The Sixers’ performance in their standout victory Thursday night over the Magic would have been hard to pick up.
Although they were not so good defensively on Saturday night, the team flashed the Hornets with early attacking excellence and reduced to a 127-112 victory at Wells Fargo Center and moved to 5-1.
Six Sixers passed in double digits and each starter shot at least 57.1 percent off the floor. Tobias Harris scored a team-high of 24 points, and Ben Simmons had a triple-double with 15 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.
The Hornets will continue to play in Philadelphia again Monday night to play the Sixers.
Here are observations on the first game of their mini-series:
Green finds a rhythm, Sixers’ offense continues to flow
Danny Green would probably have to find his shot at some point after missing 15 of his first three three-pointers as a Sixer. It did not take long before he did so on Saturday as the 33-year-old put off his long-range effort three times. All of these brands came within the flow of the offense, and two were by-products of Seth Curry that drove them out.
“Obviously the key is that we shot well because we got open shots,” Green said. ‘I think most teams, if you swing the ball and find the open man, most undisputed shots are much easier. We know that the worm is going to turn and that there will be some silence or phases where we do not shoot it so well, but at least we get the best chance for our team. ‘
The Sixers made 8 of their first 12 three-point attempts as a team, while Charlotte started a rough 2 for 10. Hornets’ decision to play occasionally was understandable given what they conceded in size and skill, but it led the Sixers to keep grabbing offensive rebounds and hitting long-distance jumpers.
After missing his first six NBA tries, Tyrese Maxey dropped one in the second quarter from a Simmons transition assist.
The Sixers produced much of the open look with liquid early offense before the Hornets ’defense could line up. Simmons thrived on that style and had nine of the team’s 21 assistants in the first half. Over their last two games, the Sixers scored 148 points in the first half. Not bad.
“It’s starting in defense,” Simmons said. “We have to get the kickback, that’s the first thing – or a stop. Then the transition is easy. There are guys who fill lanes, or I, Seth or Tobias push the ball, and then you (Joel Embiid), who has finished his hole in terms of being in shape and being able to manage every game.
“If he does, I feel like we’re unstoppable. So, guys want to play with the pace. I think we can. I do not know how much faster we can play, but we’ll keep pushing. The limit.”
Although Sixers president of basketball operations, Daryl Morey, believes Maxey will be a better shooter as a professional player than he was in college (29.2 percent in Kentucky), that would be an initial, important step for the rookie to respect defense with the threat of his shot. If he can reach the point and become known as a capable shooter on opponents of reconnaissance, it will increase the danger he poses as an explosive downhill driver. For now, Maxey would be well served by trusting his jumper and not dismissing too many chances to fire.
Harris keeps it simple (and very effective)
Because he usually catches the ball and attacks immediately, there is not much to say about Harris’ offense at the moment; this is who the Sixers want him to be.
He got a dunk in the first quarter by running down the floor and accepting a Simmons pass in his pass. Harris’ other dunk in the first quarter was entirely his own doing, and much more impressive.
Harris was also an engaged, active defender, finishing with four steals and three blocks.
“When I see him do it, it motivates everyone to keep going,” Simmons said. “When Tobias came here defensively, he was not where he is now. And he sharpened it – he gets a lot of steals, he gets hands in lanes, blocks shots. He has made a big leap from the past year to now defensively. He was an important factor for our team on both sides of the ball. And he will be if we want to win a championship. ”
Harris was one of the starters of the Sixers who played a little more with the second unit. With Furkan Korkmaz still on the sidelines and Mike Scott on the left knee due to a knee injury, head coach Doc Rivers decided to use a rotation of nine players and mix his front and bench players more frequently.
Since Bismack Biyombo is the only healthy center in the Hornets turn and Charlotte plays a small ball as he sits, it did not hurt the Sixers that Harris was the only available power forward on the team. On the whole, perhaps, this is perhaps an area where the Sixers will look to add depth before the deadline.
Good Trends for Embiid
We’re already on a broken record, but Embiid’s impressive double reading readings were a big part of the Sixers’ offensive success in the first half. He saw the help coming before it arrived, knew where his teammates were and usually made the right play, whether it was a ship pass, a feed to a cutter or a simple dish to the man who gave him the ball. His demise often helped the Sixers start nice series where they swept the ball around the perimeter and eventually created an open try.
“For the most part, I would say the first pass is right in front of him where we’re looking,” Rivers said. ‘But because we’re sitting Seth there or Danny Green there or Tobias there, they’re trying to take it away now, which’s actually helping us.
“Now he looks down and throws that ship pass, which leads to the corner three. I just like that he now knows, if I can throw it to the first man, something good is going to happen. If they take it away, something will happen. be better. going to happen on the other side. I think Ben is doing a great job with his timing on the dives. He dived too long early and they could get him and climb back. Now … he’s taking someone along So I like just how we do it now. ”
Embiid turned around a few times on Saturday. He will be hoping to clean up ahead, including one where LaMelo Ball, the number 3 overall pick, stripped him after a defensive rebound and one where he lost the ball to turn at Biyombo.
Another positive trend with Embiid persisting in this game was his more aggressive pick-and-roll defense that prevented opposing guards from pulling comfortably in the tries. It was noteworthy that small, fast guards like Terry Rozier and Devonte ‘Graham, who have been so keen on taking such shots against the Sixers for the past few years, sometimes had to take a different approach while Embiid played’ up to touch ‘.
That said, Rozier (35 points) still gave Green and the Sixers trouble. The Sixers’ biggest team-wide issue on Saturday was an uneven transitional defense and sloppiness in the second half, as the attack after halftime was not as sharp or smooth.