Tag: Mo Bamba

Full injury report for Joel Embiid, Sixers vs. Rockets in home matchup

Here is the full injury report for Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers as they take on the Houston Rockets at home on Monday.

The Philadelphia 76ers look to pick up another win when they play host to the Houston Rockets on Monday afternoon. The Sixers snapped a three-game losing skid on Friday and are looking for a second consecutive win.

Joel Embiid, who returned to practice for the Sixers on Sunday, is listed as questionable due to left knee inflammation. Coach Nick Nurse said the big fella was a full participant at practice, so one has to assume that he will return for this one.

Robert Covington, who missed practice on Sunday, is listed as out due to left knee inflammation. He has not played since Dec. 30. De’Anthony Melton is also listed as out due to lumbar spine stress response. Mo Bamba is doubtful due to right knee fat pad impingement.

If the Sixers get Embiid back, that will be a big help, of course. The Sixers are off to a terrific start in the 2023-24 season and look to continue to build with the big fella leading the way.

Tip off with the Rockets is set for 1 p.m. EST on Monday.

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Sixers trying to teach Paul Reed that less is more when he’s on the floor

The Philadelphia 76ers want Paul Reed to focus on the fact that less is more when he’s out on the floor.

CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers received a big game from Paul Reed in Friday’s win over the Sacramento Kings on a night when the Sixers didn’t have Joel Embiid for a third consecutive game due to a left knee issue.

Reed stepped up big time and had eight points, seven rebounds, and three blocks along with two steals. He didn’t try to do too much and he played within himself. The young big man makes his impact by providing energy and playing solid defense.

Playing within himself is what the Sixers are continuing to preach to him.

“With Paul, I think his biggest thing is less is more,” said Mo Bamba who had four blocks of his own in the win over the Kings. “I wasn’t here last year, but just hearing what Reese (Tyrese Maxey) had to say about how he felt about his performance and how he’s played, and Paul makes a lot of big plays with this just his energy alone. Just him getting back to things that got him to where he is was huge for us.”

Reed did take an open triple on Friday, which he missed, but overall, he played his game and that’s what the Sixers want. They don’t want him doing too much on the floor.

“Listen, Paul had a really good game the other night, and what I talked about a little bit in the postgame is that, and this is not just with Paul, but this is with a lot of guys and this is our job as coaches is we need—Paul’s got some strengths, right?” said coach Nick Nurse. “I keep telling you what those are. He needs to play to those, right?”

Those strengths that Nurse pointed out are his energy and ability to get loose balls when the Sixers need them. Reed also tends to make the big extra-possession play for Philadelphia. That’s his biggest contribution to the Sixers.

“Use his energy and thoughts and prep and minutes on the floor to play to those strengths and that’s what he did the other night,” said Nurse. “That’s what I’m going to try to continue to move him forward as far as that’s where I want him to progress. Get more loose balls than you’re already getting. Make more hustle plays than you’re already getting. Get more extra possessions than you’re already getting. Those areas.”

As far as other parts of his game, Reed is shooting 33.3% from deep on 0.5 attempts per game. The Sixers want him to focus on what he does best. Not experimenting with 3-pointers.

“I’m not as concerned with trying to expand his offensive game or any of that kind of stuff because he needs to excel at what he’s really doing well,” Nurse continued. “That stuff may or may not come in time, but he’s already a really good NBA player at what he does and we need to see that stuff more often.”

On the other hand, when it comes to him doing too much, it could possibly come to him wanting to replace what Joel Embiid brings on a nightly basis. Nurse does not want Reed to focus on that.

“Possibly, but again, these are working together projects, right?” he finished. “We need to make him understand that it’s not filling in for Joel. He’s just going to go out there and be the best Paul Reed he can be. He’s not trying to do that. Like that’s a collective 10 guys that hit the floor that’s trying to fill in Joel whatever that points and rebounds total is. So it’s a collective effort between the players and the coaching staff.”

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Tyrese Maxey, Sixers give credit to Paul Reed, Mo Bamba after win

Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers give credit to big men Paul Reed and Mo Bamba following a win over the Sacramento Kings.

PHILADELPHIA  — The Philadelphia 76ers entered Friday’s contest with the Sacramento Kings on a 3-game losing skid. The Sixers were facing a tough opponent and they needed to find a way to get off the schneid and earn a victory.

They were able to do so as they knocked off the Kings 112-93 and led by as many as 22 on the night. Tobias Harris is going to get the headlines with his 37 points on 14-for-25 night, but the Sixers received some big performances from Paul Reed and Mo Bamba in the absence of Joel Embiid.

Reed had eight points, seven rebounds, and three blocks while Bamba hopped off the bench and poured in 11 and four blocks. It was an important effort on a night when the Sixers needed strong efforts from everybody in the absence of the big fella for the third consecutive game.

“Active! Active,” Tyrese Maxey said of the big men after the win. “I told P-Reed. Listen, I’ve been with you for three years and I’ve seen you go get every offensive rebound, every defensive rebound block every shot, get steals, I want you to get back to that because that’s who you are, and that’s just a conversation that you can have with somebody when you have a good relationship with him.”

Maxey and Reed were a part of the same 2020 draft class and they know each other very well. That is where the rising star is able to step in and demand more out of him.

“He told me he got me he was extremely aggressive,” Maxey continued. “Mo Bamba? Huge. Huge. He came right in the game and blocked like two or three shots in a row. He played extremely hard. Defended (Domantas) Sabonis. Defended Alex Len and then protected the rim I keep talking about it. When Jo goes out is, those guys step up because of that. Joel protects a lot of us. When they get downhill, he’s cleaned up at the rim, and those guys have to do the same thing.”

The rim protection has been a big problem with Embiid out. With Reed and Bamba stepping up to combine for seven blocks, the Sixers were able to have a lot of success in that department.

“It was excellent,” Harris added of their play. “I think their energy, their effort. I think Paul just did a great job of keeping the game simple. Going out there and fueling us with his energy. The way that both of them were able to protect the rim was big for us and not to say that’s been missing, but with Joel out, that effort has to be brought to a higher level every single night and they stepped up for the challenge.”

Bamba, especially, made the Kings think multiple times about trying him at the basket.

“Mo, when he’s giving a great effort, he can do some stuff, right?” added coach Nick Nurse. “He’s going to block some shots. He’s going to affect some shots. He’s going to rebound the ball so he needs to play with maximum effort. When he does, he does.”

A big key to Bamba’s big night could be Nurse’s decision to change his stints in terms of how many consecutive minutes he plays.

“I said before the game I was gonna try to cut his stints down,” Nurse explained. “So he could—I just said ‘Listen. Think about four minutes of just going everything you got and then I’ll get you out and bring you back instead of an eight minute stint. I’ll give you two fours’. I think he ended up playing a long stint there because he was with a group that was really rolling there in the second half, but he was alright, right? He lines up those 3s, you’re kind of expecting him to make them now, too.”

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Magic coach Jamahl Mosley is complimentary of Sixers big man Mo Bamba

Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley was very complimentary of Philadelphia 76ers big man Mo Bamba in his return to Orlando.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Philadelphia 76ers big man Mo Bamba spent the first 4 1/2 seasons of his career playing for the Orlando Magic. Bamba was the sixth pick of the 2018 NBA draft. He played 266 games for the Magic before he was sent to the Los Angeles Lakers at the 2023 deadline.

Now with the Sixers, Bamba returned to Orlando on Wednesday, a 112-92 win for Philadelphia. Magic coach Jamahl Mosley had a lot of praise for the former Orlando big man.

“Mo in the years that I was here with him, he continued to work,” Mosley said of Bamba. “I think that was the great part about him. He was always honest, he worked his tail off to get himself on the court as much as he could.”

Unfortunately for Bamba, he suffered injuries through the majority of his time in Orlando. That, along with the presence of Nikola Vucevic, limited his opportunities with the Magic.

However, when Mosley took the job in the 2021-22 season, Bamba played 71 games and started 69 of them. He averaged 10.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks while shooting 38.1% from deep. Mosley used him as a floor spacer on offense and allowed him to be free to protect the rim on defense.

“His ability to space the floor the right way,” Mosley continued of Bamba. “You saw what he did the other night what he did against Miami. I thought that was big and then his rim protection. He’s not afraid to go after blocking shots and I think that’s a big attribute that he possesses.”

Bamba had 18 points off the bench and knocked down three 3s in the Christmas Day loss to the Miami Heat. That just shows what he can do on a nightly basis as he continues to work his way into coach Nick Nurse’s favor in Philadelphia.

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Sixers’ Mo Bamba excited to return to Orlando, looking to build

Philadelphia 76ers big man Mo Bamba is excited to make his return to Orlando while looking to build off his Christmas Day performance.

MIAMI — On Wednesday, Philadelphia 76ers big man Mo Bamba will play his first game in Orlando since being traded by the Magic at the 2023 deadline. He played 266 games for the Magic across 4 1/2 seasons before being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Now with the Sixers, Bamba is looking forward to seeing his former teammates. The veteran out of Texas has many memories with former Sixers guard Markelle Fultz, Wendell Carter Jr., Cole Anthony and plenty of others.

“That’s family over there,” Bamba said of the Magic. “All those guys. I’m probably going to stop by Jalen Suggs’s mom’s house tomorrow (Tuesday) just to kick it or whatever, but that’s family. Cole, Wendell, Kelle, those are guys that I grew up with in the league and this is my first chance to actually play against them. We played them in LA when I was in LA, I was hurt, but it’s gonna be fun.”

Considering how young those Magic teams were, it’s no wonder Bamba has love for his former teammates. They entered the league at a similar time and grew up together. The bond is still there.

“Absolutely,” he said with a smile. “Still in the group chat. Still making jokes, but it’s kind of a bond I think we’ll have for life.”

As for Bamba’s season, he’s averaging 4.4 points and 2.6 rebounds in his first season in Philadelphia. He had 18 points off the bench in the Christmas Day loss to the Miami Heat, so the challenge is to build off that. He understands he could’ve been better against the Heat.

“I’m not necessarily concerned, but I’m more so just thinking about the opportunities I could’ve had to end their possessions,” Bamba lamented after the loss. “There was a bunch of chances. It’s hard to rebound out of a zone because it’s hard to find a man when you’re in a zone, but I gotta figure it out.”

If Joel Embiid (sprained ankle) can’t go, Bamba will have the chance to have another big game in his return to Orlando.

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Nick Nurse gives injury updates on Joel Embiid, other Sixers players

Nick Nurse has an injury update on Joel Embiid and the other injured Philadelphia 76ers players.

CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers convened for practice on Saturday afternoon before boarding a plane and heading to South Florida for an important Christmas Day matchup with the Miami Heat.

While most of the Sixers participated in practice, there was one noticeable absence: Joel Embiid.

The big fella fell awkwardly in the first quarter of Friday’s win over the Toronto Raptors and was lying on his back in pain. He ended up staying in the game and wound up scoring 31 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists.

“He didn’t go,” coach Nick Nurse said of Embiid. “We didn’t do a whole lot today. To be honest, this probably would have been a day off, but just considering the timing of the year and all that kind of stuff we decided to go in today and take tomorrow off as much as you can while you’re traveling, right? Late game, obviously. So we’ll get a good decent shootaround on Christmas morning, a good practice there. So we didn’t do much watch a little film. Got some shots up and went from there.”

Nurse admitted there are some concerns about Embiid, but he isn’t too worried. It remains to be seen if he will be ready to play on Christmas against the Heat. All Embiid can do is undergo treatment to try to be ready for the  four-game road trip.

“He’s kinda getting treatment as we speak,” Nurse added. “We’re looking at — yeah, there’s some swelling there and when you saw it wasn’t ‘Oh, we didn’t even see what happened’ well, you saw what happened, right? So there’s some swelling there. I think there’s some concern there, but I also think there’s not a ton of concern. You know what I mean? Like you’re always concerned when you see that. It did turn over pretty good.”

Luckily for Embiid and Vice President of Athlete Care Simon Rice, this isn’t anything new for them. “He’s been through this before quite a bit,” Nurse continued. “Him and Simon have been through it before and I just don’t think — they’re gonna need a bunch of treatments, multiple treatments today, you know, they just hammer the heck out of those things and they’ll meet him tomorrow (Sunday) and I think those things are always kind of wait and see as we go, how they respond to the treatments.”

As far as the other injured Sixers, Nurse stated De’Anthony Melton (thigh contusion) and Patrick Beverley (right heel soreness) were full participants in practice. Mo Bamba (illness) did not practice.

As for Nic Batum (right hamstring strain), there isn’t anything new in his recovery after the veteran missed the previous two games.

“I think that the earliest possible date for him would be Orlando,” Nurse said of Batum. “And I think that might be a touch early, too, but that would be the earliest possible date.”

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Mo Bamba discusses staying ready for any opportunity with Sixers

Mo Bamba discusses how he stays ready for any opportunity that comes his way for the Philadelphia 76ers.

PHILADELPHIA–It has been a bit of a tough start for Mo Bamba in his first season with the Philadelphia 76ers. Signed to a 1-year deal in the offseason, the 6-year veteran out of Texas is averaging only 6.2 minutes per game which is the lowest of his career.

Bamba is currently behind, of course, Joel Embiid as well as Paul Reed who has played very well to begin the season behind the reigning league MVP. Therefore, the opportunity to play for Bamba hasn’t exactly been there for him.

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However, he stayed ready and he was called upon to start the fourth quarter in Friday’s win over the Atlanta Hawks. He grabbed three rebounds in five minutes and he deterred Atlanta’s guards when they got into the paint.

That’s something the veteran has learned about being in the NBA. He has always has to stay ready for anything.

“We’re not a young team so we understand like 12 people can’t play,” Bamba said. “The rotation is gonna be nine, 10, at most 10. It’s a matter of understanding that and doing what you can on the off days to stay ready.”

It helps Bamba that he is competing in scrimmages at the end of practices. He and the other reserves get after it at the facility and compete in order to show the coaching staff they deserve an opportunity when it comes their way.

“It’s super competitive,” Bamba said of the scrimmages. “We get out there and at the end of the day, we’re trying to win the game. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll win minutes, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.”

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Sixers’ Nick Nurse explains decision to go to Mo Bamba in win over Hawks

Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse explains going to Mo Bamba in the fourth quarter in a win over the Atlanta Hawks.

PHILADELPHIA–With the Philadelphia 76ers clinging to a 93-92 lead over the Atlanta Hawks to start the fourth quarter, it was time for Joel Embiid to get his rest.

The Sixers normally turn to Paul Reed to play the center position to start the second and fourth quarters, but coach Nick Nurse turned to little-used Mo Bamba in this one. The Reed minutes were tough in the second quarter as Atlanta was constantly getting into the paint and outscored Philadelphia 45-27 in the second.

“Well, I just didn’t like the second quarter start,” Nurse said after the 125-114 win. “I didn’t like any of the second quarter actually. Alright, but the start was—I thought we had a really good vibe in the game, and the vibe flipped at the start of the second so I made a couple of different changes to who came out in the fourth.”

Nurse wanted to throw Bamba out there and the veteran out of Texas played well. He grabbed three rebounds in five minutes of play and he intimidated the Hawks a bit whenever they tried to drive the paint. His size and shot-blocking ability is something that Reed doesn’t have.

“I’m not gonna sit here and say I knew I was gonna play, but I felt the flow of the game,” Bamba said after the win. “I knew what we needed and just wanted to prepare myself for the game. I think they were looking for me on the bench, but I was in the tunnel doing some shuffles and a couple of things to stay ready, but just watching the game. Feeling the flow.”

While the stat line isn’t going to jump out, there was an obvious difference with Bamba out there. The big man stands at 7 feet tall and has great shot-blocking ability. That makes a difference in games such as this one and Nurse liked what he saw.

“I mean, I did,” Nurse explained. “He came really close to making a couple really good plays, but he went in there and grabbed three rebounds in five minutes. Again, I thought what I saw on the second was they just put their head down, went to the front of the rim, boom, boom, boom about six straight times and I thought maybe we need a little more appearance of some rim protection or some rim protection, right? Either one, but no, he did a good job.”

Bamba’s role was simple in this one on Friday. Just protect the paint and make sure the Hawks didn’t get as many easy looks as much as they did int he first half with Embiid on the bench.

“They were killing us,” said Bamba. “I think they had 10 offensive rebounds at the half, and again, I was just watching the flow of the game and when I got in there, I just told myself limit as many offensive rebounds as possible. I gave up one, but there’s still work to do.”

Being in the league for six seasons now, Bamba understands how things work. He just wants to contribute whenever his name is called.

“Just the simple stuff, really,” he added. “When I do play, I’m playing behind the MVP of the league so it’s not a matter of get out there and shoot four 3s and do this or do that. It’s just the simple things like mastering our coverages and making sure I don’t blow any coverages and rebounding and controlling the paint.”

Bamba, who entered the night averaging just 6.3 minutes per game, deserves credit for staying ready. It can be tough not to play much and then have his number called.

“He was into it,” Nurse finished. “I give him a lot of credit. He’s really stayed positive and he’s really stayed ready and he’s really worked hard and that’s not that easy to come in kind of a funky, tough game, and kind of produce pretty good there for a good stretch.”

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Mo Bamba addresses lack of playing time, comfort level with Sixers

Big man Mo Bamba addresses the lack of playing time he’s received and his comfort level with the Philadelphia 76ers.

BOSTON–When the Philadelphia 76ers signed Mo Bamba to a 1-year deal in the offseason, most believed that he would be the backup center to Joel Embiid.

Standing at 7 feet tall, Bamba offers a lot of size and he’s somebody who can block shots at an elite level. He’s also able to shoot the 3-ball a bit and be able to change games at times. However, he hasn’t gotten much opportunity thanks to the strong play of Paul Reed as the main backup to the big fella and it’s tough to find a rhythm and a comfort level there for Bamba.

“It doesn’t matter what my comfort level is,” Bamba said after the loss. “I kinda got a raw deal here, but that’s the tough part about the NBA. Just gotta be ready for when the opportunity comes.”

He got his opportunity in Friday’s 125-119 loss to the Boston Celtics. With Philadelphia missing Embiid, coach Nick Nurse gave Bamba some extended run. The big man was big in the second half as he scored 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting with three rebounds and he knocked down two triples.

“Just tried to be a little aggressive,” he said of his game. “That shooting is a big proponent of my game, but I try not to get trigger-happy. I try to work around the rim at first and work my out, but once I saw one go in, that’s all I really needed to see.”

On the season, Bamba is averaging 3.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in 6.3 minutes per game. He is still remaining a professional through all of this and preparing for any opportunity thrown his way.

“Absolutely,” he continued. “That’s the secret about the NBA. It’s not easy to do. People think you’re not playing, you should be able to come in if you’re healthy and be ready to go, but a lot of basketball is having rhythm. Having that continuity with the guys you’re out there with and I think being out there’s a big part of it.”

With that being said, the Sixers have made it easier for him to come in and work hard despite the lack of playing time.

“These guys make it all easy for me to come in,” he finished. “They’re a veteran team. It’ll be easy for me to just get in there and just kinda plug in and do what I do.”

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Player grades: Tobias Harris, Sixers knock off Nets in preseason matchup

Tobias Harris and the Philadelphia 76ers walked away with a preseason win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.

NEW YORK — The preseason continued for the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday when they paid a visit to the Brooklyn Nets.

The Sixers entered the game short-handed. They were already without Joel Embiid, James Harden, Danuel House Jr. and Furkan Korkmaz. The Sixers lost PJ Tucker shortly before the tip due to right ankle soreness. Then they lost Tyrese Maxey in the first half due to back spasms.

In the end, though, the Sixers walked away with a 127-119 preseason win over the Nets as Tobias Harris had 18 points and nine rebounds. Kelly Oubre Jr. had 21 points for Philadelphia. De’Anthony Melton contributed 15 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists. Paul Reed added 18 points, and Maxey produced eight points and three assists before leaving. Jaden Springer had 11 points and five rebounds, Danny Green added six points, and Patrick Beverley had six points and four rebounds.

Here are the player grades from the win: