As he did so many times this season, Joel Embiid made his way to the Sixers on Friday night in Minnesota. At the end of the third quarter, the team no longer needed him to work.
Embiid was able to watch comfortably from the bench at 2:04 pm, after registering 37 points, 11 rebounds and three assists in the Sixers’ 118-94 victory over Timberwolves at the Target Center.
The 14-6 Sixers will play next Sunday night against the Pacers.
Sixers coach Doc Rivers began making himself available to the media before the game, sharing his admiration for the Hall of Fame coach and Philadelphia basketball icon John Chaney, who died on Friday at the age of 89.
“I just loved him as a man,” said Rivers. “I loved how he behaved, I loved how he fought for his team, his players, but also for the institution in many ways. He was much more than a basketball coach. He really was a teacher and a teacher of life. We don’t have that many anymore. He will be missed. “
Here are the remarks about the Sixers’ victory on Friday:
Resisting initial shooting fights
Embiid’s status was in question all day because of the tightening in the back, but he was on the Sixers’ starting lineup. It was an attractive confrontation for him in the role against veteran Ed Davis, as Minnesota was without big men Karl-Anthony Towns (health and safety protocols) and Naz Reid (sprained on his right wrist).
However, Embiid failed early in the mid-range jumpers that he has sunk so often this season. He missed his first five shots and the Sixers made 2 in 14 as a team in mid-range attempts in the first period, according to Cleaning the Glass. Ben Simmons also started from 0 to 5.
The Sixers managed to score at something similar to a normal rate, attracting many free throws, however, and Embiid was the highlight, as usual in that category. With his 16 on 18 night on the foul line, Embiid has already made 152 free throws.
It is the second in the league behind Trae Young, although Embiid has been out for four games, and a factor that reinforces the notion that the Sixers are capable of defeating the Eastern Conference elite in the postseason. It is apparently a block for double-digit free-throw attempts in all games at this time.
While players like Seth Curry, Danny Green and Shake Milton are likely to open jumpers for the Sixers to excel in the postseason, Embiid’s dirty draw and general 1-on-1 brilliance mitigate the damage from any shooting problems. , as we saw Friday. His strong work at the start of the season against double teams is also a positive sign when considering the overall picture of the Sixers.
“It’s just his domain,” said Tobias Harris. “I think he found out and did a great job creating plays for other guys outside the post. Tonight they had to protect you directly. He is continuing to discover this, continuing to be dominant out there and it is a pleasure to be on the ground with him when he has that behavior and he is doing so. It makes us a great team. “
Tyrese Maxey won six key points in the second quarter at a stage where the team’s second unit was also not experiencing much offensive success or pace.
Avoiding a bad pattern from last season
A worrying trend for the Sixers 2019-20 on the road was the team’s frustration with its offensive problems leaking into a poor defense.
“You just can’t live on the attack,” said Rivers during the training camp. “And this is not just our team, but the teams that are not doing well. Your offense will let you down. … This is human being; that happens. But you can still win the game. If we can get that kind of confidence that we’re going to win, whether we make pitches or not, it will make us a great force. ”
Friday night’s game was an excellent example of Rivers’ argument. It would have been easy (and understandable) for the Sixers to lose focus and intensity defensively. Logic suggested that his superior talent would win at some point, but no team is good enough to survive a period of hideous pitches simply hoping that it will eventually start hitting the jumpers. The Sixers needed to compete in defense and deserve credit for that.
Matisse Thybulle had an especially strong defensive night, receiving three of the Sixers’ 11 steals. Rivers said the Sixers have been asking Thybulle to focus on being “solid” defensively, as he doesn’t have to play much to get detours and robberies.
“He had 12 detours alone in a room,” said Rivers. “And Joel was amazing, but if I was giving a game ball it would probably be Matisse, or we would share it with the two, because I thought he was a difference maker.
“I thought he frustrated (Ricky) Rubio, and then I thought he was phenomenal in (D’Angelo) Russell. He’s a great defender. He’s got his legs under him now, he knows what we expect from him and he’s it was great. “
With this win, the Sixers are away 4-5, meaning they need eight more wins to match last season’s total.
Waiting for Scott’s return
Mike Scott lost his seventh consecutive game with swelling in his right knee. While this may not seem very significant in isolation, Rivers has repeatedly mentioned that Scott’s absence restricts the Six’s options and increases the importance of Simmons and Harris staying out of trouble.
When Scott is available, how can Rivers’ rotation change? Perhaps Furkan Korkmaz’s minutes will be reduced, although the Sixers seem determined to help him find a rhythm.
There must be a little less weight for players like Harris, who played a senior team for 34 minutes on Friday.
“I like one of the three – Joel, Tobias or Ben – on the floor all the time,” said Rivers. “I don’t like how we’re doing now, because we’re extending one of his minutes each night. I do not like this. Without a four, we literally have no choice in doing that.
“We play Furk – or whoever wants to claim the four … I think Matisse called himself four tonight at once. You play with the right team, a bigger team, that’s really difficult. So I like one of the three on the floor all the time. I think it’s good for us. We are deep enough not to, but most games will have one on the floor. ”
He also wonders how Dwight Howard will be impacted. Rivers used Simmons as a small ball center in the first half of Wednesday’s victory over the Lakers and acknowledged before Friday’s game that Howard had a below average run recently. The veteran had three points, 10 rebounds and four fouls in 17 minutes against Minnesota.
“I’m not so concerned about that,” said Rivers. “He didn’t play very well. It happens in life, it just happens, and he will get over it. It has been around long enough. I thought the Lakers adjusted and it was small for a second on him, which affects him. Detroit did the same thing. You can stay big, which I do often, or you can sometimes make an adjustment. Our problem, obviously, is with Mike Scott out, we don’t have a lot of adjustments to make now and that has absolutely limited us, for sure. “
Simmons in the center certainly won’t become the norm, although Rivers said: “it’s a look I like”. He is looking forward to working on it, noting that the Sixers should have a rare opportunity to practice early next week.