Tag: Sixers

Al Horford questionable Thursday night against Celtics

The Sixers forward’s return to Boston is in question due to knee soreness and hamstring tightness.

New Philadelphia 76ers forward Al Horford was set to play in Boston Thursday night for the first time since leaving the Celtics to sign with the Sixers this summer. Now, it looks like that homecoming might be in jeopardy.

Per the Inquirer’s Keith Pompey, Horford is now listed as questionable for the key matchup between division rivals. Pompey reports that the forward’s status is in doubt due to left knee soreness and left hamstring tightness, ailments for which he underwent treatment this morning. Pompey also notes that Horford did go through shootaround, which would seem to indicate that Horford will try to play.

Horford spent three seasons in Boston, becoming a fan favorite along the way. He averaged 13.5 points, seven rebounds, and 4.6 assists for the Celtics.

From a Sixers perspective, it would certainly be nice to have Horford on the court. Despite it only being early December, Thursday’s matchup holds plenty of importance. The Sixers and Celtics currently sit tied four games back of the Eastern Conference-leading Milwaukee Bucks. Boston is 17-6 while the Sixers are 18-7.

Stay tuned to Sixers Wire for updates on Horford’s status as game time approaches. [lawrence-related id=21127,21109]

 

Sixers defeat Nuggets 97-92 to win 13th straight home game

The Sixers got their third straight win against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday.

Joel Embiid had another marquee matchup with Nikola Jokic on Tuesday night, but this time Embiid got the better of him.

Embiid scored a team-high 22 points in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 97-92 win over the Denver Nuggets. With the win, the Sixers are now 13-0 at home and have the best home record in the NBA. The win also helped the Sixers earn their best home start since the 1966-67 season, according to Basketball Reference; Philly got 22 straight home wins to begin that season.

Heading into the fourth quarter, the Sixers were up 83-76. The Nuggets had fed off the quality play of Jokic, Gary Harris and Will Barton. Jokic had a team-high nine points in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Embiid wasn’t much of a factor from a scoring standpoint, finishing with four points. But he grabbed four rebounds, and tallied one steal and an assist.

Jokic finished with 15 points on 53.8% shooting from the field, and he also had 11 assists and seven rebounds.

It wasn’t a premier performance from Embiid. But his game-sealing two free throws helped create enough cushion for the Sixers to win the game.

The last time these two teams played was on Nov. 8, and the Nuggets won 100-97. Jokic had the better outing, scoring 26 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and tallying six assists. Embiid had 19 points and 15 rebounds, shooting 35.3% from the field.

The Sixers’ pace fluctuated throughout the game. Philly played its best when it was gaining stops and getting out in transition. The Sixers rank 12th in fastbreak points (13.8). On Tuesday, they scored 19 fastbreak points, tying their fifth-highest mark of the season.

Along with Embiid’s play, the Sixers showed how their ability to move the ball helps them have an above average offense. Ben Simmons had a team-high seven assists, and the Sixers had 24 as a team.

Still, those passes didn’t necessarily equate to buckets. The Sixers shot 41.6% from the field and 33.3% from deep.

What was most troubling for the Sixers was how their offense stalled late in the game. With 4:09 left, Tobias Harris made a jumper to increase the Sixers’ lead to 95-89. But after that bucket, the Sixers didn’t score again until Embiid sank a free throw with about 15 seconds left.

As the Sixers come off this third straight win, they will prepare to play the Boston Celtics in Boston on Thursday night. The Celtics are currently 17-5, and they’re ranked second in the Eastern Conference.

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Sixers dominate for three quarters, avoid collapse in 110-104 win over Raptors

The way you view the Sixers win over the Raptors on Sunday night will depend on whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist.

The Philadelphia 76ers held on for one of the stranger wins you’ll ever see Sunday night, defeating the Toronto Raptors 110-104 at Wells Fargo Center.

The Sixers were in absolute control of the game for 45 minutes. They took a modest five-point lead after the first quarter and extended that to a 15-point margin at the halftime break. Philadelphia continued to build the lead in the third quarter, taking an 18-point advantage into the final quarter.

Things remained on track for much of the fourth, with the lead getting a large as 20, and a Matisse Thybulle three put them up 17 with just 3:16 to go. Then, the Sixers flirted with disaster.

Toronto went to a full-court press and the Sixers were laughably bad handling it. They began to turn the ball over in every way imaginable: steals, bad passes, backcourt violations, eight-second violations. Joel Embiid turned it over on three straight possessions and was yanked from the game. As you would expect, the lead started to disappear and the Raptors closed to within five. Fortunately, Toronto simply ran out of time and the Sixers were able to escape.

Sixers fans are left with a bit of a weird feeling because as bad as the final three minutes were, the previous 45 were very good.

Tobias Harris was excellent, leading the team with 26 points to go with six rebounds and three assists.

Ben Simmons narrowly missed a triple-double, piling up 16 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists.

Joel Embiid had 10 points, eight rebounds, six assists, a steal, and a block, but those late turnovers soured his performance and he finished with seven giveaways.

Al Horford chipped in 11 points, five assists, four rebounds, two blocks and a steal. His presence was invaluable, and two plays really stand out in demonstrating that point. Twice Horford found himself as the only man back on a Toronto fast break, and each time he prevented a bucket, including once on a 4-on-1.

Matisse Thybulle led a nice effort from the bench. He finished with a career-high 20 points on 5-of-8 from 3. He also had three assists, three steals, two rebounds, and a block. James Ennis III chipped in 11, while Mike Scott had eight and Raul Neto had five.

After starting the game 1-of-9 from beyond the arc, the Sixers finished a solid 14-of-32 (43.8%). They dished out 31 assists on 40 made baskets and the defense was very good for much of the game.

It’s a shame that an overall really good performance from the Sixers will be marred somewhat by the shaky finish. But at the end of the day, they controlled virtually the entire game against a very good Raptors team that has historically given them a lot of problems. There was a lot to like about the showing, and hopefully the ending will prove to be a valuable lesson for the team.

The Sixers will continue their homestand on Tuesday when they host the Denver Nuggets.

 

Ben Simmons, Sixers dominate Cavaliers in 141-94 romp

Ben Simmons put forth a sparkling performance, leading the Sixers to a dominant victory over the Cavaliers.

No Joel Embiid, no Josh Richardson, no problem. Down two starters, the Philadelphia 76ers bounced back from Thursday’s disappointing effort against the Washington Wizards in about the best way possible. Led by their other franchise cornerstone, Ben Simmons, the Sixers dominated the Cleveland Cavaliers from the opening tip and romped to a 141-94 win.

The Sixers doubled up the Cavs in the first quarter, taking a 36-18 lead. Somehow, the second quarter got worse for Cleveland, who again managed only 18 points but surrendered 41, highlighted by Ben Simmons’ second 3-pointer of the year. As a result, the Sixers carried a franchise-record 41-point lead into the break.

There was no taking their foot off the gas, as the Sixers added five to the margin in the third, and the reserves added one more in the fourth to give the Sixers a 47-point win.

It would be hard to overstate how impressive Ben Simmons’ performance was. In just 26 minutes of action, he poured in a career-high 34 points shooting 12-of-14 from the floor, 9-of-12 from the free-throw line, and yes, 1-of-1 from beyond the arc. He added seven assists, three rebounds, two steals, and two blocks and turned the ball over just once.

Mike Scott, who got the start in place of Embiid, broke out of his slump with 21 points and six rebounds.

Tobias Harris added 15, Al Horford had 8, and Furkan Korkmaz had five in place of Josh Richardson.

Several members of the bench made the most of the extended minutes they received courtesy of the big margin. Trey Burke poured in 21 points and dished out eight assists and Kyle O’Quinn managed a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds.

After what happened Thursday in Washington, it was great to see the team come out focused and not taking the Cavs lightly. Simmons did an excellent job setting the tone and leading the way, especially with the team missing two starters. The Sixers did a much better job taking care of the ball, committing just eight turnovers.

One final positive from Saturday’s game is that building a huge lead allowed Brett Brown to limit the minutes of the starters, which is big with a tough game with the Raptors looming tomorrow. No Sixers starter played more than 26 minutes.

The Sixers moved to 11-0 at home on the season and will try to build on Saturday’s performance against the Raptors on Sunday. That game is a 6:00 tip.

 

 

Turnovers doom Sixers in disappointing loss to Wizards

The Sixers put forth a sloppy effort in Washington and the Wizards made them pay.

The Philadelphia 76ers put forth one of their most disappointing efforts of the season Thursday night in Washington, losing to the Wizards 119-113.

Things started off fine in the nation’s capital, with the Sixers scoring 33 first-quarter points and building an eight-point lead.

The second quarter proved to be an utter disaster as the Sixers were outscored 40-22. The Sixers defense got torched, in particular by Davis Bertans, and the offense couldn’t keep pace. Suddenly, their eight-point lead was a 10-point deficit.

The teams played even in the third quarter, and the Sixers trimmed a few points off the deficit in the fourth but it wasn’t enough as they simply didn’t make enough plays and couldn’t get out of their own way.

Two things jump off the stat sheet. First, the Sixers committed 21 turnovers. That’s simply way too many. Making matters worse, the biggest culprits were the team’s two cornerstones, the guys who handle the ball the most. Joel Embiid had eight while Ben Simmons had seven. That duo holds far too much responsibility for the success of the team to be that careless with the basketball.

The other is the defensive glass. The Sixers won the overall rebounding battle by a narrow 44-41 margin, but surrendered 13 offensive rebounds to the Wizards, subsequently getting outscored 21-9 in second-chance points.

As a result, Washington got up 13 more shot attempts than the Sixers and was able to offset a decent offensive night from the Sixers. Philadelphia shot 53.2% from the field and 46.4% from 3 to Washington’s 45.6% and 40.7%. Between the turnovers and offensive rebounds, the Sixers simply gave the Wizards too many extra opportunities.

Outside of his turnovers, Joel Embiid had a nice game with 26 points and 21 rebounds, earning 14 trips to the free-throw line.

Tobias Harris poured in 33 points to go with seven rebounds and three assists. Ben Simmons added 17 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, and three steals. Al Horford chipped in 11 points and five rebounds, while Furkan Korkmaz added eight points getting the start for Josh Richardson.

The Sixers didn’t get much from their bench, as the second unit contributed just 18 points, 11 of which came from Raul Neto. One bright spot from the bench was the six assists from Matisse Thybulle.

There’s really no way around it, this was a game the Sixers were expected to win and they put forth a sloppy, disappointing effort. The loss marks the 10th straight loss for the Sixers in Washington, where they haven’t won since 2013. It also ends the team’s four-game winning streak. They’ll look to get back on track Saturday when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers.

 

Josh Richardson to remain out Thursday against Wizards

Sixers guard Josh Richardson will miss his fourth straight game when the team takes on the Wizards on Thursday.

Things have been going reasonably well for the Philadelphia 76ers recently, as the team has won four-straight games and eight of their last nine to run their record to 15-6. But it hasn’t been all good for the team.

The Sixers have been without guard Josh Richardson since he injured himself in last Wednesday’s win over the Sacramento Kings, and the team announced he will miss his fourth straight game Thursday against the Wizards. The ailment has officially been described as “right hamstring tightness” by the team. It’s worth noting that this is the second time this season Richardson has been sidelined with an upper leg/hip issue.

Considering the franchise’s recent history with injuries, and with being upfront publicly about them, it’s fair if Sixers fans feel a bit of concern creeping in.

Still, the team maintains that it is simply taking a cautious approach with Richardson, and he has been participating in individual workouts the past few days.

Richardson is averaging 16.1 points, 3.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.1 steals this season. We’ll await an update on his status for Saturday’s game against the Cavaliers. [lawrence-related id=20148,19973,19957,19949]

Sixers build big lead, hold on for 103-94 win over Jazz

Despite a shaky fourth quarter, it was a solid performance from the Sixers, who earned their fourth-straight win Monday night.

After looking like they would run away with Monday’s game against the Utah Jazz, the Philadelphia 76ers found themselves holding on down the stretch at Wells Fargo Center before escaping with a 103-94 win.

Things started off well for the home team, as the Sixers built an eight-point lead after the first quarter. They kept their foot on the gas in the second, extending the margin to 18 at halftime. Everything remained on track in the third quarter, and although that frame was closer than the previous two, the Sixers still added another point to their advantage.

Then the fourth quarter happened. Things were innocent enough through the early part of the quarter, with the Sixers maintaining a margin between 14 and 19 points. But then the offense went cold, as the Sixers scored only four points over a four-and-a-half-minute stretch, allowing the Jazz to climb to within ten points. A Tobias Harris jumper with 2:32 remaining provided a bit of relief for the Sixers, but a quick 5-0 spurt from Utah brought the lead back down to seven. Fortunately, the Sixers were able to make some free throws down the stretch and ultimately time ran out on Utah’s comeback bid.

On the surface, the way the game out was only mildly frustrating. But when you consider the fact that Utah was on the second night of a back-to-back, playing its third game in four nights, and on the final game of a five-game trip that took them to Milwaukee, Indiana, Memphis, and Toronto before wrapping up in Philadelphia, the inability to maintain dominance through the fourth quarter is a bit more disappointing.

Still, the Sixers made enough plays and got the win, avenging an early-season loss in Utah.

Tobias Harris led the way with 26 points and nine rebounds. Joel Embiid secured another double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, adding four assists. Ben Simmons flirted with a triple-double, contributing 14 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds. He also continued making a defensive impact, swiping four steals. Al Horford added 17 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Matisse Thybulle chipped in nine points (3-of-3 from deep) and three steals off the bench, while James Ennis III had eight points and five rebounds.

Defense and 3-point shooting played a huge role in the win. The Sixers had a total of 12 steals and forced 19 Jazz turnovers. They held Utah to 22.7% from beyond the arc while connecting on 50% of their own attempts from deep, earning a 24-point advantage from beyond the arc.

It would have been nice to see the Sixers carry their early dominance through the fourth quarter, especially considering the position the Jazz were in regarding their schedule, but there was still a lot to like about the performance. The Sixers have now won four in a row and improved to 10-0 at home. They’ll be back in action Thursday against the Wizards in Washington.

 

Monday marks unpleasant 10-year anniversary for Nets

The Nets look good now, but the franchise has been through some rough times. Back in 2009-10, the franchise was the doormat of the NBA.

The Brooklyn Nets have 10 wins through their first 20 games of the 2019-20 season, placing them seventh in the Eastern Conference standings. A .500 start isn’t exactly earthshattering for the Nets. Some might even consider 10-10 a disappointment.

Ten years ago, Nets fans would’ve been plenty happy with a 10-10 start. Ten years ago, the Nets were the worst team in the NBA — and Monday marked the anniversary of the record they set in 2009-10.

Prior to 2009-10, two teams had lost 17 consecutive games to start a season in the history of the NBA: the 1988-89 Miami Heat and 1998-99 Los Angeles Clippers (lockout season).

Twenty-one seasons after the Heat set their record, the New Jersey Nets broke it on December 2, 2009 when they lost their 18th game in a row in a 117-101 finish against the Dallas Mavericks.

On that December night in New Jersey, Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points for the Mavs and ex-Nets point guard Jason Kidd scored 16, had 10 assists, grabbed eight rebounds and finished with five steals.

For New Jersey, Chris Douglas-Roberts led with 24 points. Devin Harris had 17 and Brooke Lopez scored 16.

The Nets would snap their losing streak with a 97-91 win over the Charlotte Bobcats two nights later.

New Jersey would finish 2009-10 with a 12-70 record, the worst finish in franchise history.

Six years later, the Philadelphia 76ers would tie the Nets for the worst start to a season in NBA history.

Ben Simmons’ late defense lifts Sixers to wild 119-116 win over Pacers

Ben Simmons was huge for the Sixers down the stretch.

Saturday night’s game between the Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers featured very little defense, yet it was several huge defensive plays from Ben Simmons that propelled the Sixers to a hard-fought 119-116 win.

The Sixers built a nine-point lead after the first quarter and saw that margin grow to as much as 15, but another shaky second quarter saw that advantage evaporate with the teams going into the break tied at 65.

The score remained tied at the end of the third quarter, setting the stage for a dramatic final stage.

T.J. Warren hit three free throws to put the Pacers up by one with 41.4 seconds left. A Tobias Harris turnover on the ensuing possession had the Sixers in a tough spot, and then Ben Simmons decided the Sixers were going to win this game and used his defense to ensure it would happen.

Simmons erased Harris’ turnover with a steal at the other end and then found Harris for a dunk in transition to put the Sixers back up one. Following a Pacers timeout, Simmons then stole the inbounds pass, again finding Harris who was fouled. Harris connected on both free throws to extend the Sixer lead to three. The teams traded pairs of free throws courtesy of intentional fouls, and then, fittingly, Simmons intercepted Indiana’s final desperation pass to seal the victory.

It was a stunning display from Simmons, who showed aggression throughout the night. He struggled from the field, connecting on just 4-of-13 attempts, but he was a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line. He finished with 15 points, 13 assists, six rebounds, four steals, and a block while playing 38 minutes.

Joel Embiid was fantastic again, pouring in 32 points to go with 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block. He was an impressive 15-of-15 from the charity stripe and his passing was very good.

Tobias Harris had an incredibly uneven final few minutes, making a few crucial mistakes but also converting some big buckets for the Sixers. He finished with 22 points, four rebounds, and two assists.

Al Horford had an efficient 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, adding three rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Furkan Korkmaz got the start in place of Josh Richardson, scoring 12 points.

The Sixers got balanced contributions off the bench, with nine points from James Ennis III, five from Raul Neto, five from Matisse Thybulle, and four from Mike Scott.

As we mentioned, the defense wasn’t as good as we’d like to see from the Sixers, as the Pacers shot 55.3% from the field and 50% from 3. However, the Sixers did force 19 turnovers and shot well themselves (49.4% from the field, 47.8% from 3).

This game had all the makings of one that the Sixers would let slip away and it is encouraging that they were able to gut it out and make the plays down the stretch to grind out the victory. The way Simmons changed the game defensively was a sight to behold and was another great sign for the team.

The Sixers improved to a perfect 9-0 at home and 14-6 on the season. They’ll be back in action on Monday when they host the Utah Jazz.

Joel Embiid bounces back, leads Sixers past feisty Kings 97-91

Led by Joel Embiid and Matisse Thybulle, the Sixers held off a feisty Sacramento Kings team Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Center.

The Philadelphia 76ers improved to 8-0 at home on Wednesday night with a 97-91 win over the Sacramento Kings.

The Sixers jumped out to an 11-2 lead, and it looked like they would be in for an easy night. The Kings, despite playing the last game of a four-game road trip, had other ideas. Sacramento refused to go away time and again on Wednesday night.

After building a seven-point lead after one quarter, the Sixers put forth a disastrous second quarter that was marred by turnovers and uninspired play. As a result, the Kings made a run and only a buzzer-beating floater by Raul Neto preserved a halftime lead for the Sixers.

The Sixers regrouped at halftime and asserted themselves in the third, getting a huge spark from Matisse Thybulle, who we will talk about more later. The Sixers won the quarter by 11 and carried a 12-point advantage into the final quarter.

Still, the Kings wouldn’t go away. After the Sixers built the lead as high as 17, Sacramento made yet another push, getting within five points with under three minutes to go. Fortunately, the Sixers had the answer and were able to keep the Kings at bay until the final buzzer.

It’s safe to say Joel Embiid was tired of hearing about his zero-point, 0-for-11 game in Toronto on Monday. The big guy asserted himself early and often on Wednesday, scoring the first four points for the Sixers and finishing with 33 points, 16 rebounds, two blocks, and an assist. He shot 10-of-19 from the field and made sure to get to the free-throw line, where he had 14 attempts, connecting on 12. Embiid was aggressive and did a much better job passing out of double teams.

Tobias Harris didn’t have his jump shot working but chipped in 14 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two blocks.

Al Horford added 12 points, seven rebounds, five assists, a steal, and a block.

Ben Simmons had 10 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, and two steals.

Josh Richardson, who didn’t play in the second half due to hamstring tightness, had nine points, three assists, and a block.

Thybulle provided a huge boost off the bench, playing a huge role in the team’s third-quarter push. He finished with 15 points, four steals, three rebounds, two blocks, and an assist. The rookie shot 5-of-5 from the floor, 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, and 2-of-2 from the line. It was a sight to behold and an incredibly encouraging sign for the Sixers.

It was far from a pretty performance. The Sixers had 17 turnovers and shot just 19.2% from beyond the arc. But Joel Embiid responded to the worst game of his career on Monday in exactly the way you’d hope, and if Matisse Thybulle can replicate what we saw from him Wednesday night it would be huge going forward. It was nice to see the Sixers answer each push from the Kings and close the game out down the stretch.

The Sixers improved to 12-6 on the season and will get back at it Friday night against the Knicks in New York.