![]() Though Harden couldn’t duplicate the magic from his 45-point Game 1 night, a first-quarter silver lining for the Sixers was the 33-year-old drawing six foul shots in the period. Harden saw a step-back three rattle around the rim and out late in the first quarter. ![]() Moving forward, we continue to think it might make sense to give Danuel House Jr. Niang made a nice defensive play taking a charge on Tatum, but he had a scoreless stint. Tucker declined a corner three, drove on Robert Williams III and got blocked, Georges Niang replaced him. Outside of Harden’s nine points, the Sixers received just 11 in the first quarter. Boston began 4 for 13 from the floor, 1 for 7 from long distance. While the Sixers started 3 for 13 from the field and 1 for 13 from three-point range, their defense generally started far stronger than in Game 1’s first quarter. Though head coach Doc Rivers said pregame the Sixers’ preference was to sub Embiid in and out as normal, the six-time All-Star ultimately headed to the bench with 5:09 left in the first quarter. He missed a couple of early jump shots and committed an after-timeout turnover when he looked for Tobias Harris on a duck-in and had the ball slip from his hand. The bottom line is when Embiid’s on the court, the Sixers’ perimeter defense has almost always looked less leaky.Įmbiid’s rust and suboptimal health were much more apparent on offense. Embiid added four more blocks in the first half, including another impressive chase-down on Jayson Tatum and a rejection when Brown tried to dunk over him. He effectively contested one Derrick White attempt inside and picked up a chase-down block in transition against Marcus Smart. While that approach has tended to be effective at keeping Embiid away from the rim, he was still an immediate factor in the paint. Though Embiid did not move as confidently or decisively as usual, it was still clear that his presence upgraded the Sixers’ defense early.īoston opened playing a five-out style, often stationing Al Horford in the corner. Here are observations on the Sixers' Game 2 defeat: Embiid far sharper on defense early Game 3 will be Friday night in Philadelphia. ![]() It’s whatever.Kenny Smith on James Harden, Nick Nurse and the future of the Sixers “It feels good to make some shots,” Bridges said. He made 10 of 16 shots for 23 points in the first half and kept the Nets, who opened the season with Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and championship aspirations, within nine at halftime. Philly fans can only imagine Bridges in this lineup. ![]() Bridges is now a bona fide NBA star while Smith flamed out after only 13 career NBA games. The feel-good reunion lasted about 15 minutes and Bridges was traded to Phoenix for Zhaire Smith. Then came a pair of embarrassments in rapid succession: Bridges celebrated on draft night with his mom, who worked at the time for the 76ers. Bridges seemed he would stay in the area when he was drafted by the 76ers with the No. Bridges helped the Wildcats win two national championship - the 20 national championship banners hang in the Wells Fargo Center rafters. Bridges attended Great Valley High School in Malvern, Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia, then played three seasons at Villanova. ![]()
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