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.
Joel Embiid is back to playing at an All-NBA level.
Yet, the 76ers are still dealing with third-quarter blues.
And they made a decision that will affect Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker, who were in jeopardy of playing their games as two-way players.endnu
These things stood out in Saturday’s 112-109 loss to the New York Knicks at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Back to dominating
Embiid, a three-time All-Defensive performer, still doesn’t protect the rim the way the 7-foot-2 center did before undergoing two left-knee surgeries in a 14-month span. (First surgery was for a torn meniscus in February 2024. Then he had arthroscopic surgery on the knee in April.)
But you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone with a better offensive stretch than the 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player.
Embiid finished with 38 points on 13-for-21 shooting – including making 3 of 5 three-pointers – along with 11 rebounds and five assists in his fourth consecutive game with at least 30 points.
On Saturday, 28 of his points came in the first half on 10-for-12 shooting. Embiid acknowledged it was the best groove he felt offensively this season.
“I felt pretty good, just attacking, doing whatever I wanted,” he said.
The seven-time All-Star has averaged 31.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 0.7 blocks while shooting 57.1 % on three-pointers in his previous three games.
Embiid was asked if there was a carryover from his logging 45 minutes, 36 seconds while finishing with 32 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in Thursday’s 128-122 overtime victory over the Houston Rockets.
“I feel great,” Embiid said. “Nah, I was tired. Early game, too. Yeah, I was tired. But … just got to keep pushing.”
More third-quarter blues
After Embiid dominated the first half, the Sixers took a 64-60 lead into intermission.
But the Knicks went on a 24-5 run early in the third quarter to build an 86-72 cushion. That was partly due to the Sixers missing 10 of their first 12 shots of the quarter.
He would shoot 4-for-17 (23.5%) and commit five costly turnovers in the quarter, as the Knicks took a 90-77 lead into the fourth. Embiid was held scoreless in the quarter while shooting 0-for-3.
The Knicks would extend their lead to 17 points early in the fourth quarter.
Tyrese Maxey (right) challenges for a loose ball against Knicks guard Mikal Bridges in Saturday’s loss.
Mounting a comeback, the Sixers pulled within two points on VJ Edgecombe’s three-pointer with 1 minute, 34 seconds remaining.
The Knicks stepped up their intensity after intermission. They also benefited from their dominance of the boards. For the game, New York outrebounded the Sixers, 53 to 38, and had a 26 to 4 advantage in second-chance points. Knicks 6-5 forward and former Villanova standout Josh Hart finished with a game-high 13 rebounds to go with 10 points.
Reserve center Andre Drummond didn’t play despite being one of the league’s best rebounders. He’s averaging a team-leading 9.0 rebounds while playing just 20 minutes per game. The 6-11, 280-pounder finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds in his lone game against the Knicks this season.
Did Nick Nurse ever consider inserting Drummond because of the rebounding disparity?
“Not really tonight,” he said. “I mean, I think both him and Jabari are probably two quality rebounders for us. The only thing we did think about was trying the big lineup [with Embiid and reserve center Adem Bona]. They weren’t very big much tonight. Nor were they five, four much tonight either. But we did think about that.”
With the Sixers down three points, Tyrese Maxey (22 points, six assists) appeared to be fouled before misfiring on a 27-foot, three-point attempt with 5.8 seconds left.
“I should’ve just took the one dribble and shot it right,” Maxey said of forcing the shot.
And Embiid appeared to be fouled before turning the ball over in the final second as the Sixers dropped to 24-20 on the season.
Sixers center Adem Bona blocks New York Knicks guard Miles McBride’s second-quarter dunk attempt on Saturday.
Out of time?
The Sixers have agreed to sign Charles Bassey to a 10-day contract.
Before that, Saturday was believed to be the last game in which Walker and Barlow could be active without the team needing to make a roster move. That’s because the team ran out of available games for playing on two-way contracts, since it has fewer than 15 players on standard NBA contracts.
But they’ll temporarily have 15 players on the roster, with Bassey’s addition.
On Saturday, Barlow was the sixth man for the second consecutive game after starting at power forward. Meanwhile, Walker received a did not play coach’s decision for the second straight game. He was the backup power forward before Barlow was demoted.
But the Sixers had to decide if they wanted to sign Barlow or Walker to a standard deal to avoid this restriction. Another option would have been to sign a player to a 10-day contract. And the Sixers could have sat both of them. But Barlow still has a vital role with the team, while Walker can still contribute when needed.
New York 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.
“I’d like to find a way to get him his five, six, eight-minute stints that he’s been providing as well,” coach Nick Nurse said of Barlow before the game. “So, there’s always room to be looking at stuff, and hopefully — I think I said this a few weeks ago — we gotta figure out kinda how things shape out. Role-wise, within the starters, within the bench guys. We’re still trying to develop some of that stuff because it’s been very few games.”
With an impending storm coming to the region, the Sixers were set to travel to Charlotte following the game instead of Sunday. They’ll practice at the Spectrum Center on Sunday before facing the Hornets there on Monday. Bassey will sign his 10-day contract before Monday’s game.
Sixers two-way contract players Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker played in their last game on Saturday if the squad doesn’t make a roster move. Barlow was asked if they received indication that the team will make a move to keep them with the Sixers: pic.twitter.com/xJ6dJ429n8
“I mean, I don’t really ask those types of questions,” he said. “I would like to think so, but that’s for my agent and Daryl. They can all handle that kind of stuff. My goal is to be a great basketball player today, and then be a great basketball player tomorrow. And if anything happens in the future, see what happens. I try not to ask too many questions about that kind of stuff.
“I’ve been in this situation before. It doesn’t really do anything for you, besides just make you think. I’ve kind of just been enjoying the day.
Barlow’s previous two-way deals with the San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks were converted to standard deals.
With St. Joseph’s leading Dayton by eight points in the second half Saturday, guard Jaiden Glover-Toscano got the crowd on its feet with a slam dunk.
St. Joseph’s (12-8, 4-3 Atlantic 10) held onto to that lead as the Hawks secured an 81-74 victory at Hagan Arena. Glover-Toscano, Derek Simpson, and Dasear Haskins each finished with 20 points. Simpson added nine assists. Guard De’Shayne Montgomery scored a team-high 19 points for Dayton (14-6, 5-2).
St. Joe’s Jaiden Glover-Toscano dunks against Dayton.
“That was a fun atmosphere. That’s what college basketball should be,” Hawks coach Steve Donahue said. “Students going crazy, our guys being motivated, inspired by the fans. … The guys I thought played 40 minutes of really good basketball.”
Burst of energy
After falling to La Salle on Wednesday, Dayton hoped to rebound and opened the game against the Hawks with an 8-0 run.
Dayton did enough to keep itself in the game. That is, until Haskins gave the Hawks the boost they needed.
Haskins, who was scoreless in the first 14 minutes, drilled a three-pointer, which cut the deficit to two. He then grabbed a rebound and ran the length of the court before getting a layup, which got Hagan Arena jumping.
St. Joe’s Derek Simpson passes the ball to Dasear Haskins on Saturday.
Before halftime, he knocked down two additional three-pointers, one coming in the final seconds, which gave St. Joe’s a 38-36 lead.
“It was a real big three,” Haskins said. “We were working hard that whole play, offensive rebounds and kicking out. We emphasize something called ‘boulder’ [in] every practice. So I know when [Simpson] got the ball, I know he was looking for me.”
Clamping down
St. Joe’s shut down Dayton in the second half.
Montgomery was held to three points. On top of that, the Hawks forced 15 turnovers overall and coughed up the ball only 12 times against the conference’s top team in takeaways.
Dayton’s stagnant offense allowed the hosts to add to their lead, thanks in part to Glover-Toscano, who scored 15 points after the break.
The Flyers eventually climbed out of a double-digit deficit as the Hawks didn’t score a field goal in the final four minutes, but it wasn’t enough as Dayton fell to its second straight city team and A-10 foe.
Up next
The Hawks will travel to Loyola Chicago (5-16, 1-7) at Gentile Arena on Tuesday (9 p.m., CBS Sports Network).
A 22-point deficit heading into the final quarter was just too much.
In the end, Villanova found themselves on the tail end of a 71-58 final against St. John’s on Saturday in New York City. For St. John’s, the win was retribution from the last time the teams faced off on Dec. 22 — when Villanova claimed an 85-48 victory.
Ryanne Allen led the Wildcats with 12 points. Jasmine Bascoe, Villanova’s star sophomore guard, added 11.
Villanova (8-3, 15-5 Big East) is now tied for second place in the conference with Seton Hall. St. John’s (6-5, 16-6 Big East) stands fourth in the Big East.
St. John’s fast start
The game quickly spun out of control for Villanova, as St. John’s sprinted off to a 22-5 lead across the opening 10 minutes. Brooke Moore led the way for the Red Storm, as the junior guard scored 10 points in the first quarter.
St. John’s shut down Villanova’s offense, going on a 17-0 run across the last 7 minutes, and 38 seconds of the quarter.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats shot an uncharacteristic 2-for-11 from the field and 1-for-6 from three. Villanova entered the game as the second-best shooting team in the conference, averaging 45.1% from the field.
Villanova attempted to push back in an energetic second quarter, in which it was outscored just 18-17. Junior forward Brynn McCurry led the Wildcats in the first half, with eight points and four rebounds.
St. John’s, which saw some difficulty early in Big East play, was dominant on its home court on. Unlike in its previous meeting with Villanova, St. John’s controlled the game and led by double-digits throughout the second, third, and fourth quarters.
The Red Storm succeeded in holding back Bascoe, who leads Villanova in scoring with 17.2 points per game. Bascoe dropped 21 points with a season-high nine assists in the previous win over St. John’s. But in Saturday’s contest, she was restricted, scoring just four points in the first half to support her total.
Villanova scored its highest point total (20 points) in the fourth quarter. Allen helped the Wildcats make a late-game push to narrow the deficit, scoring seven points and continuing her consistent three-point shooting.
Up next
Villanova returns to Finneran Pavilion on Tuesday to take on Providence (7 p.m., ESPN+).
HARTFORD, Conn. — Devin Askew drove into the paint with Villanova trailing Connecticut by just one point inside two minutes to play. The defense collapsed, so Askew kicked the ball to the wing and into the waiting hands of … Kevin Willard.
The Villanova coach pounded the basketball onto the court with two hands. One of Villanova’s 11 turnovers came at an inopportune time.
The Wildcats later had a lead with less than a minute on the clock, and they still did take the second-ranked team in the country to overtime, but Askew’s turnover was one of many little moments that didn’t go Villanova’s way in a 75-67 loss at PeoplesBank Arena.
Where to start? There was Acaden Lewis’ out-of-control drive down two in overtime with just over a minute to go. Back in regulation, Bryce Lindsay missed an open runner in the paint shortly after the Askew turnover. Then Villanova’s leading scorer, who was held to three points and didn’t make any of his eight attempts, had a three-point attempt blocked in a tie game with less than 30 seconds to play.
Villanova started overtime with a Tyler Perkins three-pointer, then got the ball back when Perkins drew a charging foul. But instead of building on the lead, Lindsay had his pocket picked by Silas Demary Jr., leading to a runout dunk from Tarris Reed Jr. Perkins’ triple, 12 seconds into overtime, was Villanova’s only made basket of the extra session.
Villanova guard Bryce Lindsay shoots as UConn forward Alex Karaban defends on Saturday.
“It just hurts,” said Villanova senior big man Duke Brennan, who struggled last week with the size and physicality of St. John’s but battled back in a big way Saturday. He had 16 points and 14 rebounds and, perhaps most importantly, made eight of his nine free-throw attempts in 40 minutes. “We fought until the end. That’s a great team over there.”
To be sure, there were things Villanova did well enough to win. You don’t take the No. 2 team in the country to overtime without doing things correctly. The Wildcats had answers for a lot of UConn’s offensive action. They held Alex Karaban, who averages nearly 14 points, off the scoreboard for the first 30 minutes (though he did finish with 17 points).
Perkins had 16 points and 10 rebounds and continued to be the physical and experienced guard presence Villanova needs. Askew, too, continued his strong stretch of games with 13 points, four rebounds, and three assists before he fouled out in overtime. Matt Hodge followed up consecutive games being held to four points or less with 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting from three-point range, including a corner three that gave Villanova a 61-59 lead with just over a minute to go.
UConn guard Braylon Mullins is guarded by Villanova guards Bryce Lindsay (2) and Malachi Palmer (7) on Saturday.
But then came another costly error. Demary missed a driving layup, and Villanova couldn’t secure a rebound, allowing Reed to tip in the tying basket.
In the end, UConn made the plays when it mattered. Solo Ball, who led all scorers with 24 points, hit arguably the game’s biggest shot, a three-pointer with two minutes left in overtime that turned a one-point Villanova lead into a two-point deficit.
It is hard for Villanova to win when Lindsay doesn’t make a shot and Lewis goes 1-for-13 from the field. Yet, it nearly happened anyway.
“We’re a young team,” Willard said. “Guys were trying to make plays. We got to the rim. We didn’t finish at the rim, and I thought we had some opportunities at the rim.”
Villanova made 5 of 15 layup attempts.
“We’re still going down and playing high-level defense,” Willard said. “If we can continue to build on that, then we’ll get out in transition and get some easier buckets.”
It was the closing minutes that Willard said he needed to “get better at.” Lewis was seemingly benched for a large stretch of the second half. Brennan was in foul trouble. The Wildcats are a team without much depth.
“I got to put the right lineups out there at times and I’m learning a lot about certain guys and what to do,” Willard said. “At the end of the day, we don’t do a free throw box out, and we don’t get a huge rebound when we’re up four with about six minutes to go. … Sometimes to get there on the road you got to make sure you finish possessions, and I thought there was three or four times where we didn’t finish possessions with rebounds.”
An encouraging game nonetheless?
“No,” Willard replied. “I don’t like losing. We should have won that game.”
UConn guard Solo Ball, who led all scorers with 24 points, dribbles around Villanova guard Tyler Perkins on Saturday.
The reality for Villanova is Saturday’s loss is one that won’t necessarily hurt. A road upset helps a lot more than an eight-point overtime loss stings as far as the meaningful metrics go. The Wildcats are 15-5 overall and 6-3 in Big East play. They started the day rated 25th at KenPom and were still there by late Saturday afternoon. They have rest ahead before a Friday home game vs. Providence, and plenty of winnable games on the calendar as they continue to hunt for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Plus, two more shots at the conference’s elite. On consecutive Saturdays, Villanova took St. John’s and Connecticut to the brink.
“The good thing about conference is you play every team twice,” Brennan said. “We get another shot at those dudes. St. John’s we felt like we didn’t play good at all, all throughout our program. This game we felt like we really battled.
“It feels like it got away and we felt like we were there the whole game. There are certain little things that come down at the end of the game where it can flip one way. It wasn’t on our side tonight.”
DENVER ― Three games. Three different outcomes. Five out of six points.
Not a shabby week for the Flyers, who lost six straight before heading west and took on three of the NHL’s best. Not a shabby week for, really, anyone, facing the gauntlet of the Vegas Golden Knights, Utah Mammoth, and Colorado Avalanche in three consecutive games.
Coach Rick Tocchet and his players have often talked about lessons. Here are five lessons the Flyers learned this week that could help propel them forward as the season heads to the Olympic break.
1. Owen Tippett has been unleashed
Speaking with The Inquirer after his introductory press conference, Tocchet said, “I think Owen Tippett is a guy who I feel has another level in him. I think he’s a prototypical big, fast winger. Can we unleash him?”
If you hadn’t noticed it in the past few weeks, it smacked you in the face Friday: Tippett is officially unleashed.
“He’s a big-time player,” Sam Ersson said postgame. “He makes big-time plays at the right time when we need it. And he’s that guy who can score from anywhere. He just doesn’t need much. And you give him the finger, he’ll take the whole hand.”
Standing in the Flyers locker room at Ball Arena after the game, Tippett’s hand was filled with pucks after the winger notched his second career hat trick. His first came after his initial shot was blocked, but he stayed with it and sniped it past Mackenzie Blackwood from the right circle. The second came on the left side off the rush, and his third, which sealed a 7-3 victory over Colorado, was a short-handed goal through the wickets.
His four points — he also assisted on Denver Barkey’s power-play — showed everything he’s been doing well for weeks. Since Dec. 20, Tippett leads the Flyers in goals (nine) and is two points back of Travis Konecny’s team-leading 15. He also ranks third in hits (29).
“I think I’ve been pretty happy with my game the last couple of weeks, just doing all the little things and not really worrying about kind of points or scoring or just knowing they’re coming,” he said. “So obviously, it’s nice to have three [goals]. But more importantly, it’s about the win.
2. Keep the foot on the pedal
On Wednesday, the Flyers learned the hard way on how letting up can change a game. Losing 5-4 in overtime, they faltered despite having 3-0 and 4-2 leads before Utah scored twice in the third period, including the game-tying goal in the last minute.
“We talked about it as a team. I think, like, sometimes when the pressure comes, instead of folding, it’s when you have to play your best hockey,” defenseman Cam York said after morning skate in Denver. “I felt like when the pressure hit, we didn’t play our best hockey … [and] it’s mental. I think sometimes when we get a lead, we like to just kind of let them do their thing a little bit more, instead of just keeping our game going. So I think that’s the biggest piece for us.”
Flyers defenseman Cam York said against Utah, “I felt like when the pressure hit, we didn’t play our best hockey.”
On Friday, the Flyers did not let up. They scored three goals on seven shots in the final frame, including two goals in the first two minutes of the period to break open a 3-3 game.
“[Friday], there were about four or five guys … who stood on the bench and said some key things,” Tocchet said. “Usually, we’re a fairly quiet bench. But the guys who were talking don’t talk that much, and it was really inspiring for me to hear them say that.
“Jamie Drysdale stood up and said, ‘Let’s enjoy this moment. Like, we’ve got to enjoy these pressure games. That’s why you play the game. You don’t want hide from it.’ When he said that, I think maybe that gave everybody a little bit of ‘Yeah, let’s enjoy it, let’s not be nervous about it.’ And I think that helped.”
3. Stop taking penalties
For the love of hockey, the Flyers need to stop taking penalties.
Penalties happen, of course, and is every penalty a legitimate call? Absolutely not, as the officiating has been downright dreadful this year. However, there are certainly penalties that could have been avoided.
The good news is that the penalty kill has been much better. It went from a league-worst 60.6% from the holiday break through Sunday to 85.7% across the three games this past week.
The bad news, since Monday’s 2-1 win against the Vegas Golden Knights — where one of Konecny’s two goals was a shortie — the Flyers lead the NHL in times shorthanded (14). They’ve spent the second-most time on ice shorthanded at almost 8 minutes a game, with only Utah, which played that one game against them, having more at 8:30.
Part of why the penalty kill has been better was because they have more structure — playing the diamond Tocchet likes while being smart with their aggressiveness — and part of it was Ersson. According to Natural Stat Trick, across the last three games, the Flyers allowed 36 shot attempts, 19 shots, 21 scoring chances, and 10 high-danger chances.
Samuel Ersson has contributed toward improving the Flyers’ penalty kill.
They allowed just two power-play goals against, with one coming from a high-danger spot — and none of the three shot attempts from in tight by Colorado, which kept feeding the bumper, got through. On the flip side, they do have two short-handed goals this past week and five on the season.
“We scratched and clawed. It was a tough game; got to kill two penalties right off the start. We had to kill a bunch of penalties tonight,” said Tocchet of the Flyers taking two penalties in the first five minutes and four in the game. “And I’m not going to blame the guys on the penalties, but I really felt they grinded it out killing those penalties.”
4. Bobby Brink is a catalyst
Could Brink be the straw that stirs the Flyers’ drink? Brink missed six games and the Flyers lost them all. Brink returns on Monday, and the Flyers go 2-0-1. Coincidence?
Whether or not there is a correlation, Brink doesn’t just bring a balance to the forward lines; he brings speed, a dogged determination, and pressure that creates turnovers and puts the opposition on its heels.
“There’s a guy like Bobby Brink, I think the last couple of games, he adds a lot of speed,” Tocchet said following morning skate at Ball Arena. “If he gets the puck, you see him through the neutral zone, separating himself. Those are the things we’re teaching our players to do.
While right wing Bobby Brink was sidelined for six games, the Flyers lost six straight.
He notched yet another goal — he has two in three games since returning from a concussion — on Friday for a career-high 13 this season. It was a pivotal moment as it regained the Flyers’ lead 32 seconds after the Avalanche tied it up 2-2. It was his work ethic, alongside Noah Cates, that led to the goal.
Skating in on a two-on-one, Brink fed Cates, who didn’t get good wood on the pass. But the centerman stayed with it as he and Brink worked together down low and around the net before Brink used his feet to keep the puck loose. The 24-year-old winger got the puck atop the crease and roofed it.
5. Never give up on Ersson
It wasn’t an easy one to close out the road trip — as Ersson said, “You kind of get those flashbacks from the Utah game” as the Avalanche kept pressing. But while they may have bent slightly, the Flyers didn’t break — in large part because of their goaltender.
According to Natural Stat Trick, entering the week, Ersson had the worst save percentage (.854) among goalies with at least 1000 minutes played this season. His Goals Saved Above Average (-18.35) and high-danger save percentage (.750) were second-worst in the NHL, better than only Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues.
With Dan Vladař injured and Aleksei Kolosov allowing three goals on three shots last Saturday to the New York Rangers, the net was Ersson’s. He took hold of it as he started three straight for the first time this season — and the first time since late March.
This past week, among the 37 goalies who played at least 60 minutes, every one of his stats rose. His save percentage was 24th (.897), his GSAA was 26th (-0.41), and his HDSV% was 18th (.846). Most impressive was that his high-dangers goals saved above average rose from -6.67 to 1.04. He tied Kevin Lankinen of the Vancouver Canucks, Tocchet’s old team, for the most high-danger shots faced this past week (26).
Ersson was modest postgame on Friday, saying it was “all about just making those timely saves,” but it’s clear he’s seeing the puck well. Always a goalie who likes to see shots early to get into the game, on Monday, he had his fifth first-period shutout of the season when he stopped 11 pucks by Vegas on the way to the win. On Friday, he made 17 saves — several of which were masterful as the Avalanche put quick snapshots and peppered him from the slot and in tight — for his sixth clean first period.
“Yeah, obviously, you get a lot of action early, and I think that helps to settle in,” he said. “Every game has its own challenges. And, you know this team is so good [that] they’re going to make a huge push to come back, and they did. And how we dealt with it in the team, [we] just kept believing in ourselves.”
Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson had his fifth first-period shutout of the season when he stopped 11 pucks by Vegas on Friday.
Long known for his tough mental game and often praised for it by former coach John Tortorella, the turnaround was not unexpected from the Swede or his new coach.
“He was down in dumps, and he knew that he wanted to get his game going, but he worked at it. Spent a lot of time with [goaltending coach Kim Dillabaugh], with video, and I got to give him credit,” Tocchet said.
“He had a smile on his face there about three games ago — I didn’t see him kind of moping around — I like that. A lot of things were being tested, and some of the demons in him, and that’s where you got to face it, and I think he did. He was solid in net.”
The local answer starts with the U.S. women’s soccer team’s longtime popularity here, even though none of its senior players are from the area anymore.
That was proven again when the Americans came to town in October. There were quite a few Rodman jerseys in the stands, even though she wasn’t on the squad. She has genuine, cut-through star power, the first American women’s soccer player to reach that peak since the era of Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, and Carli Lloyd.
In the year and a half leading to the 2027 World Cup, we’ll find out if any of Rodman’s current compatriots will meet her up there. Sophia Wilson will certainly be a candidate when she returns from maternity leave. Catarina Macario’s bright star will grow even brighter if she comes back to the NWSL this summer, as has been rumored lately. Lily Yohannes is meeting the hype as a young phenom.
Sophia Wilson (right) was out of action last year as she welcomed her first child.
But there’s another piece too, one which could have a big impact locally.
The NWSL would like to have a Philadelphia team if an ownership group steps forward.
“We love Philadelphia,” commissioner Jessica Berman told The Inquirer on Friday. “We think Philadelphia will be a great NWSL market one day, and certainly among the cities that would be in contention.”
The subject no doubt gave Berman a few minutes of respite from a grilling about the league’s controversial High Impact Player rule. That fracas won’t die down any time soon, not least because the NWSL Players Association has taken the league to arbitration over it.
But at some point down the line, there will be other subjects to discuss, and expansion is always on the list. The league is adding teams in Denver and Boston this year, and will add Atlanta in 2028.
NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman.
When Atlanta’s team kicks off, Philadelphia will be the only city that had teams in the two prior leagues, the Women’s United Soccer Association (2001-03) and Women’s Professional Soccer (2010-11), but lacks an NWSL team.
Meanwhile, the WNBA will launch an expansion team here in 2030, and the Unrivaled basketball circuit has sold out Xfinity Mobile Arena for a doubleheader this Friday. That puts more proof on the table that Philadelphia fans have an interest in women’s sports.
A group of investors has been working on a local NWSL expansion bid, but has not yet been willing to talk publicly about it.
That leaves Berman waiting along with everyone else.
“We do not have any news to break, or current timeline, or plan of when that might happen,” she said. “But I know I’ve shared with you before: we love that city, we know and believe a women’s soccer team in the NWSL would be successful there. And we look forward to the day when the circumstances are right.”
Maybe giving Bryce Harper better protection will return him to “elite” status.
The most intriguing tidbit the Phillies provided Tuesday in their Hot Stove state of the union news conferences concerned how the run-it-back lineup will be organized.
The Phils led the National League in batting average and finished second in OPS as they won their second consecutive NL East title. That offense was led by a lineup that generally featured Trea Turner leading off, Kyle Schwarber batting second, and Harper batting third. Harper has spent most of his career batting third.
This year might be different.
“Yeah, I’ve got some ideas,” said manager Rob Thomson. “I’ve got to talk to the players about it, but you could see a change this year, flipping those guys around a little bit.”
Asked later if the changes could involve Harper moving out of the three-hole, Thomson said, “Yes.”
A change might do him good.
A wrist injury and a steady diet of breaking balls — a career-high 41.3% — led to Harper’s worst season since 2016. His .844 OPS was 22nd in baseball and more than 50 points below his .911 career OPS entering 2025.
This dip in production led Phillies president Dave Dombrowski, in his postseason news conference in October, to cast Harper as “a quality player” who didn’t “have an elite season like he has had in the past.”
This upset Harper, who, nine days later, told The Athletiche was “hurt” by the comments and the resulting fallout. That included speculation that the Phillies might be better off trading Harper — media-fueled speculation, and something the Phillies never considered.
Dombrowski has said he had a conversation with Harper in November and emerged from that discussion believing that their relationship was fine.
Then, on Dec. 26, Harper posted a TikTok video of himself hitting in a batting cage while wearing a sweatshirt that said, “NOT ELITE.”
Thomson said Tuesday that Harper had been hitting in late December, earlier than usual, to better prepare for the WBC … and, maybe, to make Dombrowski eat his words.
“I think he’s motivated. I really do,” Thomson said. “I think he’s motivated to play for his country, and I think he’s motivated to win a world championship.”
Will Harper be motivated to move from the No. 3 spot?
His career OPS while batting second is .791 in 1,010 plate appearances, though those numbers reflect him as a much younger player. In his most recent stretch of hitting No. 2 — 14 games last season — Harper’s OPS was .900.
Schwarber, meanwhile, has a career OPS of .882 when batting second and .816 when batting third, though he only has 209 plate appearances batting third. For what it’s worth, Schwarber’s OPS in the cleanup spot is .937 in 475 plate appearances.
Fair point
Dombrowski might have put his foot in his mouth in October, but he’s right. Harper’s production lagged in 2025. He’s 33 this season.
A lineup change might be just what the Topper ordered.
This isn’t the first time Harper’s spot in the lineup has come into question with spring training looming. In fact, this time last year nobody knew who would hit where, exactly. The three previous seasons, Schwarber had been an unusual leadoff hitter — low-average, high-power, few RBIs.
The Phillies were eager to harness Schwarber’s power (they did: he led baseball with 132 RBIs last year) and replace him up top with Turner or Bryson Stott. If that didn’t work, they hoped their best hitter since ,might be willing to do the job.
Harper was not interested in that.
“Obviously, I’m a three-hole hitter, and I have been, but whenever they’ve told me to hit two or four, I’ve done that in the past,” Harper said last spring. “I like to see pitches before I hit, seeing what the guy’s going to do.”
It’s unlikely Harper will be asked to hit leadoff this season, considering last year Turner won both the job and the NL batting title, hitting .304.
But it seems extremely likely that Harper and Schwarber will switch, at least occasionally. Both bat left-handed, but Schwarber hit 23 homers off lefties last season with a .962 OPS, both records for left-handed hitters. Of course, he did this with Harper usually standing in the on-deck circle.
And when Harper came to bat, pitchers knew the No. 4 hitter wasn’t much of a threat. Usually, it was a right-hander like Nick Castellanos, J.T. Realmuto, or Alec Bohm, all of whom struggled in 2025. Early in the season, it was Schwarber.
Who now?
This season, $10 million free agent Adolis García will probably get the first chance. He’s hit mostly cleanup the past four years. He’s a right-handed hitter. He has power potential, averaging just over 30 home runs for the Rangers from 2021-24.
No other player makes sense, especially since Thomson will want to maximize the number of appearances for his would-be elite players, Schwarber and Harper.
So, ultimately, who will protect whom? It will be one of the more interesting story lines at spring training.
It also might not be determined by the end of the Phillies’ preseason. The WBC could occupy Harper for two full weeks right in the middle of spring training.
That might be irrelevant. In a make-or-break season for a Phillies core that has underachieved the past three years, it sounds like Thomson might juggle the lineup every day of the season if he feels like it, preference and feelings be damned.
