, and he made shots tonight. We all made shots tonight. A great team win.”

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