Tag: PJ Tucker

PJ Tucker didn’t want to leave Heat before signing with Sixers

PJ Tucker reveals he didn’t want to leave the Miami Heat before he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.

The free agency period in the NBA can always be a wild ride for everybody involved. Plans can change in the blink of an eye as players and teams make moves fast in this league.

That was the case for Philadelphia 76ers veteran PJ Tucker. The Sixers signed him to a 3-year $33 million deal order to bolster their chances of winning a championship, and they weakened a conference rival, the Miami Heat.

As Tucker gets set to return to Miami on Wednesday, he told The Miami Herald that he didn’t want to leave the Heat, but the offer from the Sixers was too good to pass up:

“Honestly, I didn’t want to leave,” Tucker said. “I expressed that I didn’t want to leave. But their situation and them not wanting to be hard-capped, I knew it was going to be a possibility. My family is still there. So I obviously wanted to be there, but it didn’t work out.”

“I think they wanted the negotiations to be a little slower than it was,” Tucker said ahead of his first game back in Miami on Wednesday night as a member of the 76ers. “Just because of the interest right off the bat. Nobody thought I was going to get three years and then to get multiple offers for a full three years, I was ready to move and figure it out.”

Tucker is averaging 3.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in his first Philadelphia season. His value goes beyond the stat sheet as he continues to find a way to contribute to winning.

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Multiple members of the Heat give love, respect to Sixers’ PJ Tucker

Multiple members of the Miami Heat give their love and respect to Philadelphia 76ers veteran PJ Tucker.

PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers made the move in the offseason to go out and PJ Tucker in free agency and sign him to a 3-year $33 million deal early in the free agency period. The Sixers wanted to bring in the tough-minded veteran in order to help push them over the top.

Tucker spent the 2021-22 season with the Miami Heat and he had a big year for them. He averaged 7.6 points and 5.5 rebounds along with 2.1 assists while shooting 41.5% from deep and 48.4% from the floor.

In Wednesday’s 101-99 loss to those Heat, Tucker had eight points and he was 2-for-2 on corner triples. His former Heat teammates had a lot to say as they gave love and respect to what Tucker brings to the table.

Player grades: Jimmy Butler, Heat find a way to knock off Sixers in Philly

Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat find a way to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers on the road on Monday night.

PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers needed a bounce-back effort following a tough loss to the Boston Celtics at home on Saturday. Their opponent on Monday was the Miami Heat who entered the night losers of four straight and they have had a down season compared to the 2021-22 season.

The Heat gave the Sixers trouble as they led by as many as 11 thanks to the all-around play of Jimmy Butler and while the Sixers rallied and were able to keep it competitive, it wasn’t enough. Butler had 23 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, and four steals as the Heat were able to walk away with a 101-99 win after James Harden’s triple hit the back rim at the buzzer.

Joel Embiid had another big night and he led the Sixers with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Harden had 20 points, 12 assists, and six rebounds PJ Tucker had eight points and four rebounds, and Tyrese Maxey added 23 off the bench before fouling out.

Here are the player grades following the loss at home:

James Harden, PJ Tucker see benefits of tougher schedule for Sixers

James Harden and PJ Tucker like the benefits of having a tough schedule down the stretch for the Philadelphia 76ers.

PHILADELPHIA — At this stage of the 2022-23 season, the Philadelphia 76ers are not quite at the level of the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference. After a 110-107 loss in which familiar issues resurfaced on Saturday, it is clear the team still has a long way to go.

Philadelphia saw a 15-point lead in the third quarter evaporate when they left Al Horford wide-open on multiple 3-point attempts. He hit five of them in the second half. Their bench had a very tough night as the Celtics proved a deeper team. Finally, Boston showed off an ability to execute down the stretch.

There are going to be more games such as this one down the stretch before the playoffs. It offers an opportunity to grow.

“That’s what it’s gonna be like from here on out,” said James Harden. “We got a tough schedule. Every game is gonna be competitive and we got to find ways to win. We’re just going to build our character for the postseason so it’s good for us.”

The execution late in games is going to be something to watch down the stretch. The Celtics were confident in everything they did and it ended up with Jayson Tatum drilling the go-ahead triple late to lead Boston to the win. Harden and the Sixers will have to figure that out.

“All these games are meaningful,” PJ Tucker added. “We want to win all of them, but having to go through these end-of-game situations night after night, you don’t necessarily really want to, but it’s not also a bad thing getting used to things that we do, things that we run.”

Tucker had a terrific night for Philadelphia. He had seven points and 16 rebounds. He and the Sixers put themselves in a position to win the game, but it just wasn’t there late.

“It’s something that we were talking about executing and getting better at that,” Tucker added. “Especially, after timeouts in the game, getting better at that and I feel like we did an OK job, but we came up short. He (Tatum) made a tough shot.”

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Player grades: Jaylen Brown, Celtics find a way to overcome Sixers

Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics find a way to overcome the Philadelphia 76ers on the road.

PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers had an opportunity to make a statement on Saturday as they played host to the No. 1 seed in the East, the Boston Celtics. The Sixers entered this contest dropping the first two matchups with their rivals and Philadelphia was looking to avenge those two losses.

In what was a charged-up atmosphere due to the nature of a Sixers-Celtics matchup combined with the prime-time slot, both teams exchanged body blows with each other in what could be compared to a prize fight. In the end, Jaylen Brown and the Celtics proved why they’re in the position they’re in as they fought their way to a 110-107 win over the Sixers as Jayson Tatum drilled a triple with 2.0 seconds left. Brown had 26 points and former Sixer Al Horford had 15 points while knocking down five triples.

Joel Embiid had 41 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists to lead the Sixers, James Harden had 21 points and eight assists, and six rebounds Tobias Harris had 19 points, and PJ Tucker had seven points and 16 rebounds. Tyrese Maxey had eight points off the bench.

Here are the player grades following the loss.

Player grades: James Harden, Joel Embiid lead Sixers past Grizzlies

James Harden and Joel Embiid come alive to lead the Philadelphia 76ers past the Memphis Grizzlies at home.

PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers returned from the All-Star break to face a tough opponent in the form of the Memphis Grizzlies. The Sixers were looking to make a statement in terms of being able to open the break with an impressive win at home.

It wasn’t looking good from the jump as the Grizzlies rode the hot hand of Desmond Bane on their way to an early 17-point lead. They were getting so many easy looks and the Sixers had a tough time stopping them. When combined with a poor offensive start, they were in a deep hole.

However, James Harden kept them in it and Joel Embiid shook off a horrible start to lead Philadelphia on the comeback trail and a 110-105 win at home. Harden had 31 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds while Embiid had 27 points on 7-for-25 shooting and he had 18 rebounds, six assists, and six blocks.

Tyrese Maxey had 16 points off the bench while Tobias Harris had 20 and four rebounds.

Here are the player grades after the win:

Sixers’ PJ Tucker gives props to Mac McClung for winning dunk contest

Philadelphia 76ers veteran PJ Tucker gives props to Mac McClung for winning the dunk contest.

CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers made some history over All-Star weekend when Mac McClung won the slam dunk contest title. He is the first Sixer to win the contest, and he has been in the G League all season with the team’s affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.

McClung has received substantial praise from across the league, including LeBron James, Tyrese Maxey and other Sixers teammates. Now, the veteran on the team is giving McClung his props for what he accomplished.

“I think it’s cool, man,” said PJ Tucker. “I think over the years, we’ve said that a bunch of times it’s been a bunch of guys being in the G League that are really good dunkers that guys wanting to see the dunk contest. I think was cool for him to get a shot at it and actually win it is pretty cool.”

McClung still has goals of reaching the NBA, but at the moment, he is still working down in the G League and preparing for his turn to really play in the league and get an opportunity.

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PJ Tucker explains what old teammate Dewayne Dedmon brings to Sixers

PJ Tucker explains what his told teammate, Dewayne Dedmon, will bring to the Philadelphia 76ers down the stretch.

CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers have 25 games to go until the playoffs begin in April, and they must integrate the recently acquired pieces into the team fabric.

After trading Matisse Thybulle to the Portland Trail Blazers in a four-team deal that brought in Jalen McDaniels from the Charlotte Hornets, the Sixers had enough available money under the salary cap to make a move in the buyout market.

They brought in Dewayne Dedmon, who played 30 games for the Miami Heat. While his numbers were underwhelming, the Sixers are confident he can make the team better off the bench. His size and his toughness intrigue Philadelphia.

PJ Tucker played with Dedmon in the 2021-22 season with the Miami Heat, so he is very familiar with what he brings to the table.

“Dewayne brings a versatile, tough big guy that is super vocal,” said Tucker. “He talks just as much as me. He’s loud and he’s got an aggressive voice and he’s been around. He knows how to play. So I think having those kind of guys on the bench to be able to come in on different nights and help us out, it’s gonna be huge for us down the stretch.”

Tucker and Dedmon are from that Heat team that beat the Sixers in the second round of the 2022 playoffs. Miami came within a win of the NBA Finals that season. Now, they look to do the same for Philadelphia.

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Updated 2022-23 depth chart for Sixers after latest acquisitions

Here is an updated depth chart for the Philadelphia 76ers after their latest acquisitions and heading out of the All-Star break.

As the Philadelphia 76ers come out of the All-Star break, they are 38-19 and in third place in the Eastern Conference.

They have made their in-season moves to upgrade their bench. They made a deadline-day move to acquire Jalen McDaniels from the Charlotte Hornets in a four-team deal, and they brought in Dewayne Dedmon off the buyout market.

With those additions as well as a starting lineup change, moving Tyrese Maxey to the bench, the depth chart has changed since the season began in October.

Let’s take a look at the updated depth chart:

Player grades: James Harden, Sixers hold off furious Cavs rally in win

James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers build a big lead before holding off a furious Cleveland Cavaliers rally in a home win.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers had one final test on Wednesday before the All-Star break. They played host to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who  have been playing some excellent basketball all season.

The Sixers came out with their hair on fire in the first quarter, leading by as many as 21 in the opening frame. That lead grew as large as 28 as they dominated both ends of the floor. The Cavaliers cut the deficit to single digits in the fourth, but Philadelphia walked away with a 118-112 victory.

James Harden scored 19 points with 12 assists. Joel Embiid led Philadelphia with 29 points and 14 rebounds with five assists. De’Anthony Melton added 17 points. Tobias Harris finished with 13 points, and PJ Tucker had 10. Tyrese Maxey chipped in with 16 points off the bench.

Here are the player grades following the Sixers’ fourth straight win: