Tag: Tobias Harris

Rasheed Wallace calls out Tobias Harris to provide more for Sixers

NBA champion Rasheed Wallace calls out Tobias Harris to produce more for the Philadelphia 76ers on offense.

The Philadelphia 76ers return home for games 3 and 4 of their first-round series with the New York Knicks trailing 2-0. The Sixers had a tough loss in Game 1 before suffering a heartbreaker in Game 2, during which actions didn’t go their way down the stretch.

Through the first two games, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid are doing their jobs. However, the supporting cast has not been great.

Tobias Harris drew the ire of NBA champion, and Philadelphia native, Rashed Wallace. Through two games, Harris is averaging 8.5 points and 9.5 rebounds while shooting 38.9% from the floor and 33.3% from deep. He had 10 points on 4-for-11 shooting in Game 2 and didn’t score in the second half.

That didn’t sit well with Wallace:

I can (expletive) blame Tobias with his (expletive) though. Yeah, and if you listening, we mad with you, too, dog. You gotta step that (expletive) the (expletive) up. Yo, you gettin’ all that bread. We need more than 5-for-12 for 10 points.

Editor’s note: Be advised the clip below contains language that some might consider offensive.

Harris has not had the greatest shooting performance in this series, but his defense against Knicks star Jalen Brunson has been phenomenal. That has been his big contribution to the Sixers thus far in this series.

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Sixers will continue to follow Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey as series shifts

The Philadelphia 76ers will continue to lean on star leaders Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey as the series now shifts to Philadelphia.

NEW YORK — The Philadelphia 76ers are returning to the Wells Fargo Center down 2-0 in this first-round playoff series with the New York Knicks. They had their chances in both games 1 and 2, but were not able to walk away with the victory.

The positives for Philadelphia are the play of star duo Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. In the Game 2 loss on Monday, the duo combined for 69 points, 19 rebounds and 16 assists. They were able to have that type of production despite Embiid dealing with a variety of injuries and Maxey dealing with an illness.

As the series shifts to the Wells Fargo Center, the Sixers continue to lean on their star leaders, starting with Embiid.

“Very good,” coach Nick Nurse said of Embiid. “I thought he was excellent. Really outstanding.”

It is admirable to see Embiid play as well as he did despite the obvious pain that he’s in. Not only is the knee bothering him, but he was hit in the eye in Game 1 and is dealing with that as well. He has had a couple of dominant games to start this series for Philadelphia.

“It’s all mental,” Embiid added. “Obviously, it’s not the best-case scenario, but I’m good. No excuses. Play good or play bad, got to find a way to win.”

Then, there’s Maxey who fought through an illness that required him to have an IV. He delivered 35 points, including 15 coming in the fourth. It appeared his heroics would be enough before the unfortunate final 30 seconds for Philadelphia.

“He was ballin,” said Tobias Harris of Maxey. “That’s who he is and he made huge shot after huge shot for us. A game like that, you wanna get a victory for those types of performances and him just fighting through sickness and being there for the group. We’ll be fine. We just gotta keep our composure, stay level-headed, and be ready.”

The Sixers are down 2-0 and their prospects look rather bleak, but Philadelphia will lean on Embiid and Maxey to get back into this series. Being back in the friendly confines of the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday should help.

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Tobias Harris discusses Sixers’ Game 2 loss to Knicks, how to move on

Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris discusses the Game 2 loss to the New York Knicks and how they can move on from the heartbreaker.

NEW YORK — The Philadelphia 76ers took a heartbreaking 104-101 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 2 of their Round 1 series on Monday night on the road. Philadelphia led 100-96 with 1:09 left, but saw it slip away.

The Sixers had a turnover on the inbounds pass with 27.1 seconds left while up 101-99 which proved to be costly. New York’s Donte DiVincenzo missed an open triple, but Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed the offensive rebound to kick back out to DiVincenzo for the go-ahead triple with 13.0 seconds left. It was a shocking turn of events that ignited Madison Square Garden.

“Just a costly turnover for us that led to a heartbreaking basket,” said Tobias Harris. “I thought we did a really good job tonight of getting ourselves in the game and putting ourselves in good position to win the game. Those last 30 seconds or whatever is where the game changed right then and there and we needed to be better. It didn’t happen so we just gotta chalk this one up, figure out ways to get better from it, and be ready to go home and get a victory.”

One could make the case the Sixers should be up 2-0 in this series. Philadelphia had its chances in both Game 1 and Game 2, but couldn’t put the game away. As the Sixers now head back home for the next two games, the focus has to be on getting the job done and closing games out.

“Just get back in the gym and get ready,” Harris added. “I mean, it’s the playoffs. There are no moral victories and no one’s gonna feel sorry for us so we gotta figure out ways to get better and figure out ways to get our first win and get this thing home.”

There are positives that the Sixers can take from Game 2. The fact that they had the game in their hands before letting it slip away is something they can take as a learning experience and get ready for two hugely important games at home.

“We had great spurts tonight of staying with it,” Harris added. “Staying composed all night, coming back, and really fighting and weathering the storm, the ups and downs of the game. I thought we were physical tonight. We were physical on the glass. We pushed them into different positions to make tough shots, to shoot tough shots as well, so we gotta stay with that. Stay with the defensive physicality, and close the game out, and get ready.”

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Sixers’ Tobias Harris watched a lot of film looking to be more aggressive

Tobias Harris sat down and had a big film session as he looks to be more aggressive on offense for the Philadelphia 76ers.

NEW YORK — The Philadelphia 76ers will go as far as Joel Embiid takes them. That has always been the case, but other proven pieces on this roster need to step up and produce.

One of those pieces is Tobias Harris. The much-maligned forward has drawn the ire of the city of Philadelphia and he didn’t help his case in the Game 1 loss to the New York Knicks. He took only seven shots to score seven points and nine rebounds.

That performance sent Harris to the film room to sit down and figure out ways he can be better in this series moving forward.

“Obviously, you gotta take what the game gives you,” said Harris at shootaround on Monday morning. “For somebody like me, you sit down, you watch the film, you see if there’s different areas out there that you can be more aggressive, but for the most part, just evaluating.”

Coach Nick Nurse is a brilliant basketball mind and he will find ways to get Harris involved on the offensive end. On an off day on Sunday, Nurse and the Sixers sat down and went through the film as Harris looks to find his spots and opportunities on offense.

“A lot of it, I’m going into the games with the mindset of being aggressive and trying to make plays and be active on the offensive end, but also that comes into play with what coach was saying to us yesterday just creating different variability on the offensive end,” Harris continued. “Different looks and not being too predictable with what we’re doing.”

On the flip side, Harris has always been a rhythm player. Always. He is not going to demand the ball or disrupt any of the team’s offensive sets. He has always been a guy who will play within what the team wants to do and then take advantage of his opportunities. That’s why a film session is important in this instance: to find more opportunities.

“At the end of the day, though, for myself personally, watch the film and figure out areas where you think you could be a little bit more aggressive and whatnot and try to get some things going, but I’ve always been a player that takes what the game is giving to me,” he continued. “I’m not out there passing up shots.”

Harris is a player who needs the ball in his spots on the floor. He will be aggressive and continue to look for his spots to contribute. The Knicks are a physical defensive team and threw him off his spots in Game 1. That has to change.

“I would love to be as aggressive as I need to be, but I also saw a few areas where I probably could have pulled the shot and it’s, like, if we’re talking to just get that type of rhythm, that flow, that may be what’s needed,” he finished. “Then I’ll make that adjustment.”

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Former Vols’ NBA results for April 17

A look at how former Vols performed in the NBA on Wednesday.

One former Vol competed in the NBA Play-in Tournament on Wednesday, while two were inactive due to injury.

Philadelphia defeated Miami, 105-104, at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Tobias Harris started at forward for the 76ers. He totaled nine points, 10 rebounds and four assists in 37 minutes.

Harris converted 4-of-10 field goal attempts and 1-for-2 free throw attempts.

Philadelphia clinches a seventh seed in the NBA playoffs. The 76ers will play New York during the first round of the playoffs Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York.

Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. EDT and will be televised by ESPN.

Josh Richardson was inactive for the Heat due to a shoulder injury. He recently underwent surgery and will miss the remainder of the postseason.

Chicago defeated Atlanta, 131-116, at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Julian Phillips was inactive for the Bulls due to a foot injury.

Nick Nurse explains move to bench Tobias Harris late after Sixers beat Heat

Coach Nick Nurse explained his decision to send Tobias Harris to the bench late as the Philadelphia 76ers knocked off the Miami Heat.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers walked away with a tough 105-104 win over the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament to earn the No. 7 seed in the East. The Sixers take on the New York Knicks in the first round; the series begins on Saturday.

Coach Nick Nurse pulled an interesting move on Wednesday. He sent Kelly Oubre Jr. in for Tobias Harris at the 4:12 mark of the fourth quarter. The Sixers normally don’t make that move due to Harris’s ability to affect the game in so many ways.

“I thought Tobias was playing fine,” Nurse said after the win. “I thought he played a ton of minutes. I thought he was absolutely tired. That was the only reason why I made that switch and I made the switch back to Kyle (Lowry) with Buddy (Hield). I thought Buddy was playing great and gave us a spark, too, but I thought it was that time in the game where Kyle will usually make a play or two and he did.”

To Nurse’s point, Lowry made big plays down the stretch to help Philadelphia secure the win. Harris played 32:44 on the night, which is just below his season average of 33.8 minutes per game.

Harris struggled a bit: He missed some bunnies and shot 4-for-10 overall for nine points and 10 rebounds. He also air-balled a 3 and wasn’t able to get into his rhythm. On the flip side, he contributed in the second half to help the rally.

“Just was going with what I thought we needed at the moment,” Nurse added. “I thought Tobias had played his guts out for the entire game. He was just on ‘E’ a little bit.”

Harris played a part in the comeback win. He helped Philadelphia crack the zone defense the Heat employed to slow the Sixers.

“Just figuring out the gaps in the zone and making quicker decisions when they presented,” Harris stated. “I think for us in the first half, we weren’t finding the open gaps and spots where we could finish at so I thought second half, we did a better job of figuring that out and getting to our spots.”

He looks to help the Sixers upset the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs. He will just need to be ready for the next opportunity.

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Former Vols’ NBA results for April 9

A look at how former Vols performed in the NBA on Tuesday.

Two former Vols competed in the NBA on Tuesday, while four did not play.

Philadelphia defeated Detroit, 120-102, at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Tobias Harris started at forward for the 76ers. He totaled 15 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and one block in 28 minutes. Harris converted 6-of-13 field goal attempts and 3-of-4 free throw attempts.

Dallas defeated Charlotte, 130-104, at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Grant Williams started at center for the Hornets. He recorded 12 points, four assists and three rebounds in 32 minutes.

Milwaukee defeated Boston, 104-91, at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Jaden Springer did not play due to a coach’s decision for the Celtics.

Miami defeated Atlanta, 117-111 in double overtime, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Josh Richardson was inactive for the Heat.

Houston defeated Orlando, 118-106, at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Admiral Schofield was inactive for the Magic.

New York defeated Chicago, 128-117, at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Julian Phillips was inactive for the Bulls.

Former Vols’ NBA results for April 7

A look at how former Vols performed in the NBA on Sunday.

Three former Vols competed in the NBA on Sunday.

Oklahoma City defeated Charlotte, 121-118, at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Grant Williams totaled 19 points, six assists, five rebounds, two steals and one block for the Hornets in 38 minutes.

He converted 7-of-10 field goal attempts, 2-of-2 three-point attempts and 3-of-4 free throw attempts.

Orlando defeated Chicago, 113-98, at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida.

Admiral Schofield played one minute for the Magic and did not record any statistics, while Julian Phillips was in active for the Bulls.

Boston defeated Portland, 124-107, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Jaden Springer played one minute for the Celtics and recorded one steal.

Philadelphia defeated San Antonio, 133-126, at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. Tobias Harris did not play for the 76ers due to a knee injury.

Tyrese Maxey in, Tobias Harris out as Sixers look for win vs. Spurs

Tyrese Maxey is in while Tobias Harris is out for the Philadelphia 76ers as they take on the San Antonio Spurs.

The Philadelphia 76ers look to pick up a much-needed win when they take on the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night. The Sixers will be without key starters.

Joel Embiid (left knee injury recovery), Kyle Lowry (rest) and Tobias Harris (left knee contusion) are out against the Spurs. Embiid and Lowry played in Saturday’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Harris will miss his third consecutive game with the injury.

As for Tyrese Maxey, he was listed as questionable due to left hip tightness. He will play against the Spurs on Sunday evening.

The Sixers are chasing the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers in the standings and need this one. It will be tough to defend Spurs rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama without the services of Embiid, but Maxey should provide scoring for this group.

Tipoff from the Frost Bank Center is set for 7 p.m. EDT.

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Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey in for Sixers vs. Grizzlies, Tobias Harris out

Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey is in for the Philadelphia 76ers against the Memphis Grizzlies while Tobias Harris is out.

The Philadelphia 76ers continue their three-game road trip on Saturday when they take on the Memphis Grizzlies as they seek to move up the standings.

The Sixers will continue to be short-handed: De’Anthony Melton, Robert Covington and Tobias Harris remain sidelined. Harris will miss his second consecutive game due to a left knee contusion.

Mo Bamba is also out due to an illness.

Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey will play against the Grizzlies after both were considered questionable heading into the matchup.

Embiid and Maxey were masterful in Thursday’s road win over the Miami Heat. The Sixers continue to look to them in these final regular-season games.

Tipoff from the FedEx Forum is 8 p.m. EDT in Memphis.

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