The Sixers struggled for about half of Saturday night’s game against Charlotte, but a strong start and an excellent shot led them to a 127-112 victory over the Hornets that was never in doubt.
This is what I saw.
The good
• Joel Embiid has an absolutely spectacular start for the Sixers, and the more wins Philly can rack up the door, the more likely he is to be in MVP conversations once they really get started.
In the first 8-10 minutes of play, Embiid had at least 4-5 absolutely crazy possessions on defense, always appearing in the right place at the right time to force a wild Hornets throw or a pass to a less dangerous player. It’s hard to lose your ability to scare the smallest players out of the basket. DeVonte Graham fired a plate that I briefly thought would go over the board after Embiid made a late rotation to get to his face.
Embiid and Ben Simmons are a great dynamic duo on defense. As the teams try to solve the problem posed by the size and imposing instincts of Embiid in the back, here appears the 6-foot, 10-foot hyper-athlete with active hands, the man who gets into his chest or breaks the ball to start a quick break. With Embiid playing higher in pick-and-rolls and forcing the ball out of the manipulator’s hands, Simmons ’ability to play through the passing lanes stands out more than ever.
This wasn’t his best offensive game of the year by any imagination, but Embiid continues to do the right thing when it comes to being part of an offensive unit instead of doing it all himself. There were several possessions in which Embiid moved or scrolled running to set up a screen that helped pave the way to a Philadelphia basket and, when not a destructive force in the attacking world, must be able to of doing the little things to lead your team to victory. .
• In many ways, this was a Ben Simmons game like most of the rest of this year. The most outstanding defensive reel continues to grow, his ability to form teammates for open triples is as constant as ever, and yes, his midfield score still has nothing to write about.
However, Simmons did He seems to have done a better job of finding room to cut Saturday night, and he did so aggressively, with Charlotte doing a little too much with respect to Embiid’s outside shot. He was in the middle of Philadelphia’s transition attack, making several excellent lead passes for fouls or easy points, and then showed what he can do with the ball in his hands, sucking in pressure from Charlotte just to let go. the ball to facilitate the transition to three. .
Also, Simmons and the big one showed solid chemistry together in actions that involved both: the comfortable pick-and-rolls haven’t generated much for Philly this season, but it looks like they’re committed to improving on that look. the minimum. Embiid demanded the ball at one point in the first half before flowing straight into one of those plays, with Simmons finally finding Tobias Harris for a three on the opposite elbow.
• I don’t know what Harris got into after a shitty preseason and a brutal opener at Philly’s house, but it’s a difference between day and night. Doc Rivers has repeatedly stressed the need for Harris to be a quick decision maker and has followed his coach’s wishes, playing decisive basketball at both ends of the floor.
Harris was one of the biggest culprits in Philly’s slow, disconnected attack last season, and it’s one of the biggest reasons he’s been so cohesive over the past week. He is opening three in transition, attacking the closures or making an extra pass if the shot is not there, and during stretches where his shot does not fall, Harris still relocates and prepares in advance if / when the ball spins in the his way.
His most important contribution of the night has perhaps remained constant, as the play of his teammates faltered in the middle of the match. Charlotte came out hot in the first half of the third quarter, and it was Harris who put up a good defensive play and then ran out in the transition to tie a foul. The Sixers were on the verge of closing the Hornets ’door in the middle of the quarter, and it was Harris’ assist defense created a turnover and caused a Simmons hit at the other end, forcing a timeout from the Hornets. visitors.
With Embiid and Simmons doing much of the hard defensive work, the goal has always been to find a high-level third-party player to ease the burden of the attack and fill in some of the gaps in their games. That Harris has a good five-game stretch doesn’t mean anyone has to throw “MISSION FULFILLED” banners with the American flag, but if Harris continues to play with that mindset, it will be hard to stop.
• The trade to get Seth Curry on the list increasingly looks like a clever move by Daryl Morey as the veteran guard moves into Philadelphia. Having a guy in starting lineup who can get you out of bad possessions, comfortably get into three transitions abandoned by Simmons and direct the two-man game with Embiid is quite a luxury, and Curry fills many gaps in offense in addition to ‘that.
Several times against the Hornets, the Sixers had withdrawn their possessions and ended up in Curry’s hands, only for No. 31 to shoot a Charlotte guard to get a good finish in the basket. Both units have players with that ability now, with Shake Milton carrying the torch for the second unit, a luxury for such a short team in a competent guard game in the last 5-10 years.
(By the way, Milton was the best player in the second unit of the night for Philly. He always seemed to come in with a basket made when things got hairy in the second half and he continues to make a case for joining the starting unit / end with his success in the role of sixth man.)
• Danny Green wasn’t going to shoot like shit for an entire season and was finally able to join the 2020-21 season on Saturday night.
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• Tyrese Maxey was also able to reach her first treble of the season on Saturday night, a time when she had to feel good for the rookie goalkeeper and a bit of balance needed for her game. I’m a little worried about its ability to end up among the trees in the long run (it looks small when it attacks paint), but its feel is so good that it may not matter.
The bad
• Apparently, the Sixers thought this game would go down just like the Orlando Magic explosion on New Year’s Eve, and they behaved as such. The approach hasn’t been a problem for them so far this year, but they drifted a good chunk of the second and early third quarters before the Hornets served them well enough to wake them up.
He would put it mostly at the feet of Embiid and Simmons, who each took their foot off the gas in their own unique way. Simmons wasn’t as big as the culprit, but his decision-making in the third quarter was particularly suspicious, leading to several ugly changes in passes that never had a chance to reach their goal. After a great first half dedicated to basketball, he was part of a light third quarter full of rotations.
The big one was the biggest culprit of my money. Embiid’s intensity in the glass faded a bit, allowing Charlotte to “gain” some extra possessions just by trying to hit the boards. He is unique among older men for his ability to dispute / alter shots and still pick up rebounds, which may sometimes be taken for granted, but he makes it more evident when he only lives up to half that reputation. .
Also, he was much more unlucky with the ball than in any other game this season, which allowed LaMelo Ball to pick up his pocket in rebounds several times Saturday night. The Hornets are ultimately not good enough to punish Philly for not caring about basketball, but she needs to be sharper (and she has been this season).
It’s probably a little surprising because the Sixers led double digits for most of the game and never seemed to be in real danger. I guess that’s what happens when you keep shooting shots no matter how bad the game gets.
• This was probably Dwight Howard’s worst game of the season so far, and that’s the kind of stylistic battle I think the Sixers should watch to advance.
With few healthy old men available, the Hornets have been busy playing guys like PJ Washington in the center with a bench look, stretching the floor and keeping people away from painting. In theory, Howard can take advantage of size mismatches inside and play over the edge in pick-and-roll. The downside is what we saw unfold on Saturday: the Hornets forced him to play a lot of shots on the perimeter and Howard’s annoyance overcame him, causing some defensive breakdowns for Philly.
While I’m a prominent skeptic of Simmons playing in the center looking like a small ball, this is a game where I think it makes sense, based on its switchability in a scenario where edge protection didn’t mean much. .
• 22 billings? Now, these are the Sixers I remember.
The ugly
• This mollera is only ugly if you are one of the guys who was at the receiving end of the hammer. I’ve been watching Tobias Harris play in person for a long time and I don’t remember him having a kind of hair like this in two people:
On the other hand, this play really took me home; moments like these are not the same without the presence of fans. Sure, it’s nice to see the guys on the bench jump out of their seats and celebrate the fall of the poster, but the wave of excitement you get from the crowd in a huge fall is unmatched. These plays can have a real impact on the feel of a game, with a huge play leading to inspired defensive possession as it all starts to snowball.
Without the crowd, it’s still a fantastic feat of athletics, but I miss all the rest that is usually accompanied.
• Terry Rozier was absolutely out of his mind with some of the shots he hit Saturday night. There were some bad defensive possessions that helped him get started, but when a guy is operating at three in cruel times, it’s hard to do anything about it.
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