The Sixers showed on Sunday night that they don’t need Joel Embiid to win, recovering from a 20-point handicap to beat the Pacers. His job is certainly easier when the great All-Star man is available, however.
Embiid returned on Wednesday after losing the Sixers game against Indiana due to back stiffness and scored 34 points, 11 rebounds, two steals and a block in the 118-111 victory over Hornets at the Spectrum Center.
The Sixers won all three games on their trip, improving to 16-6 overall and 6-5 away from home. They will play the Trail Blazers on Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
Here are the remarks about the Sixers’ victory on Wednesday:
Embiid the shooter
Embiid appeared prominently immediately, taking six of the Sixers’ first 10 shots. During an especially strong stretch, he grabbed a rebound and went from coast to coast for a dunk, then lost the game in the next Sixers possession and hit a three-point ball in a Ben Simmons feed.
In 17 games, Embiid hit 42.3 percent in the three-point range. He entered this season with 31.9 percent of three-point attempts in his career, with a 36.7 percent mark in his debut year. Given his smooth and fundamentally solid shot and a good record on the foul line, Embiid had long seemed able to increase his number of outside shots.
When asked before the game about Embiid being named Eastern Conference Player of the Month, coach Doc Rivers made it clear that he is not satisfied with the early season prizes that the Sixers won.
“Really, as a whole team, we have to keep improving,” said Rivers. “It’s very good for Joel to win the Player of the Month, but I don’t think that’s why we started the season or what he wanted. He wants more. The better you play as a group, the more these things come to you. But that should not be a reason for not wanting to keep improving. ”
Before the season, Embiid also spoke about the team’s success coinciding with individual praise. If the Sixers remain at the top or near the top of the conference and they continue to play at this world class level, they will receive some prizes when the year is over.
Initial display of defensive firepower
In the first nine minutes of the game, the Sixers accumulated a handful of excellent defensive plays. Embiid drank a little alone, showing no signs of rust as he interrupted Charlotte’s offensive pace with hands and feet active on the perimeter and inside.
Simmons and Danny Green had impressive blocks each, with Simmons hitting Devonte ‘Graham’s corner for three attempts and Green erasing a seemingly easy basket for Gordon Hayward.
The Hornets managed just 13 points in the first period, the lowest number the Sixers have suffered in a quarter throughout the season, with pitches of 22.7 percent.
After the break, Charlotte’s pitchers suddenly seemed to find their rhythm at once, and the Sixers’ defensive energy waned when the Hornets reduced a deficit from 26 points to seven in the third quarter with a great run. Matisse Thybulle made one of the bets that Rivers has been pushing to avoid during that unstable period, jumping in search of a prominent block and dirtying Graham in a three-point attempt.
Simmons made the same mistake with 5.1 seconds remaining in the game and the Sixers went up seven points, a skyscraper error at the end of the game.
Rivers did not maintain the defense of the zone that stimulated the return of the Sixers in Indiana. He trusts his team’s defense ability.
“It is something that we will use only when we feel we need it,” he said. “We believe in our defense of man. … There are many reasons why you play zone. Sometimes you are trying to hide a guy in trouble, sometimes you try to hide a bad defender from your team who is on the ground and sometimes the other team has a great rhythm and you try to get them out of rhythm. “
Scare injury to Milton
Shake Milton was lying on the ground making a face at 7:03 the second time after going to the hoop and taking an awkward step with his right leg when he was fouled. He stayed in the game to make his two free throws, then suffered a foul so he could go to the locker room with Sixers athletic trainer Kevin Johnson.
The 24-year-old returned to the bench a few minutes later, certainly a welcome sight for the Sixers. There were no noticeable problems with Milton’s movement during his minutes of the second half. Milton hyperextended his knee, according to Keith Pompeu of the Inquisitor.
The Sixers trusted him as their main scorer in the perimeter of the second unit, and he did well in that role, despite a slow start in the three-point territory. Milton’s defensive sturdiness and self-confidence as a lead coach made him the backbone of the Sixers’ bench and, projecting ahead, a key piece when the postseason arrives. He scored 13 points in 4 out of 12 shootings on Wednesday.
Overall, the Sixers’ second unit overtook the Hornets by a margin of 27-24, benefiting from the fact that Charlotte was reduced with the typical holders PJ Washington (sprained on the right foot) and Terry Rozier (sprained on the right ankle) .
Five Sixers scored double digits, including Tobias Harris with 26 points that were not striking but came in efficiently. He hit 9 to 9 from the foul line, high points of the season for him in attempts and attempts.
Seth Curry, on the other hand, had zero points from 0 out of 3 shots. After testing positive for COVID-19 last month, Curry did not return with his full health.
“It has been difficult, minor injuries here and there, a little hurt,” he said on Tuesday. “I think there are some remnants, too – just trying to get my energy back. Some days I feel good, some days I’m just slow and I feel like I have to nap all day. It is strange, but I am grateful to be on the court every day and play. “