Tag: PJ Tucker

Multiple Sixers praise Paul Reed for his big day in Game 4 win over Nets

The Philadelphia 76ers gave a lot of praise to Paul Reed for his big day in a Game 4 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

NEW YORK–The Philadelphia 76ers finished off the Brooklyn Nets 96-88 in Game 4 and complete the sweep mainly because Tobias Harris stepped up and led the way, but Paul Reed gave the team a big boost.

Reed started in place of the injured Joel Embiid and had 10 points and 15 rebounds. He was aggressive on both ends of the floor as well as the glass and the Sixers needed his effort and production in this one.

Normally, coach Doc Rivers likes to keep his normal rotation. When Embiid is out, the Sixers normally turn to guys like Dewayne Dedmon or Montrezl Harrell or go PJ Tucker at the 5 and keep Reed in his reserve role.

Not this time and the Sixers benefited from it.

PJ Tucker, Sixers single out Tobias Harris after closing out Nets in Game 4

PJ Tucker and the Philadelphia 76ers single out Tobias Harris for his work after closing out the Brooklyn Nets in Game 4.

NEW YORK — The Philadelphia 76ers were without Joel Embiid on Saturday afternoon as they looked to eliminate the Brooklyn Nets and move on to the Eastern Conference semifinals. Therefore, they needed somebody to step up and take over the scoring load.

That somebody was Tobias Harris, the only Sixer who could get into any type of offensive rhythm. Philadelphia shot 36-for-91 on the day, good for only 39.6%. Harris shot 11-for-19 and had 25 points to go along with 12 rebounds in a 96-88 win that eliminated the Nets.

Harris provided both the scoring and rebounding the Sixers were missing without Embiid and Philadelphia needed all of it in this one.

“Tobias is always important,” PJ Tucker said. “Nobody talks enough about Tobias on our team. To have somebody his size, especially our front 4 to be able to switch in certain situations to be able to guard bigs, guard guards, and take advantage of rebounding and being able to take advantage of teams with small guards.”

He was also terrific on the defensive end being able to ensure the Sixers got enough stops on the perimeter to fuel their offense. Philadelphia is one of those teams that need to get stops in order to get out and run on the offensive end of the floor.

“It’s hard with Joel to be able to do that a lot, but when he’s out, it’s a big factor for us,” Tucker said. “So Tobias was big on both sides of the floor today.”

Harris was huge on the offensive end on Saturday. Considering James Harden and Tyrese Maxey shot a combined 10-for-38, they needed his contribution.

“He was great, man,” Harden said of Harris. “Just attacking the basket, finishing around the rim, knocking 3s down, defensively being great. It’s a special performance for him in a close out and we needed him.”

Harris has always been a consummate professional on the Sixers, and he has been a vocal leader. Whatever Philadelphia needs from him, he steps up to the challenge and Saturday was another example of that.

“Tobias is a pro’s pro,” De’Anthony Melton said. “He always locked in and that’s why I love it. Tobias, he’s always telling us to stay with it throughout the whole year. So go see him have a series like this is huge. I love to see it.”

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Player grades: Joel Embiid-less Sixers eliminate Nets with Game 4 win

The Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers eliminate the Brooklyn Nets in Game 4 to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

NEW YORK–The Philadelphia 76ers looked to eliminate the Brooklyn Nets in Game 4 on Saturday afternoon as they were looking to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals and give Joel Embiid as much time to rest up as possible. The big fella is dealing with a right knee sprain and the Sixers had to battle the Nets on Saturday without him.

After the Nets opened up an 11-point lead and they sustained it for the most part, the Sixers began to stir in the third quarter. After it looked like they had been sleepwalking for most of the day, they were able to kick it into high gear and rally for a 96-88 win. Philadelphia earned its first sweep of a seven-game series since 1985 when they swept the then-Washington Bullets and is in the semifinals for the third consecutive season.

Tobias Harris had 25 points and 12 rebounds, James Harden had 17 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds, Tyrese Maxey had 16 and eight boards, and Paul Reed had 10 points and 15 rebounds. De’Anthony Melton added 15 points with all of those coming in the fourth quarter.

Here are the player grades following the win:

PJ Tucker shared a message with Joel Embiid before Sixers began playoffs

PJ Tucker shared a message with Joel Embiid before the Philadelphia 76ers began the playoffs.

NEW YORK — PJ Tucker has seen a lot in his NBA career. He has been through a ton of playoff wars, and he has a championship ring on his resume.

So when the playoffs rolled around for the Philadelphia 76ers, they were going to rely on Tucker to give the team a boost.

The veteran does not have impressive numbers. Therefore, one doesn’t necessarily see what he brings to the table, but Tucker brings a great deal of wisdom. He made a big difference in Philadelphia’s Game 3 win over the Brooklyn Nets. In a game that was not going well, Tucker came up with some huge plays in the fourth to seal it.

Those are the types of games that can help a team grow, and Tucker shared a message about games such as these with Joel Embiid before the postseason began.

“I told Joel before we started the playoffs, these type of games are the ones you remember when you get to where you want to be,” said Tucker. “The games when you shoot 40% and 60 from the free-throw and nobody can hit a 3 and you win. Those are the ones, that’s when you know you’re growing as a team and do whatever it takes that night to get the win. These are kind of games that build a foundation to be able to win because when you’re rolling, it’s hard to beat you.”

At this point, a lot of people will give credit to Tucker for changing the atmosphere and allowing Philadelphia to get tougher. However, he isn’t willing to go that far. He’s just here to help Embiid and the Sixers get over the top.

“Nah,” he laughed. “Too much credit for that. Just like a team cohesiveness that set the tone, accountability, guys have to come in and do what they’re supposed to do. Do your job. If everybody does their job and everybody’s jobs will be a lot easier.”

Game 4 with the Nets is on Saturday afternoon from Brooklyn where the Sixers will look to finish the sweep.

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Multiple Sixers heap praise on PJ Tucker after Game 3 win over Nets

The Philadelphia 76ers heap praise upon PJ Tucker for being a big difference in a Game 3 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

NEW YORK–The Philadelphia 76ers went out and signed PJ Tucker in the offseason for moments such as the ones on Thursday night against the Brooklyn Nets. They needed an edge. They needed somebody to step up and make the little plays in order to get the job done.

When one looks at Tucker’s stat line and sees three points on 1-for-3 shooting, eight rebounds, and four assists, one might not see much. However, Tucker did play a big role in Philadelphia holding the Nets to just 15 points in the fourth quarter in a 102-97 Game 3 win.

Tucker grabbed five of his rebounds in the fourth quarter including two big offensive rebounds with four minutes to go on the same possession to set up a Tyrese Maxey floater. He always seems to come up with the big play when the time calls for it and his teammates singled him out after the win.

Player grades: Tyrese Maxey, Sixers put away Nets to take 3-0 lead

Tyrese Maxy and the Philadelphia 76ers put away the Brooklyn Nets in the second half of Game 3 to take a 3-0 series lead.

NEW YORK–The Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets took this series north to Barclays Center where the Sixers were looking for a 3-0 stranglehold in this series while the Nets were just looking to get on the board in this series. Everybody knows that no team in NBA history has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit to win the series.

The Sixers built up a 13-point lead in the first half and while the Nets battled back to take the lead in the third quarter, then a lot of nonsense happened on both sides, and Philadelphia was able to put them away for a 102-97 victory. Tyrese Maxey had 25 points to help the Sixers take a 3-0 lead in this series.

James Harden had 21 points, five rebounds, and four assists before being ejected for a flagrant-2 foul, and Joel Embiid had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Tobias Harris had 15 points and six rebounds and De’Anthony Melton added 13 off the bench.

Here are the player grades following the win:

Nets’ Jacque Vaughn gives respect to Sixers’ PJ Tucker for his career

Brooklyn Nets coach Jacque Vaughn gives respect to Philadelphia 76ers forward PJ Tucker for the career he has had.

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia 76ers veteran PJ Tucker continues to make an impact in his first season in the City of Brotherly Love despite not putting up crazy scoring numbers.

In Philadelphia’s Game 2 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, Tucker did not score, yet his presence was felt. He had eight rebounds, three assists and countless other plays that didn’t show up in the box score to help the Sixers.

Nets coach Jacque Vaughn, who was an assistant for the Nets in the 2021 playoffs, respects Tucker and what he brings to the table on a nightly basis.

“I’ve enjoyed watching him his entire career,” Vaughn said. “We had a series with him when he was with Milwaukee. You give guys like that credit where you see he feels like the ultimate teammate. He shows up, he does his work, he does his job every single night.”

As mentioned, Tucker does so many little things to help the Sixers win games. He made a big difference in making sure they received extra possessions, and he bothered the Nets on the defensive end. Those are the little plays a team needs to win in the playoffs.

“Some things that don’t go on the stat sheet, those 50/50 balls, the physicality that he played with,” Vaughn added on Tucker. “So we’ll have to match that, but you give him credit for doing his job every single night.”

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Player grades: Tyrese Maxey leads sluggish Sixers over Nets in Game 2

Tyrese Maxey led the way for the sluggish Philadelphia 76ers to knock off the Brooklyn Nets in Game 2 at home.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers were looking to take advantage of having home court advantage in their first-round series with the Brooklyn Nets and take a 2-0 series lead before they paid a visit to the Barclays Center for Game 3. Considering the talent and experience gap, this was a good opportunity for Philadelphia.

However, the Sixers looked sluggish. They were not finishing at the basket. They had a tough time taking care of the ball, and they played into Brooklyn’s strengths all night. However, Tyrese Maxey came to the rescue, and the Sixers walked away with a 96-84 victory in Game 2 at home.

Maxey had 33 points to lead the Sixers. Tobias Harris had 20 points and 12 rebounds. Joel Embiid had 20, 19 rebounds and seven assists, and De’Anthony Melton had nine off the bench. James Harden added eight points, seven assists and five rebounds in an off night for him. PJ Tucker grabbed eight rebounds.

Here are the player grades following the win:

Sixers’ PJ Tucker explains why his game is tailor-made for the playoffs

Philadelphia 76ers veteran PJ Tucker explains why his game is tailor-made for the playoffs.

The Philadelphia 76ers made their big move in free agency when they brought in veteran PJ Tucker on a 3-year, $33 million deal. While most scoffed at that deal, the Sixers had their eyes on adding a player who provides a toughness and edge in the postseason.

Considering Tucker has a championship on his resume (2021, Milwaukee Bucks) and he was a win away from getting back to the finals with the Miami Heat in 2022, he is the perfect man for the job.

When one looks at Tucker’s season averages of 3.5 points and 3.9 rebounds for the 2022-23 season, one would think the Sixers massively overpaid for him. However, he was brought here for the postseason, and he made a big impact in the Game 1 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

“It just stands out more in the postseason,” Tucker told reporters of why his game stands out in the playoffs. “The postseason, you look at all the 50-50 balls, the loose balls, offensive rebounds. Like I said, when you get the extra kick-out 3s and the put-backs, that stuff matters.”

Tucker does all of those things during the regular season. However, over the course of an 82-game season, that stuff goes unnoticed. In the middle of a playoff series with so much on the line, all of that stuff comes to light. It changes games for his team.

“It’s just the focus and the eyes are on it because it’s the postseason,” added Tucker. “That’s stuff you try to do consistently throughout the year to win enough games to put ourselves in a position to be able to fight for a championship.”

The Sixers will continue to lean on Tucker to lead the way in the postseason.

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Doc Rivers, Sixers discuss adjustments needed for Game 2 vs. Nets

Doc Rivers and the Philadelphia 76ers discuss adjustments that needed to be made before Game 2 with the Brooklyn Nets.

CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers head into Game 2 with the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night looking to take a 2-0 series lead before the scene shifts to Barclays Center. The Sixers had significant success when attacking the Nets, and they look to build off that.

In a playoff series, adjustments are made on both sides. The Nets will come up with something as will the Sixers, and it comes down to who can execute their game plan more efficiently.

“In general, coaches rarely over adjust,” said coach Doc Rivers. “I think, most of the time, you don’t adjust a lot as much as you think you do, but there are always a couple of adjustments you have to make because of what they’re doing. At least you have to be ready to make the adjustments more.”

One thing Rivers believes the Sixers can be better at in Game 2 is attacking the aggressive double teams Brooklyn sends toward Joel Embiid.

“I think we handled those well, but I think we can handle them better,” the coach explained. “I do. I mean, we made 3s, but we showed them like six times where our spacing was off, it was late, and we have to get better on that.”

The Sixers can be better defensively in Game 2. While they were much better in the second half of Game 1, the Nets shot 63.2% from the floor in the first half on Saturday. That’s something that has to be figured out.

“Defensively, we weren’t that good last game. Period,” PJ Tucker added. “We scored the ball and we played decent, but we didn’t play good defense. We’re going to have to play a lot better defense to win the way we want to win. That’s just being honest. On a lot of plays, we played really hard. I feel like we tried to cover for each other and play hard. Communication’s got to be better, but we’ve got to be better, period, on defense.”

The Sixers are not going to drastically change anything they do schematically. This is about preparing to execute what they want to do at a high level.

“Teams aren’t going to recreate the wheel overnight,” Rivers finished. “None of us are. We are what we are. You have to be better at what you do and your adjustment has to be to get you back to being what you are more than changing yourself.”

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