Tag: PJ Tucker

Player grades: Knicks use team effort to hand Joel Embiid, Sixers road loss

The New York Knicks use a team effort in order to overcome Joel Embiid to hand the Philadelphia 76ers a loss.

NEW YORK–The Philadelphia 76ers were looking to carry their road success into Madison Square Garden on Sunday evening as they took on the pesky New York Knicks. The Sixers entered the contest winning eight consecutive road games and they were looking to keep things moving in the right direction.

The Sixers raced out to a 21-point lead in the early going as their offense was humming and playing with pace. However, the Knicks stormed back against Philadelphia’s all-bench unit in both the second quarter and the fourth quarter which led to them taking the rhythm out of whatever the Sixers did early in order to build their lead. In the end, New York walked away with a 108-97 victory to hand the Sixers a rare road loss.

Joel Embiid had 31 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Sixers. James Harden had 12 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds, Tobias Harris had 14 and 10 rebounds, and PJ Tucker added 10. De’Anthony Melton poured in 14 points and Tyrese Maxey had 12 off the bench.

Here are the player grades after the loss:

Player grades: Joel Embiid, James Harden lead Sixers to road win over Spurs

Joel Embiid and James Harden lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a rather easy road win over the lowly San Antonio Spurs to begin the road trip.

The Philadelphia 76ers found themselves back on the road on Friday taking on the San Antonio Spurs to begin a three-game trip. Following a win at home on Wednesday, Philadelphia was looking to continue its winning ways and begin a new winning streak.

The Spurs gave the Sixers some issues early as they took advantage of Philadelphia essentially sleepwalking in the early going, but a boost from the bench unit in the first half led to the starters then waking up, and Philadelphia walked away with a 137-125 victory. Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 33 points and 10 rebounds.

Following his All-Star snub, James Harden had 16 points and eight assists, Tyrese Maxey had 25 off the bench, De’Anthony Melton added 13 points, and Tobias Harris had eight. Georges Niang added 13 and Shake Milton also had 14 to chip in.

Here are the player grades following the easy win on the road:

Player grades: Joel Embiid, Sixers bounce back, beat Magic in rematch

Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers bounce back to beat the Orlando Magic in the rematch at home.

PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers had a tough time at home on Monday in the first of this two-game mini-series with the Orlando Magic. They blew a 21-point lead in the loss so Wednesday’s rematch offered a chance at redemption and a way to bounce back.

Led by Joel Embiid and James Harden, they did just that. The Sixers led by as many as 14 and while the Magic did make a run at it and made it a game late, Embiid and the Sixers proved to be too much as they walked away with a 105-94 victory. The big fella had 28 points and 11 rebounds to lead Philadelphia on a night they needed a win.

Harden added 26 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds, Tobias Harris had 16 points, five rebounds, and five assists, and Tyrese Maxey added 10 off the bench. Georges Niang had seven and four assists and Shake Milton added eight.

Here are the player grades following the win:

Player grades: Paolo Banchero, Magic rally from 21 down to beat Sixers

Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic complete a 21-point rally in order to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers on the road.

PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers played host to the Orlando Magic on Monday looking to continue their hot streak. The Sixers had won seven games in a row entering the contest and they were looking to continue to grow and build as a team.

The Sixers raced out to a 21-point lead in the first half as they were in an offensive rhythm and they were playing some excellent defense. The Magic shot just 25.9% in the first quarter as Philadelphia was able to build their lead. However, Orlando made a spirited comeback led by rookie Paolo Banchero and former Sixers guard Markelle Fultz, and they walked away with a stunning 119-109 victory on the road.

Banchero had 29 points and 10 rebounds while Fultz had 12 points and 10 assists in his first game played in Philadelphia since the 2019 deadline deal.

Joel Embiid was terrific once again and led the Sixers with 30 points and 11 rebounds with five assists, James Harden added 17 points, six rebounds, and seven assists, Tobias Harris added 17 and six rebounds, and Tyrese Maxey had eight points. Matisse Thybulle added 10 points and Georges Niang had six points and four rebounds.

Here are the player grades following the shocking loss:

PJ Tucker has a message for Sixers fans after receiving boos in win

PJ Tucker has a message for the Philadelphia 76ers fans after receiving boos in their latest win.

The passionate fans in the city of Philadelphia have always made it known when they are frustrated with a certain team or a certain player. There will be loud praise when they are happy, and they are not afraid to boo when they believe they aren’t getting enough.

In Saturday’s win over the Denver Nuggets, PJ Tucker drew the ire of the fan base. He received some boos when he re-entered the game for Georges Niang. The veteran turned their boos into cheers by playing excellent defense on Nuggets star Nikola Jokic. Then he had, arguably, the most important bucket of the game when he sneaked into the paint and tipped in a miss to put Philadelphia up by four.

Afterward, Tucker posted to his Instagram about the boos he received.

Here’s the thing with Tucker that can be hard to grasp at times. The veteran is only averaging 3.3 points and 4 rebounds, and he can be frustrating on the floor. Maybe the defense has taken a step back, but the veteran is proven. He has a championship on his resume. He wasn’t brought here for the regular season. He was brought here for the tougher matchups in the playoffs, and that is where his effect will be felt the most.

While the frustration from the fan base might be understandable at the moment, the situation figures to be much different for Tucker when the playoffs roll around in April and May. Saturday’s performance was a prime example of that.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=]

[listicle id=73594]

[lawrence-related id=74526,74517,74508]

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.”

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=]

[listicle id=74487]

[lawrence-related id=74494,74491,74483]

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:

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:

Doc Rivers makes sure to point out PJ Tucker after Sixers beat Kings

Doc Rivers made sure to point out PJ Tucker after the Philadelphia 76ers knocked off the Sacramento Kings.

When one looks at the stat line for PJ Tucker after the Philadelphia 76ers knocked off the Sacramento Kings on Saturday, nothing will stand out.

The veteran had three rebounds. He missed his only 3-pointer try. He had three fouls, a technical foul and he went a minus-14 in 19 minutes. It was a night Tucker would rather forget statistically, but he still made an impact.

Tucker, who has been through so many battles in his NBA career, kept Philadelphia in it and kept it focused despite trailing the Kings by 21. He is the vocal leader the Sixers have been in need of over the past few seasons.

“That’s why you have him on your team,” coach Doc Rivers told reporters. “Tuck pays dividends for us, and I know his numbers and people get sideways with that, but there were five or six rebounds down the stretch, Tuck cleared out three people. He didn’t get the rebound. There should be a stat called rebound assists, because he had a ton of those.”

Those are the little things that don’t show up in a box score. Tucker, despite averaging only 3.3 points and 4.1 rebounds, makes an impact for this Sixers team. He always makes those winning plays to make sure his team gets an extra possession and is able to be in a position to win games.

He is also one of their better screen setters as he was able to get Georges Niang free for a triple.

“The play for Georges was one of his picks,” Rivers added. “He’s our best picks setter. So he does so many little things that really pay off for us.”

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=]

[listicle id=74250]

[lawrence-related id=74265,74262,74259]

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: