CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Brandon Miller scored 30 points, and the Charlotte Hornets took a 50-point lead for the second time this month on the way to rolling past the 76ers 130-93 on Monday afternoon.
All five Hornets starters finished in double figures. Kon Knueppel and Moussa Diabate scored 12, LaMelo Ball added 11, and Miles Bridges finished with 10 for Charlotte, which has won three straight games for the first time this season.
It was 28-22 after one quarter — and then Charlotte outscored Philadelphia 81-37 over the next two quarters, taking a 109-59 lead into the fourth.
Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 17 for Philadelphia. Jared McCain added 16 and Quentin Grimes had 14 for the 76ers, while Tyrese Maxey was held to a season-low six points on 3-for-12 shooting in 25 minutes. Maxey’s scoring average dropped a full half-point to 29.4 per game.
Charlotte became the first team since Phoenix in February 2009 to lead by 50 or more points in two separate games within the same calendar month. The Hornets led Utah by 57 on their way to a 150-95 win on Jan. 10.
The Hornets had one other lead of 50 or more points in the NBA’s play-by-play era, which goes back to 1996. It’s now happened twice more in a span of just over two weeks.
The game was moved up to a 3 p.m. start because of extreme weather conditions in the Charlotte area, all related to Winter Storm Fern.
Ryan Kalkbrenner had 13 points and nine rebounds off the bench for Charlotte. Philadelphia outscored the Hornets 34-21 in the fourth quarter and still took its second-worst loss of the season. The 76ers lost to Orlando by 41 on Nov. 25.
The 76ers find themselves in dire predicaments when Joel Embiid and Paul George are both sidelined. On Monday, the squad’s performance was downright embarrassing without the two maximum-salary players.
Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe must play much better than they showed against the Charlotte Hornets.
And the Sixers must improve their three-point shooting.
Those things stood out in a 130-93 loss to the Hornets on Monday at the Spectrum Center.
Struggling without Embiid and George
Embiid and George missed this matchup because they are not yet cleared to play on back-to-back days as both deal with left knee injury management.
They are expected to return for Tuesday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Xfinity Mobile Arena. But the Sixers (24-21) looked lost on both ends of the floor against Charlotte (19-28) without the standouts.
The Hornets did a great job of attacking the rim. On defense, Charlotte challenged everything the Sixers attempted. For their part, the Sixers appeared flat and in need of better communication on both ends of the floor without their stars.
The Sixers struggled through 33.3% shooting — missing 11 of 14 three-pointers — in the first half. During that time, the Hornets scored 38 points in the paint, a fact that was likely impacted by Embiid’s absence. As a result, the Hornets took a 69-44 advantage into intermission. The 25-point margin was the Sixers’ second-biggest halftime deficit of the season.
Nick Nurse’s team also struggled at the start when Embiid and George both missed the game against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 11. The Sixers shot 37.8% while making just 2 of 14 three-pointers and trailing by double digits in the first half of that game. They mounted a second-half comeback before losing in overtime against Toronto.
But on Monday, the Hornets opened the third quarter with a 9-0 run and led by as many as 50 points late in the period.
The Sixers made just 38.9% of their shots in the game while surrendering 56.6% to Charlotte. Hornets wing Brandon Miller led all scorers with 30 points. Meanwhile, Moussa Diabaté put together a personal slam-dunk contest and finished with 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting.
Hornets forward Miles Bridges reacts during the first half. His team rode a 41-22 second-quarter performance to a big win over the Sixers.
The Sixers must find a way to play when undermanned. They can’t use the absences of Embiid and George as an excuse for losing to one of the league’s worst teams in epic fashion.
A couple of weeks ago, the Sixers lost to a Denver Nuggets squad playing without its entire starting lineup. Denver found a way to win, and the Sixers must do the same.
But against Charlotte, they lacked energy and cohesion.
More needed from guard tandem
Maxey and Edgecombe had one of their worst games of the season as a pairing.
Maxey, who was named an All-Star starter last week, finished with a season-low six points on 3-for-12 shooting, along with seven assists and three turnovers in 25 minutes, 18 seconds. Edgecombe, a standout rookie, had nine points while making 2 of 11 shots to go with six rebounds, one assist, and two turnovers in 25:44. They were tied at minus-36. With the game out of hand, Maxey and Edgecombe sat out the fourth quarter.
This was a shockingly bad performance by Maxey, who entered Monday as the NBA’s third-leading scorer at 29.9 points. Meanwhile, Edgecombe is a rookie of the year candidate. They must play better for the Sixers to be victorious, especially in games when Embiid and George are sidelined.
Three-point shooting blues
The Sixers struggled, once again, from three-point distance.
For the game, they made just 9 of 30 shots for 30% from deep.
This comes after the Sixers shot a combined 32.0% in their previous 10 games. They were ranked 16th for the season at 35.4% heading into the game. But they’ve been in a funk in most of their recent games from behind the arc.
The 76ers assigned Charles Bassey to the Delaware Blue Coats on Monday, hours after announcing they signed him to a 10-day contract.
This is Bassey’s second stint with the Sixers (24-20). The team initially selected the 6-foot-11 center with the 53rd pick in the 2021 draft out of Western Kentucky. He appeared in 23 NBA games as a rookie, averaging 3.0 points on 63.8% shooting along with 2.7 rebounds, 0.7 blocks, and 7.3 minutes.
However, Bassey became expendable when the Sixers added reserve center Montrezl Harrell to the roster in September 2022. The Nigerian player was waived on Oct. 13, 2022.
He has averaged 4.3 points and 4.3 rebounds across 115 NBA games with the Sixers, San Antonio Spurs, and Memphis Grizzlies.
Charles Bassey (28) has played 115 NBA games with the Sixers, San Antonio Spurs, and Memphis Grizzlies.
Bassey’s rejoining the Sixers enables two-way contract players Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker to continue playing in NBA games. The Sixers would have run out of available games for players on two-way deals since they had fewer than 15 players signed to standard NBA contracts. Bassey’s signing brings the number up to 15.
Before his signing, Bassey played for the Santa Cruz Warriors, the NBA G League affiliate of the Golden State Warriors.
What type of player would help them with the NBA trade deadline 10 days away?
At the guard spot, where the duo of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe is regarded as one of the NBA’s best young backcourts, they’re pretty good. And that doesn’t account for the depth that Quentin Grimes provides off the bench.
With Andre Drummond and Adem Bona backing up Joel Embiid, who’s playing at a high level, the center position is pretty good, too.
At forward, Dominick Barlow is playing well. And the Sixers get stellar play out of the duo of Paul George and Kelly Oubre Jr.
I’m not sure what they need.
Some will argue that the Sixers (24-20) don’t have a true point guard. But they have a lot of guards who can handle the ball. And you can add Oubre and George, who were guards in the previous season, to that mix.
If the Sixers remain healthy, they’re a deep team.
But based on their recent history of trading to get under the luxury-tax threshold, there’s an expectation that they’ll make at least one trade ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline.
Guard Quentin Grimes Grimes has a no-trade clause, giving him full veto power over any trade the Sixers attempt to make involving him.
The Sixers are $7 million above the allowable threshold to avoid being taxed. They’re also around $1 million away from being a first-apron team and facing penalties.
But this season is different from the recent ones heading into the trade deadline. Whether it’s fool’s gold or not, the Sixers see that they have a chance.
Embiid, the 2023 MVP, is returning to his All-NBA level, averaging 33.3 points, 10 rebounds, and 5.5 assists, while shooting 58.3% from three-point range in his last four games. George is regaining his rhythm while playing the role of a facilitator and defender who occasionally takes over scoring for stretches. Maxey is the league’s third-leading scorer (29.9 points per game) and an All-Star starter. And Edgecombe has been better than expected as a rookie.
So this season is definitely different. In 2023-24, the Sixers’ hopes were dashed heading into the trade deadline because Embiid suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee. And last season, they were 20-30 and on their way to full-blown tanking.
The Sixers probably think that when they’re at their best, they could beat anyone else in the East.
However, sources around the league say the team is willing to part ways with Drummond.
At first glance, it’s hard to imagine that the financial aspect will play a role at the trade deadline unless it’s someone like Eric Gordon. The reserve guard has played in only six games, with his last appearance coming Dec. 23 against the Brooklyn Nets.
The 37-year-old, in his 18th season, signed a one-year, $3.63 million contract on July 1 after declining his $3.47 million player option. Gordon’s deal created a $2.3 million cap and a $2.3 million dead cap value, which is considered a good, low-risk expiring salary for potential trades.
Maybe the Sixers could entice the Nets or the Utah Jazz, teams with a lot of cap space, with a second-round pick just to take on Gordon’s contract for the remainder of the season. However, he’s Edgecombe’s mentor, and there’s a sense the Sixers may keep him because of that.
Meanwhile, Oubre ($8.3 million), Grimes ($8.7M), and Drummond ($5M) also have expiring contracts.
The Sixers have gotten the most out of two-way players Jabari Walker (left) and Dominick Barlow.
Grimes has a no-trade clause, giving him full veto power over any trade the Sixers attempt to make involving him. Yet some around the league are wondering if the Sixers are willing to part ways with Oubre, whose name keeps coming up as a possible trade chip. But by getting rid of Drummond, the Sixers would be in the market for another backup center.
Maybe, they’ll give former Sixer Charles Bassey a look after he signs his 10-day contract. However, it appears that his signing is more to help facilitate Barlow and Jabari Walker getting extended time on their two-way contracts. Bassey was scheduled to sign his deal Sunday night. He needed to do so ahead of Monday’s 3 p.m. game against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center in order for Barlow and Walker to play.
But Drummond and Bona have been equally great assets, playing behind and often in place of Embiid. Bona plays against the teams that have fast and athletic centers, while Drummond usually plays against towering centers with a post presence.
The 6-foot-11, 279-pounder averages a team-leading 9 rebounds while playing just 20 minutes per game. Drummond is second in the NBA in rebounds per 36 minutes at 16.1, trailing the Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson (16.9).
Kelly Oubre Jr. of the Sixers guarding the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson on Saturday.
He’s also averaging 7.1 points while playing in 35 games with 16 starts this season. With his contract, there’s a market for Drummond. Teams in need of a backup center would like to acquire him.
But coach Nick Nurse didn’t play him in Saturday’s loss to the Knicks despite his squad being outrebounded by 53-38 and having a 26-4 disadvantage in second-chance points. This came after Drummond had 14 points and 13 rebounds in his lone game against the Knicks this season.
Perhaps Nurse felt the Knicks, who favored a small-ball lineup, were a bad matchup for Drummond. But his not playing was a big omission and a conversation piece.
It’s hard to imagine Sixers co-managing partner Josh Harris, who knows the window is closing, would forfeit the opportunity to finally win an NBA championship to get rid of key pieces just to save money. I wouldn’t blame Harris if he could stay under the first apron and get below the luxury-tax threshold if it was manipulated by a fringe player or someone out of the rotation.
But if it were Oubre, Grimes, or Drummond, players vital to their success, it would be a bad look.
Nor should they trade Jared McCain, who recently dropped out of the rotation. Even though the second-year guard is struggling, he’s insurance for Grimes, whom the Sixers could lose this summer in free agency. And the Sixers should only trade Grimes if they were getting back an upgrade in talent. It doesn’t make any sense to part ways with him in return for a same-level player.
But the Sixers do have three players on two-way contracts in Barlow, Walker, and MarJon Beauchamp.
Beauchamp has yet to be active in an NBA game since signing his Sixers deal on Dec. 26. However, power forwards Barlow and Walker have been with the Sixers all season. And all three players’ time would have expired following Saturday’s 112-109 loss to the New York Knicks if the Sixers didn’t make a roster move.
Bassey must sign his contract before Monday’s game for Barlow and Walker to be available to play.
Both of them have played well this season, but Walker could be replaceable now that the Sixers have their full complement of players.
Paul George has assumed an important role for the Sixers after a lost season.
Barlow has come off the bench in the last two games as the team moved George to power forward and started Oubre at small forward. Walker did not play in either game as Trendon Watford received the other power-forward minutes in the rotation.
So it wouldn’t be surprising if we find out the Sixers aren’t committed to converting both players to standard deals, as they’re making decisions based on the salary cap and who’s helping the team. Things will work themselves out, as the squad has cap experts who handle such matters.
But this roster, as it stands, is the best one Nurse has coached during his tenure.
The Sixers have been in a lot of games that came down to the wire — some they won, others they lost. They could easily be seven games over .500 instead of four. And they’re just starting to consistently play games with their Big Three of Maxey, Embiid, and George.
So the Sixers’ biggest need is time, not an addition before the trade deadline.
Because of the snow and ice storm that hit roughly half of the nation on Sunday, the 76ers’ game against the Hornets in Charlotte, N.C., initially scheduled for Monday night, has been moved up to 3 p.m.
The game will be televised on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
The NBA postponed games in Memphis and Milwaukee on Sunday because of the massive winter storm that is creating dangerous travel conditions across much of the U.S.
The Dallas Mavericks tried twice to fly to Milwaukee for their Sunday night game against the Bucks, but conditions didn’t allow it. A decision to postpone was announced a few hours before tipoff. Food that had been prepared for the game was donated to shelters in the Milwaukee area.
Earlier Sunday, a game between the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies was postponed about three hours before tipoff. Reschedule dates were not announced.
The league also changed the start time for the Indiana Pacers’ game at Atlanta Hawks from 7:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
At least two college women’s basketball games were postponed: No. 17 Tennessee’s visit to No. 18 Mississippi on Monday and Tulane’s visit to Memphis on Tuesday. Reschedule dates were not announced.
In men’s basketball, a game featuring Tennessee at No. 21 Georgia was pushed back a day from Tuesday to Wednesday. Purdue Fort Wayne and IU Indianapolis, and Southern Illinois and Evansville had Sunday games postponed without make-up dates announced.
If the Sixers are wise, the answer is at least through the end of the season.
The 30-year-old swingman’s contract expires at the end of June. However, his name has been repeatedly mentioned in recent trade reports. And that could continue ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline as teams look to upgrade rosters and slash salaries.
But at this point, the Sixers will be hard-pressed to find someone able to do what Oubre provides.
The squad is starting to show glimpses of why it has received Eastern Conference championship-contender hype. And Oubre’s ability to adjust to his ever-changing role is a reason for that.
Before that tilt, they defeated the Houston Rockets, 128-122, in overtime Thursday night at home. Oubre played a significant role in the victory, finishing with 26 points on 10-for-14 shooting along with four rebounds, three assists, and one block while starting alongside Paul George, Joel Embiid, VJ Edgecombe, and Tyrese Maxey.
It was the first time the Sixers employed that starting lineup.
Coach Nick Nurse said before Sunday’s game that they would stay with it for a while. And had another solid performance, finishing with 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting, along with seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
His remaining as a starter is understandable, given that it was a lineup they were expected to unveil at the beginning of the season. But George missed the first 12 games with left knee injury management. Then Oubre was sidelined 22 games from Nov. 17 to Jan. 5. While those two were injured, power forward Dominick Barlow proved to be a solid fifth starter.
But Oubre is a more experienced, more versatile player, and has been noted several times before as the team’s X factor. His ability to play shooting guard, small forward, and small-ball power forward gives the Sixers a variety of rotation options.
Sixers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. has been noted several times before as the team’s X factor.
While he starts at small forward, Oubre moves to shooting guard in a lineup that features George, Barlow, Embiid, and Maxey when Edgecombe is out of the game. And in his first game back from a sprained left knee ligament on Jan. 7, he played power forward in a small-ball lineup with Maxey, Quentin Grimes, Jared McCain, and Adem Bona.
“He plays both ends, right?” Nurse said of his impact as a versatile player. “I think that’s the main thing. He’s been pretty effective on both ends, and the other probably main thing is he’s in about his 10th year. He’s got a lot of stuff under his belt. A lot of minutes. A lot of games, too. That helps, too. ”
All-Star cornerstones, Embiid, Maxey, and George, along with rookie-of-the-year candidate Edgecombe, have deservedly received a lot of credit for the team’s being viewed as a contender.
Embiid had scored at least 30 points in four consecutive games. While the 7-2 center is not where he once was defensively, he’s showing glimpses of being a 2023 MVP and seven-time All-Star. Embiid is averaging 33.3 points, 10 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 0.7 blocks while shooting 58.3% on three-pointers in those games.
Meanwhile, Maxey, who was named an All-Star starter on Monday, is averaging a league-third-best 29.9 points, a second-best 2.1 steals, and 12th-best 6.8 rebounds this season. He was also fourth (147) in made three-pointers.
George’s average of 15.4 points is below his career average of 20.5 points. But the nine-time All-Star has thrived at times as a facilitator and an elite defender. And it’s not uncommon for him to provide the bulk of the scoring during third-quarter stretches.
Edgecombe is averaging 15.6 points, a league 11th-best 1.5 steals, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. The 20-year-old shooting guard’s elite potential was on full display in the Sixers’ season-opening victory over the Boston Celtics.
That night, he scored 34 points to help lead the Sixers to victory. It was the third-highest scoring debut in NBA history behind Chamberlain’s 43 points on Oct. 24, 1959, and Frank Selvy’s 35 on Nov. 30, 1954.
Concurrently, Oubre averaged 14.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and shot 38.3% on three-pointers while continuously adjusting his role depending on who was playing or who the Sixers were playing against. The one constant thing is his defending the opposing team’s best perimeter player.
Championship-caliber teams are built with players like Kelly Oubre Jr.
Nurse was asked before Saturday’s game where he thinks Oubre has improved the most as a defender.
“Listen, I think there are a couple of things, but probably at the top would be just his overall reading of situations,” Nurse said. “Just having a feel for anticipating what might happen next and getting involved in that and breaking that up. But he’s also been much better on the ball. He’s been much better in screen-and-roll. Stuff like that.”
The New Orleans native has starred in all of his roles in addition to doing countless other things that go unnoticed on a stat sheet.
As good as Embiid, George, Maxey, and Edgecombe are, championship-caliber teams are built with players like Oubre.
The only benefit of trading him at this time is perhaps shedding his salary. Oubre’s expiring $8.3 million contract would help them gain salary cap relief and avoid the luxury tax. The squad is currently more than $7 million over the luxury-tax threshold. That’s why his name has been mentioned in reports.
But, night now, they can’t afford to let him go if contending for a title this season is truly the goal.
The number of realistic available better options is slim. Even if they find a player as good, it will take the new person a while to adjust to the Sixers’ system. And Oubre’s ability to adapt is a primary reason why the team is starting to live up to expectations.
With Embiid’s extension kicking in next season and Grimes becoming an unrestricted free agent, it may make sense for Oubre and the Sixers to part ways after the season.
The way he’s been playing this season and elevated his stock during his Sixers’ three-year tenure, Oubre could become too costly to re-sign.
It may make sense for the sides to part ways after the season.
Nick Nurse assumed Tyrese Maxey felt contact from the New York Knicks’ Landry Shamet and tried to draw a whistle in the shooting motion.
But Maxey would not bite when asked if he believed he was intentionally fouled when he hoisted an off-balance three-pointer with the 76ers trailing by three points and 5.8 seconds remaining Saturday.
“Nope,” the Sixers’ All-Star guard said. “I should have just taken one more dribble and shot it regular.”
For the second game in a row, it appeared the Sixers were on the unlucky side of crunch-time officiating. That Maxey moment — plus three others — helped create a finish that was both frenetic and interrupted by multiple stoppages in play for review.
Although the Sixers overcame a missed goaltending call in Thursday’s overtime victory over the Houston Rockets, Saturday’s calls (or no-calls) remained under the microscope in the aftermath of the Sixers’ wild 112-109 loss to the rival Knicks in a nationally televised game at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse says he believed there could have been a foul call on the errant three-point shot attempt from Tyrese Maxey in the waning seconds of the game.
“I think he was [fouled],” Nurse said when asked about the Maxey play. “No big deal. … Usually when [the opponent is] up three and you need three, teams are going to foul. But they didn’t [call it].”
Joel Embiid, meanwhile, was not afraid to speak his mind at his locker following the game. He believed he also had been intentionally fouled upon collecting the rebound after Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson missed two free throws with five seconds to play, keeping the Sixers’ deficit at three points. Embiid threw his arms up in disbelief when Brunson knocked the ball free, and New York’s OG Anunoby collected it as the final six-tenths of a second ticked off.
“I got fouled, for sure,” Embiid said. “Thought Tyrese got fouled, too. Two games in a row, but it’s whatever.”
When asked about both potential intentional fouls, crew chief Tony Brothers told pool reporter Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia that “During the game, we did not observe any illegal contact on the play.”
Those were not the only instances when the officiating became a storyline. With the Sixers trailing, 110-107, and 33.3 seconds remaining, Brunson was initially called for an off-ball foul for making contact with Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe ahead of an inbounds pass. Edgecombe flexed and screamed in celebration, but a coach’s challenge by the Knicks’ Mike Brown overturned the call to a foul on the Sixers rookie — a result Brunson acknowledged was “very satisfying.”
Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe (left) thought he received a foul call which was later determined to be Knicks ball in the fourth quarter.
“They [said] you can’t play defense with your hands on nobody,” Edgecombe said of the explanation he received following the video review. “I guess I’ve got to play defense with my ‘eagles’ out and stand like this [with arms spread] the whole time. … I can’t touch nobody.”
Then, with 9.9 seconds to play, Sixers veteran forward Paul George was called for a foul at the rim that was overturned by a coach’s challenge by Nurse. Had the no-call on George been correct within the flow of the game, however, the Sixers could have immediately initiated their offense against a Knicks defense that was not set. There was also apparent contact from Embiid on Shamet away from the play, although Brothers said officials “did not observe any proximate foul during replay review.”
Those officiating moments arrived after a chaotic basketball sequence when the Sixers scored five points in less than five seconds to make it a one-possession game. Maxey hit a pull-up three-pointer with 37 seconds remaining before Edgecombe got tied up with Brunson to force a jump ball. Brunson then fouled Edgecombe, who hit both free throws to make the score 110-107 ahead of those players’ collision before the ensuing inbound pass.
Tyrese Maxey was the subject of a pair of questionable calls by officials in back-to-back games last week.
And those whistles — or, non-whistles — came less than two days after a different officiating crew missed a goaltending call on a Maxey layup attempt off the backboard against Houston, which would have given the Sixers a lead in the final seconds of regulation.
After the game, crew chief John Goble said, “By rule, a goaltending would have to be called on the floor in order for that play to be reviewed. In real time, the officiating crew felt it was a good blocked shot.”
“It happens, man,” Maxey said after that game. “We’re all human.”
It surely was much easier for Maxey to be forgiving when the Sixers still pulled off the overtime victory. Yet after Saturday’s defeat, Maxey’s team could not solely blame the officiating.
Nick Nurse expressed frustration after two no-calls in the final seconds of the Sixers' loss to the Knicks. | @Kiapic.twitter.com/QGNU7Thb1S
They stumbled through another third quarter, when a stagnant offense allowed the Knicks to build a 17-point lead. The Sixers were outrebounded, 53-38, leading to a 26-4 Knicks edge in second-chance points in a direct callback to the 2024 first-round playoff series between these two teams. And down the stretch, the Sixers allowed Shamet and Anunoby to get free for clutch three-pointers to quell their rally attempt.
Still, the NBA’s Last Two Minute report from Thursday’s game revealed that the officials were incorrect in not calling goaltending on that driving Maxey attempt against the Rockets.
The 76ers are signing Charles Bassey to a 10-day contract, according to multiple sources.
The Sixers originally selected the 6-foot-11 center with the 53rd pick in the 2021 draft out of Western Kentucky. He played one season with the organization before signing with the San Antonio Spurs.
The 25-year-old was preparing to play for the Golden State Warriors’ NBA G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, when the deal to return to the Sixers was agreed upon. But after agreeing to the deal, Bassey was scratched from the game.
Bassey is not playing for the Golden State Warriors' NBA G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors tonight. The Sixers are trying to figure out a way to fly him to Charlotte to join the Sixers, according to sources. However, that may be a problem due to the weather. He's… https://t.co/Xgj8rQenRj
The Sixers are trying to figure out a way to fly him to Charlotte to join the team in time for Monday’s game against the Hornets, according to sources.
But Bassey is scheduled to sign his contract on Monday, even if he has to do it via an electronic signature.
Dominick and Jabari Walker, who are on two-way contracts, won’t be able to play against the Hornets on Monday unless Bassey signs his contract. That’s because the Sixers ran out of available games for players on two-way deals, since they have fewer than 15 players signed to standard NBA contracts. Bassey’s signing will bring the number up to 15.
San Antonio Spurs’ Charles Bassey (28) tangles with Memphis Grizzlies’ Luke Kennard (10) and Santi Aldama, second from front right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
In his previous Sixers’ stint, Bassey appeared in 23 NBA games as a rookie, averaging 3.0 points on 63.6% shooting along with 2.7 rebounds, 0.7 block, and 7.3 minutes.
He played beyond those numbers when called upon in clutch situations. Teammates and coaches were impressed by his attention to detail, high basketball IQ and ability to protect the rim. However, he became expendable when the Sixers added reserve center Montrezl Harrell to the roster in September 2022.
As a result, the Nigerian player was waived on Oct. 13, 2022. Eleven days later, he signed a two-way deal with the San Antonio Spurs, which was converted to a standard contract on Feb. 14, 2023.
He averaged 4.7 points and 4.7 rebounds during his three-season stint with the Spurs. Bassey had an Exhibit 10 deal with the Atlanta Hawks last season and signed a two-day deal with the Memphis Grizzlies on Oct. 27.
Bassey has averaged 4.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in a combined 115 NBA games with the Sixers, Spurs, and Grizzlies.
He is averaging 18.7 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks with Santa Cruz.
After ripping off two wins to start the year over the New York Knicks, the Sixers lost their first game against them on Saturday, 112-109.
Despite the close score, the Sixers ultimately let the game slip away in the third quarter, going from up four at halftime to down 13 by the end of the quarter. It was the Sixers’ lowest scoring quarter since a 12-point fourth quarter against the Bulls on Jan. 2, 2024.
“I thought our physicality defensively was there,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “We started getting it up into the basketball and made it a little bit harder for them to try to make plays and/or move freely.”
Key to that defensive transformation in the third was backup center Mitchell Robinson, whom Brown anointed as the defensive player of the game. With Karl-Anthony Towns already in foul trouble, Robinson entered the game early in the third and immediately started making an impact.
Robinson was +14 in his 27 minutes, grabbing six offensive rebounds. The Knicks secured 19 offensive rebounds compared to just six for the Sixers, and turned them into 26 points.
He played a key role in keeping Joel Embiid, who’d dominated the first half with 28 points, off the scoresheet in the third.
Mitchell Robinson (left) proved to be a thorn in Joel Embiid and the Sixers’ side for most of the game on Saturday.
“I know he got it going early on, and you know he’s an All-Star player,” Robinson said postgame. “What you do with a guy like that is, he‘s going to come out there and fight, you make some adjustments in the [offensive] zone, show your hands. He draws a lot of fouls, so you know you have to be careful.”
Brown also praised guard OG Anunoby’s defense on Embiid down the stretch. Embiid scored just 10 points in the second half, going 3-for-9 from the field.
Anunoby said the key to grappling with Embiid was his lower-body strength, to maintain leverage going for the ball.
“Try to steal the ball, we always try to steal the ball,” Anunoby said. “We try to make it as difficult as possible. He’s a great player, so just trying to make him as uncomfortable as possible.”
“Just fight him, and then if he turns and someone flashes to the middle, know that they’re trying to go over the top,” Anunoby continued. “Just communication on the backside.”
These two teams met one another in a first-round playoff series just two years ago, and with both teams back in the top 8 of the Eastern Conference standings, they could be on track to meet one another again in the playoffs later this year.
Knicks forward OG Anunoby passes the basketball from the floor past Sixers forward Dominick Barlow (right) and guard VJ Edgecombe during the second quarter on Saturday.
So far, the season series is 2-1 in Philadelphia’s favor. But Saturday’s matchup was the first this year with both teams mostly healthy. Embiid and Deuce McBride missed the first matchup, and Josh Hart missed the second.
Despite their successful halftime adjustments, the Knicks know that both teams will need to execute better down the stretch to win a playoff series.
“I mean, we played well, but our execution last couple minutes, I don’t know if we deserved to win the game,” Hart said. “I don’t know if they deserved to win the game either. We could have just tied, honestly, at that point, all the miscues that we did.”
MINNEAPOLIS — The NBA game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors was postponed on Saturday afternoon following another fatal shooting by a federal officer in Minneapolis.
The game was rescheduled for Sunday afternoon. The Timberwolves and Warriors are also scheduled to play on Monday night.
The league announced the decision was made to “prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community” after 37-year-old Alex Pretti was killed in a confrontation with officers on a street in a commercial district less than two miles from Target Center, the downtown arena where the Timberwolves play.
On Saturday, Sixers legend Charles Barkley, on the panel for ESPN’s telecast of Saturday’s Sixers-Knicks thriller commented on the situation, saying: “It’s gonna end bad, it’s already ended badly twice,” in reference to Pretti and the killing of Renee Good on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis at the hands of officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Charles Barkley after NBA announced the postponement of the Timberwolves/Warriors game tonight:
"It’s scary…It’s sad….Somebody's gotta step up and be adults.…Two people have died for no reason, and it's just sad." pic.twitter.com/MItheb9vBj
With the crowd of protesters growing around the shooting site on Saturday, the Minnesota National Guard was assisting local police to try to keep the peace.
The Minnesota Twins were holding their annual winter fan festival at Target Field, across the street from Target Center, and ended the event an hour early for the “expedited departure” of all guests.
Thousands of people marched through downtown on Friday with the air temperature well below zero in protest of the presence and tactics of the federal force that swelled to about 3,000 officers in the Twin Cities area this month as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Two weeks ago, 37-year-old Renee Good was fatally shot in her car as she drove away from a group of officers following a confrontation. The Timberwolves held a moment of silence for Good before their game the following night.
