Tag: Matisse Thybulle

Sixers make sure to single out PJ Tucker after home win over Nuggets

The Philadelphia 76ers made sure to single out PJ Tucker for his efforts after they knocked off the Denver Nuggets.

PHILADELPHIA —  Philadelphia 76ers forward PJ Tucker’s stat line in Saturday’s 126-119 win over the Denver Nuggets shows a whopping two points, one rebound, one assist, four fouls and a technical foul in 24:28.

Yet, those two points and one rebound came at the most opportune moment, and he also was terrific defending Nuggets star Nikola Jokic. Saturday’s contest was the perfect example of what Tucker brings to the table on a nightly basis.

“He’s experienced,” said coach Doc Rivers. “They were trying to rotate off of him, he dives to the basket, he knows how to play basketball, and that’s why we went out and got him. Nights like tonight, he can win a game for you, and he did that.

At halftime, Jokic was shooting 6-for-7 and he had 16 points. After halftime, he shot 2-for-5 and he had eight points. He also had six turnovers in what was a terrific effort by both Tucker and the Sixers after halftime.

“In the first half, he (Jokic) caught everything on the elbow and low,” Rivers added. “So I thought Tuck, listen, Joel (Embiid) was phenomenal. He had 47 points, but we don’t win the game if PJ Tucker doesn’t play. The way he played in the second half was extraordinary.”

The Nuggets shot 65.9% from the floor on their way to 73 points at halftime. The Sixers then switched Tucker onto Jokic and he led a big defensive effort in the second half. They held Denver to 40.5% shooting and 46 points.

“Honestly, I think Tuck spearheaded the defense for us in the second half,” added Matisse Thybulle. “He made things so hard for Jokic whether it was catching the ball, dribbling, passing, shooting, he couldn’t get anything easy, and that makes us a lot better because Jokic’s ability to take super small windows and make plays for his team is like no one else in the NBA, so we had a larger role of margin of error because of Tuck and his intensity.”

While the focus is going to be on Embiid and his 47 points, and rightfully so, Tucker played an important role in the win.

“He was fantastic,” Embiid said of Tucker. “Obviously, when I got in foul trouble, we switched the matchup, and having me back down as a rover is always a good idea anyways because I can control everything but he was excellent. Just trying to be physical with such an amazing player as Jokic who we saw is almost unguardable so you got to do the best job possible, but I thought he did that. I thought he was physical, didn’t let him catch the ball. He didn’t give him my space and he’s the reason why we won that game.”

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Player grades: Joel Embiid, Sixers rally to beat Nikola Jokic, Nuggets

Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers rally from a halftime deficit to defeat Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers and the Denver Nuggets clashed on Saturday afternoon in a matchup that featured two of the game’s best players, Joel Embiid for Philadelphia and Nikola Jokic for Denver. The two are the top centers in the league, and they have dominated the game with their skills.

The game started as a back-and-forth affair before Denver gained separation late in the second quarter. The Nuggets shot 65.9% in the first half, which allowed them to build a 73-58 halftime lead. The Sixers then realized  playing defense would allow them to succeed. They buckled down and rallied to win, 126-119, their seventh straight.

Embiid was dominant. He had 47 and 18 rebounds with five assists while Jokic had 24 points, seven rebounds and nine assists in the battle of the star big men.

James Harden added 17 points and 13 assists, De’Anthony Melton had 13 points, and Tyrese Maxey added 13 and six assists. Tobias Harris had 14 points and six rebounds and Georges Niang added 14 points.

Here are the player grades following the win at home:

Sixers’ Matisse Thybulle has a message for those who don’t defend him

Philadelphia 76ers wing player Matisse Thybulle has a message for those who refuse to defend him.

PHILADELPHIA–When one looks at Philadelphia 76ers wing player Matisse Thybulle, one knows that he is one of the top defenders in the game. He is a guy who hops off the bench and just causes havoc while he’s out on the floor to disrupt opposing game plans.

In Wednesday’s 137-133 win over the Brooklyn Nets, Thybulle had three steals while also deflecting a ton of passes. He won’t get an official stat for those deflections, but he was terrific for Philadelphia on that end of the floor.

On Wednesday, it was his offense that stood out. Thybulle had 10 points on 3-for-5 shooting and he knocked down two wide-open triples. It was almost as if the Nets were not meant to be bothered with him whenever he had the ball on the perimeter.

“They didn’t wanna guard me, and realistically, I just took advantage of that,” said Thybulle. “At the end of the day, I work out, I play hard, I know how to play basketball so it’s like if you don’t want to respect me as a player, I can show you that I’m capable.”

On the flip side, one can understand why the Nets didn’t get out to defend him. Thybulle is shooting only 31.6% from deep on the season and he is not the top guy who teams will highlight in their scouting reports for Philadelphia.

However, Thybulle is a hard worker and he wants it to be known that he can knock down an open triple.

“He was amazing,” said Shake Milton of Thybulle. “He’s great. He’s a different type of dude whenever he’s just aggressive and assertive with his shot. You know he’s going to bring it on defense, too. That’s just like extra energy and an extra boost for us. I’m excited for him. I’m happy for him. I see how hard he works and I’m always next to him, encouraging him to keep going and to be aggressive and look for his shot, too. So I was happy for him.”

With that being said, it isn’t like Thybulle is going to suddenly become James Harden with the basketball in terms of looking for his own offense. He is going to do what he does which is move without the basketball and create looks for both himself and his teammates when the opportunity arises.

“I see offense as like a team,” Thybulle added. “Like I see offense as my ability to move and cut and generate offense for other guys. My ability to screen and slip or offensive rebound or backdoor like that generates offense for guys. Then when I find the opportunities to just catch and shoot, then that generates offense for the team and it’s just seeing it more holistically in that sense.”

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Sixers have mixed feelings on if they view Nets matchup as rivalry

The Philadelphia 76ers have some mixed feelings on if they view the matchup with the Brooklyn Nets as a rivalry.

PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets have had some emotionally-charged matchups recently. Mostly due to the Ben Simmons-James Harden trade, but whenever these two teams match up, the NBA world fixates its eyes on the two teams.

The Sixers and the Nets feature star power. There’s Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Simmons on the side of the Nets while the Sixers feature Joel Embiid, Harden, and Tyrese Maxey as well as Tobias Harris. On top of that, the two teams are in close proximity to each other.

After a wild 137-133 win over the Nets on Wednesday at home, the Sixers gave their thoughts on whether this matchup is officially a rivalry brewing.

Player grades: Joel Embiid, Sixers defeat Ben Simmons, Nets at home

Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers were able to knock off Ben Simmons and the Brooklyn Nets in their return home.

PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers returned home from a five-game road trip on Wednesday and they played host to former star point guard Ben Simmons and the Brooklyn Nets. Simmons was greeted with heavy boos from the Sixers fans in what was a charged atmosphere the entire night.

In the end, the Sixers were able to come away with a wild 137-133 win over the short-handed Nets who were missing Kevin Durant due to injury. Philadelphia was able to get contributions from up and down the roster as it was the definition of a team win in this one. The Sixers saw a 17-point lead slip away as the Nets put on a furious comeback, but Philadelphia was able to escape late.

Joel Embiid had 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Sixers, James Harden added 23 points and seven assists, De’Anthony Melton added 19 and three blocks, and Tobias Harris added 18. Tyrese Maxey had 27 and five assists and Matisse Thybulle had 10 and three steals off the bench.

Here are the player grades following the win:

Should Sixers look into trading Matisse Thybulle at the deadline?

Should the Philadelphia 76ers look into moving Matisse Thybulle at the trade deadline in February?

The Philadelphia 76ers have some decisions to make before the Feb. 9 trade deadline. They will have to decide what moves to make to help themselves succeed in the 2022-23 title run while also thinking about the future and any financial decisions that need to be made.

Currently, the Sixers are roughly $1.1 million above the luxury tax line, and it might be time to make a smaller move to get below that line rather than swing for the fences with another big move.

If the Sixers opt for that type of move, Matisse Thybulle comes to mind. He is set to enter restricted free agency at the end of the 2022-23 season after being unable to agree to an extension before the season. He has been in and out of the rotation and one might consider him for a deal.

Player grades: Tyrese Maxey, short-handed Sixers rally to beat Kings

Tyrese Maxey led a furious comeback as the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers knocked off the Sacramento Kings on the road.

The Philadelphia 76ers were looking to do something very impressive on Saturday and finish off a five-game West Coast road trip by winning all five games. After a 4-0 start to the trip, they were looking to keep the momentum going, but they had to do it without Joel Embiid and James Harden against a tough Sacramento Kings team.

With their stars out due to injury management, the Sixers found themselves in a deep hole early. The Kings built a 21-point lead by scoring 21 points off 11 Sixers turnovers. However, Philadelphia worked their way back into the game thanks to Tyrese Maxey finally finding a rhythm in the second half and they rallied to win the game 129-127 and complete a perfect 5-0 road trip. As poorly as the Sixers played in the first half, they were absolutely terrific after halftime.

Maxey led the Sixers with 32 points and six assists, Tobias Harris had 17 points, six rebounds, and five assists before fouling out, Montrezl Harrell had 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting and seven rebounds, and De’Anthony Melton had 14 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Georges Niang had 17 and six boards while Shake Milton added 15, six rebounds, and seven assists off the bench.

Here are the player grades following an impressive win:

Player grades: Joel Embiid dominates again, Sixers beat Trail Blazers

Joel Embiid has another dominant night as the Philadelphia 76ers knocked off the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Philadelphia 76ers were looking to continue their winning ways on this road trip as they invaded the Pacific Northwest on Thursday night. The Portland Trail Blazers represented the fourth game of this five-game West Coast road trip and the Sixers were looking to build off a 3-0 start.

The Blazers offered their own challenges, but Philadelphia was locked in defensively and held Portland to just 37.6% shooting en route to a 105-95 victory. The Sixers led by as many as 26, and they received 32 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks from Joel Embiid to lead the way.

James Harden added 16 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds. Tyrese Maxey had 15 off the bench. Tobias Harris added 11 and seven boards. Shake Milton added 10 and Georges Niang chipped in with nine off the bench.

Here are the player grades following another win on this road trip:

Player grades: Joel Embiid dominates to lead Sixers past Clippers

Joel Embiid has another big night to lead the Philadelphia 76ers past the Los Angeles Clippers on the road.

The Philadelphia 76ers were looking to continue their winning road ways on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Sixers have been terrific on this five-game road trip in clutch situations, and they were looking to build off wins in the first two games.

On Tuesday, Joel Embiid provided another dominant performance, going for 26 points in the first half on his way to 41 points. He added nine rebounds. His performance allowed the Sixers to come away with a 120-110 win over the Clippers as Philadelphia improved to 3-0 on the road trip.

Tobias Harris added 19 points, six rebounds and six assists, James Harden had six points and nine assists. Tyrese Maxey had 22 huge points off the bench, and PJ Tucker added six. Georges Niang added nine points.

Here are the player grades following the win:

Player grades: Joel Embiid leads Sixers past short-handed Lakers

Joel Embiid leads the Philadelphia 76ers past the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers on the road.

The Philadelphia 76ers were looking to continue their winning ways on this five-game road trip as they visited the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night. It was the second night of a back-to-back for the Sixers, who began the trip in Salt Lake City with a win on Saturday.

The Lakers certainly gave Philadelphia trouble. LeBron James continues to defy logic and beat Father Time, but Joel Embiid was too much for Los Angeles to handle. The Sixers walked away with a 113-112 win to begin the road trip 2-0. Embiid had 35 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Sixers.

James Harden added 24 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds. Tyrese Maxey had 16 off the bench, and Shake Milton added eight. Tobias Harris had 15 points and three blocks in his return from a one-game absence due to injury, and Georges Niang added eight.

Here are the player grades following the win: