Joel Embiid hopes the 76ers take a different approach at the NBA trade deadline.
In recent seasons, they made moves that enabled them to avoid the luxury tax. And there’s a belief around the NBA that they’ll do the same this season. There are also reports that Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of the NBA’s foremost stars, is on the outs with the Milwaukee Bucks and might have interest in playing in Philly.
The Sixers (26-21) 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.
Quentin Grimes ($8.7 million), Kelly Oubre Jr. ($8.3 million), and Andre Drummond ($5 million) have expiring contracts that could help avoid paying the threshold tax. The problem is, all three players are major contributors to the Eastern Conference’s sixth-place team.
Oubre is the starting small forward and the team’s X-Factor.
Grimes is the sixth man and one of the squad’s best three-point shooters. The shooting guard has a no-trade clause, giving him full veto power over any deal.
In addition to the Big Three of Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey, this might be the deepest Sixers squad since the 2018-19 season, when they had Embiid, Jimmy Butler, Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, and JJ Redick in the starting lineup.
“We’ve been ducking the tax the last couple of years,” Embiid said. “So hopefully we keep the same team. I love all of the guys that are here. I think we got a shot.
“I don’t know what [the front office is] going to do. But I hope that we get a chance to go out there and compete because we got a good group of guys in this locker room, and the vibes are great.”
The Sixers are three games out of second place with 35 games remaining. They have winning records against the second-place New York Knicks and the third-place Boston Celtics. And they tied the season series with the fourth-place Toronto Raptors.
Now that Embiid and Paul George are healthy, the Sixers could be one of the NBA’s most dangerous teams.
Embiid, the 2023 league MVP, finished with 37 points, five rebounds, and eight assists in Thursday’s 113-111 victory over the Sacramento Kings at Xfinity Mobile Arena. It marked the fifth time that he’s scored at least 30 points in his last six games. George finished with 15 points, five assists, and two steals vs. the Kings (12-37). The nine-time All-Star is finding his groove in his role as a facilitator and defender.
Sixers forward Paul George (left) and Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe double team Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis during the third quarter on Thursday.
Tyrese Maxey, an All-Star starter, had a game-high 40 points on Thursday. It was his fifth 40-point performance of the season. And the point guard is third in the league in scoring at 29.4 points per game.
In addition to the Big Three of Embiid, George, and Maxey, this might be the deepest Sixers squad since the 2018-19 season, when they had Embiid, Jimmy Butler, Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, and JJ Redick in the starting lineup.
“Like I said in the past, we’ve been ducking the tax,” Embiid said. “So hopefully, we think about improving, because I believe we have a chance.”
And in the end, the Sixers did manage to win consecutive games at Xfinity Mobile Arena for the first time in over a month.
Those three things stood out in their 113-111 victory in front of 18,608.
Avoiding disaster
Maxey and Embiid reentered the game with the Sixers (26-21) down, 100-92, with 8 minutes, 13 seconds remaining.
Zach LaVine scored on a three-point play to put the Kings (12-37) up 11 points with 7:44 left.
That’s when Maxey and Embiid combined to score the Sixers’ final 21 points to avoid a loss to the Kings, a team that is now tied for the NBA’s worst record.
Maxey capped the scoring barrage with a layup to put the Sixers up two points with 1.3 seconds left. He was also fouled on the play, but intentionally missed the free throw. And the Sixers escaped with the two-point victory after LaVine misfired on a heave with 0.3 left.
Maxey finished with a game-high 40 points, with 11 coming in the fourth quarter. Embiid scored 10 of his 37 points in the final quarter. Each player had eight assists.
“Well, I think that’s kind of what you fear a little bit going into this game happened,” coach Nick Nurse said. “I think we are pretty lucky, to be honest with you, that we got out of there with a W.
“I mean, you know, it’s like not very good on the glass, not very good in transition, not very good on defense. And they just started building confidence, right?”
Sixers center Joel Embiid reacts after guard Tyrese Maxey made the game-winning basket against the Kings.
The Sixers were outrebounded, 46-24, only had three transition points, and gave up 54.2% shooting to a struggling team playing without Malik Monk (right ankle soreness), Keegan Murray (sprained left ankle), and Russell Westbrook (right foot soreness).
The Sixers have a habit of playing down to struggling opponents, which has led to a few embarrassing losses. While they expected Thursday night to be different, it was much of the same against a Sacramento squad that had lost six straight entering the game.
Sixers forward Paul George (left) and Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe double team Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis.
“We did a good job,” Maxey said. “We played kind of resilient. We knew we had to go in there and make a run, quick, and we did that.”
Maxey was asked if he agreed with Nurse that the Sixers were lucky.
“I feel like sometimes you got to be lucky,” he said. “It happens. It’s 82 games in the season. We didn’t play great by no stretch of the imagination. But we are going to take the W. I’d rather win the game and learn the lessons after than lose it.”
But Embiid didn’t see it as a lucky victory. He thinks the Kings are better than their record.
“They got a lot of talent,” Embiid said. “You look at DeMar [DeRozan], Zach, [Domantas] Sabonis. I mean, those are great players. They have a bunch of others. So they haven’t been healthy all season. So I think they are better than whatever their record says.
“But I think this is luck. Obviously, this is the NBA. Every team has NBA players.”
Two hours before the game started, arena employees were discussing the possibility of Antetokounmpo coming to Philly.
Right before tip-off, a fan asked if it would be wise to include VJ Edgecombe in a package to acquire Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks. The Stein Line reported that the Sixers never contacted the Bucks about a possible deal for the two-time All-Star. However, the report said the possibility of playing with Maxey has the Sixers on Antetokounmpo’s radar.
The problem is, aside from Maxey and Edgecombe, the Sixers don’t have the assets to acquire a player of Antetokounmpo’s caliber. And they’re not trading either of those guys.
Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe reaches for a loose ball as Sacramento Kings guard Dennis Schroder looks on.
Plus, despite his love for Maxey, the Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and Minnesota Timberwolves have emerged as the preferred destinations for the superstar. Yet that didn’t stop the infatuation with acquiring the nine-time All-NBA selection from taking much of the shine off Thursday’s game.
Back-to-back home wins
With their second straight home win, the Sixers improved to 14-13 at home. The last time they won consecutive home games was against the Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 12 and Dec. 20, respectively.
“No disrespect to them because they really do have good players and they played well tonight,” Nurse said of the Kings. “Again, I just didn’t like a lot of our defensive mentality and our rebounding mentality. I think it really let them hang around.
“So I wouldn’t say that was a great game for us. It’s a line drive in the box score, and it’s a W. So we’ll take it. But I think we got another similar team coming in on Saturday.”
The New Orleans Pelicans, who are 12-27 and tied with the Kings for the NBA’s worst record, are Saturday’s opponents.
“It feels like a long time,” Maxey said of getting consecutive home victories. “But that’s an achievement, man. We struggled at home, and we are trying to get better … We are just going to keep trying to get better.”
As John Buck watched the final seconds of the Dec. 4 matchup between the 76ers and Golden State Warriors, he was unsurprised by how VJ Edgecombe reacted to teammate Tyrese Maxey’s deep fadeaway jumper with 2.5 seconds remaining.
Edgecombe instantly sensed where the ball might be if the shot fell short, Buck said, then “slithered” into that space, elevated, and grabbed the partially blocked attempt to convert a game-winning putback.
“How many guards just stand there and watch the ball get shot and hope it goes in?” said Buck, who coached Edgecombe at Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y. “VJ was moving into the spot where it may have missed.”
Yes, Edgecombe’s athleticism is electric. Yes, the rookie’s three-point shooting has been a pleasant surprise. But perhaps what Sixers coach Nick Nurse and teammates have raved most about Edgecombe so far is his beyond-his-years basketball IQ.
That natural feel helped put Edgecombe in position to be one of the NBA’s top rookies — on Monday night he was named to the Rising Stars roster for All-Star Weekend — along with an immediate starter for a Sixers team in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, and a player already with a knack for clutch fourth-quarter moments on both ends of the floor. When asked recently about this aspect of his game, Edgecombe agreed it has “played a lot” into his early NBA success.
“If you watch the game,” Edgecombe told The Inquirer at his locker last week, “you understand the game, understand the flow of the game, the importance of possessions, I rely on my IQ a lot. That’s the most [important part] of the game, the mental part.
“I just try to make sure I’m locked in mentally, to make certain plays and be decisive.”
So what are the origins of such a trait? Matter-of-factly, Edgecombe says, “I watch so much basketball.”
As a child in Bimini, the Bahamas, he initially spent the bulk of his free time playing the sport on dirt courts and makeshift hoops outside. But once his mother bought him a tablet as a middle schooler, YouTube became an endless supply of player highlights and archived games. He could utilize his already “really good memory” while transitioning from watching for entertainment to studying. He even discovered some of Maxey’s film from his time playing for South Garland High School in the Dallas suburbs.
“He didn’t believe me,” Edgecombe said, explaining how he told Maxey after they became Sixers teammates. “And I had to literally tell him my basketball knowledge.”
When Edgecombe moved to the United States and eventually joined Long Island Lutheran’s nationally ranked program, he received access to online scouting reports with full games or clips from opponents. While Buck said he needed to “beg” some players to spend time reviewing that film while walking down the aisle during bus rides to games, Edgecombe’s commitment to that preparation was “elite.”
That gave Edgecombe the confidence to make suggestions about defensive coverages or individual assignments during timeouts, Buck said. And to better leverage his supreme physical gifts.
Buck witnessed it on blocks, when Edgecombe could pin the ball on the glass because he beat the shooter to the spot. Or in his timing on offensive rebounds. Or whenever he got into a shooting rhythm because he picked the correct moments to fire away, later prompting Buck to chuckle when NBA scouts called to ask about his three-point potential as a professional. The early returns vindicate that reaction, with Edgecombe entering Monday 12-of-22 on “clutch” NBA three-pointers, including an overtime game-winner at Memphis in late December.
“There are players who are extremely athletic,” Buck told The Inquirer by phone earlier this month, “but you don’t see it in the flow of a game, or you see it rarely. … With [Edgecombe], it would show up in so many ways.”
Guard VJ Edgecombe spent one season with Baylor before becoming the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
Another coach who valued Edgecombe’s IQ: Baylor’s Scott Drew.
During Edgecombe’s lone college season, Drew recognized his “boldness” to speak up during practices, “wisdom” to be accurate with his question or suggestion, and “heart” to keep it centered on the team. Most freshmen in his program, Drew added, only learn one position that first season. Edgecombe could play every spot but center, offering the Bears flexibility to use him as a lead ballhandler or as a power forward in four-guard lineups.
“It allows a coach to have an opportunity to steal a couple baskets by putting in new plays [and] doing things that are harder to guard,” Drew said last week. “And in one-, two-, three-possession games, if you have enough of those plays, you win a lot of those games.”
When Edgecombe first arrived in Philly, Nurse also asked himself, “How did he get like this?”
Nurse quickly recognized Edgecombe had already “absorbed a lot of basketball — and, probably, a little bit obsessively” because of his interest in the game’s history. That is not as common as an outsider might think for a player born in 2005, but was apparent to Nurse when Edgecombe marveled while walking into Chicago’s United Center for the first time.
Edgecombe’s inquisitive nature during practices also has continued at the NBA level. While still building out schemes throughout the first half of the season, Nurse said, Edgecombe could already identify future wrinkles. Edgecombe said he typically first goes to a teammate to clarify if such additions are possible, then to coaches to get their point of view.
“I just want to make sure my team is in the best possible [situation],” said Edgecombe, who entered Monday averaging 15.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.5 steals.
Added Nurse: “I answer them a lot with, ‘We’re getting to that.’ … Then you kind of quickly explain, ‘Yeah, we can do that, and here’s what happens. That’ll be coming when we need it — and when we see it and when we can polish and can put it in.’”
On the court, that IQ has translated to Edgecombe immediately taking on some ballhandling responsibilities — and committing only two combined turnovers when Maxey missed two games with an illness. Veteran forward Paul George has been most impressed with Edgecombe’s defensive savvy, recognizing when to make sharp rotations or well-timed playmaking risks. Edgecombe’s feel also shows up in how he spaces the floor on offense, clocks when a teammate has not gotten a shot recently, and balances when to be aggressive with the ball in his hands or facilitate.
“He could be a guy that just takes off,” Nurse added, “and jumps in the air and figures it out three or four seconds later. But he doesn’t do that. He makes pretty good basketball plays.”
Sixers coach Nick Nurse has been impressed by guard VJ Edgecombe’s ability to absorb information.
That is why Nurse has reiterated that he still wants more out of Edgecombe, even as the Sixers’ roster has returned to full strength. Following a Jan. 16 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Maxey told Edgecombe in the locker room that taking only five shots “is not going to cut it for us.” Nurse also has shown Edgecombe film examples of more opportunities to attack the rim or create space for a pull-up jumper.
“He’s just a little too unselfish for me,” Nurse said. “I know that sounds funny, but we need him to use those gifts a little bit more. … I’m like, ‘That was a great move. You only did it once last night. I need like eight of those.’”
Edgecombe acknowledged last week that he is “still learning” but does feel the game slowing down. And he flashed that knack during Saturday’s loss to the New York Knicks. In less than five seconds of the game’s final minute, he buried a three-pointer, forced a jump ball on a tie-up with Jalen Brunson, made two free throws after being fouled to cut the Sixers’ deficit to three points — and nearly drew an off-ball foul on Brunson before the ensuing inbounds pass, but that call was overturned on a coach’s challenge.
Buck is not exactly shocked that such high-IQ play is fueling Edgecombe’s rookie season. He saw it in that heads-up putback against Golden State. And in a game-winning three-pointer in Memphis.
And, behind the scenes, when Edgecombe paid an impromptu visit to a Long Island Lutheran practice just before his rookie season began.
“We’re running a set, and he kind of waves me over,” Buck recalled. “And he’s like, ‘Hey, Coach. I think the spacing for this guy right here should be a little bit different to maximize the play.’ That’s just not normal for a 19-, 20-year-old guy to be coming to practice, not just kind of chilling or being there to be there. But kind of saying, ‘Hey, let me look at this. I think there’s a way to improve that.’”
Now, Edgecombe is applying that as an NBA rookie, to a degree drawing raves from his coach and teammates.
“He’s not out there looking lost or forcing anything,” George said. “He kind of just lets the game come to him. And that right there makes the greats, greats. …
“The game just evolves around them, and that’s kind of what he has.”
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.
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.
Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 36 points, 10 assists, and four steals. Joel Embiid added 32 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, and two blocks for his ninth career triple-double. And Kelly Oubre Jr. finished with 26 points on 10-for-14 shooting — including 4 of 5 from three-point range — to go with four rebounds, three assists, one steal, and a block in a hard-fought victory.
But with the score tied at 115 with three seconds remaining in regulation, Maxey’s layup attempt bounced off the backboard and in the direction of the rim. That’s when Houston Rockets small forward swatted the ball away for an obvious goaltending.
Luckily for the Sixers, the game went to overtime, and they pulled out a six-point victory.
“That was bad,” Paul George said. “It was a double goaltend. Yeah, that was bad. Luckily, basketball gods were on our side to win the game tonight. But yeah, that was a bad no-call.”
Nick Nurse said he doesn’t always have the greatest view. But on this night, the no-call occurred in front of the Sixers’ bench.
“And I think Tyrese almost, on purpose, tried to get it to the backboard extra quick,” Nurse said. “Like he almost threw it into the backboard real quick. I mean, listen, they are supposed to call those if there’s any chance at all there’s a goaltend, because they can review it. They can’t review it if they don’t call it. So they can get it right.
“I’ve actually been in games with those guys that they’ve called them more than two or three times. You get it when they call it. But they didn’t. I guess they just thought it was too far under, or they didn’t see it. So they didn’t call it.”
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey attempts a lay up late that was goaltended and became a controversial no-call.
Maxey responded “nope” when asked if the official gave him an explanation on the no-call.
So what was his reaction?
“Just get to overtime and try to win it there. That’s it,” he said. “I just was surprised. I kind of like laid it on the backboard. But it happens, man. We’re all humans.”
Maxey scored six of his points and tallied two of his steals in the extra session, leading the Sixers to victory.
Kelly Oubre Jr. said it was hard to let that blown call go in order to focus on overtime.
“But that’s why you have a 15-man roster,” he said. “Everybody kind of collectively [kept the team focused]. But it started with Kyle [Lowry]. You know in his prime, he was the biggest complainer of them all, right? But when you have a guy who accomplished so much and is who’s so just witty and smart, and he knows the game. He just rallied us all and told us just to forget about it. We got five more minutes to go in the basketball game.”
Much-needed home victory
The Sixers’ home arena has been far from a safe haven. Heading into Thursday, they had lost five of their last seven home games and were 11-12 at this building. The fifth-place squad and 10th-place Atlanta Hawks (7-13) are the Eastern Conference’s only top 10 teams without winning home records.
Jabari Walker was asked following Thursday’s shootaround if there was a sense within the Sixers’ locker room that they need to start winning some of their home games.
“That’s always been like that,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any extra pressure, recently. That’s always been the standard. … We are just going to continue to rely on the attitude that we’ve had. And I think we will bounce back.”
And they did just that with a victory over one of the league’s best teams.
“That was huge,” Nurse said. “We needed a good home win. We needed … to beat somebody really good. We needed a good, tough close-game win. Hopefully, we can get some momentum off of it.
“We certainly need to play better at home.”
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey scored 36 poins to lead his team in scoring.
The Sixers will conclude their current six-game homestand at 3 p.m. Saturday against the New York Knicks. After facing the Charlotte Hornets on Monday in North Carolina, they’ll return to Philly for another three-game homestand.
They’ll host the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday in the second game of a back-to-back before entertaining the Sacramento Kings (Jan. 29) and New Orleans Pelicans (Jan. 31).
The Sixers must find a way to keep racking up wins at home, where they are supposed to have an advantage. They blew golden opportunities to take advantage of home-court advantage in recent losses to the Cavs on Jan. 14 and 16, and to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.
Unfortunately for them, those losses weren’t surprising after losing home games to the tanking Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 23 and the depleted Denver Nuggets on Jan. 5. The Nuggets were without their entire starting lineup and eight players total.
Right now, the Sixers are better on the road, where they’re 12-7. While the road record is impressive, they need to play much better at home. And as Nurse said, beating the Rockets was a good starting point.
Another player torches Sixers
We shouldn’t be surprised that Durant torched the Sixers for 36 points.
The 6-foot-11, 240-pound forward is the 2014 MVP, a four-time scoring champion, an 11-time All-NBA selection, and a 15-time All-Star. He came into Tuesday’s game with a career scoring average of 27.2 points. And scored at least 30 points in 14 games played.
To add to that, the Sixers have had a knack for allowing high-scoring performances from opposing players. So Durant’s performance was just part of a trend.
Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant scored 32 points against the Sixers, becoming the latest star to score big against them.
Boston Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown (32 points), Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr (31), Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Donovan Mitchell (46 and 35), Milwaukee Bucks point guard Ryan Rollins (32), Miami Heat shooting guard Norman Powell (32), Orlando Magic point guard Anthony Black (31), Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (41), Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant (40), New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson (31), Orlando shooting guard Desmond Bane (31) and Cleveland point guard Jaylen Tyson (39) were the others who scored at least 30 against the Sixers.
“I think we really thought that he was a much better player off the bench,” coach Nick Nurse said. “That he liked to see the game a little bit and come in and play. And I think we’re having some discussions lately, that maybe that’s not the case, and maybe we’ll start sticking him back into the starting lineup a little bit to see if that helps.”
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound shooting guard may have broken out of a recent slump in Tuesday’s 116-110 setback to the Phoenix Suns at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
In nine games entering Tuesday, Sixers guard Quentin Grimes averaged 10.4 points on 42.9% shooting – including making just 31.0% on three-pointers.
Grimes scored 12 points on 3-for-7 shooting, adding five assists and three steals. However, with the Sixers down six points with 17.1 seconds remaining, he blew a layup, ending the comeback attempt. He also surrendered three turnovers.
Entering Tuesday’s games, Grimes averaged 10.4 points on 42.9% shooting — including making just 31.0% on three-pointers in his last nine contests.
“I really need him to attack the rim more,” Nurse said. “He’s good at it in the open floor and just a little bit more decisive when he’s coming up the floor to make a play in the paint, and then also to pull the three balls. Make sure he has the confidence to continue to take those. I think the light is green and getting greener, not the other way around, and just play with great confidence.”
Edgecombe embracing rigors of NBA season
With 38 NBA games under his belt, VJ Edgecombe already has played in five more games than he did during his lone season at Baylor. Yet the Sixers (23-19) still have 40 games remaining, meaning the rookie could play in 78 contests — more than double his total in college.
How is the 6-5 shooting guard handling the NBA grind?
“I’ll be honest, I’m embracing it,” he said. “I’m one of the few rookies who can say I’m playing 30 minutes. You know, that’s the blessing. Just once I’m on the floor, I’ve just got to be productive. I’ve got to not try to win every possession.”
Heading into Thursday’s games, Edgecombe is sixth in the league in minutes at 35.8 per game, trailing teammate Tyrese Maxey (39.5), Houston Rockets stars Amen Thompson (37.2) and Kevin Durant (36.6), Los Angeles Laker guard Luka Doncic (36.3), and Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (36.0).
Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe is 11th in the league in steals (1.5) while averaging 15.8 points and 4.2 assists.
He is 11th in the league in steals (1.5) while also averaging 15.8 points and 4.2 assists.
Edgecombe posted a team-high 25 points while logging 36 minutes, 45 seconds in Tuesday’s loss to the Suns. The 20-year-old scored 11 points in 35:18 in Monday’s victory over the Indiana Pacers.
“I’m good with the back-to-backs now,” Edgecombe said with a laugh. “My first back-to-back, I wasn’t. I’m being completely honest, I wasn’t. But now I’m fine with it now. It’s still a lot. It’s still NBA games in two days.
“It’s a toll on your body, but I’m young, and I’m grateful that I’ve got a healthy body where I can go up and down the floor. So yeah, I’m just taking it game by game, regardless if it’s back-to-back or not, just try to be the same person.”
Sixers forward Dominick Barlow and Indiana’s Pascal Siakam battle for the ball on Monday. The Sixers have only two games left in which Jabari Walker and Barlow can both be active without the team making a roster move.
Dwindling days
The Sixers have only two games left in which Jabari Walker and Dominick Barlow can both be active without the team making a roster move. That’s because the squad has only four total games available to players on two-way contracts, since it has fewer than 15 players on standard NBA contracts.
The Sixers could sign Barlow, the starting power forward, or Walker, his backup, to a standard deal to avoid this restriction. They could also opt to sign a player to a 10-day contract. That would temporarily halt the under-15 penalty. And the Sixers could sit the two-way players, but they both have vital roles with the team.
If nothing is done, the Sixers’ two-way players will be unable to play in NBA games following Saturday’s home game against the New York Knicks.
Injury report
Joel Embiid (right ankle injury recovery) is listed as probable to play Thursday against the Rockets (26-15) at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Meanwhile, Paul George (left knee injury management) is questionable.
Houston will be without Steven Adams (sprained left ankle) and Fred VanVleet (right knee ACL repair), while Aaron Holiday (back spasms) is questionable.
The 76ers must play with a sense of urgency against bad and/or undermanned teams.
Tyrese Maxey is a newly minted Eastern Conference NBA All-Star starter. But the Sixers point guard, and coach Nick Nurse, believe he has more to give.
And the Sixers need more production from their bench.
These things stood out in Monday’s 113-104 victory over the Indiana Pacers at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Lack of energy
Maxey and Joel Embiid’s play, especially late in the game, enabled the Sixers (23-18) to avoid an embarrassing loss to the Pacers (10-34).
Maxey scored 14 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder also had four assists and four steals while playing 10 minutes, 35 seconds in the quarter.
In the quarter, Maxey was able to get to the paint more frequently and finish at the rim.
“We kind of opened the court up a little bit,” he said. “Me and Joel didn’t play a lot of two-man game. So it’s kind of like just getting him the ball, coming off screens, and doing that.”
But before Embiid reentered the game with 5:01 remaining, Maxey was paired with Quentin Grimes, Jabari Walker, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Adem Bona.
“And with that unit, I know I have to be ultra-aggressive for myself, for my teammates as well, getting to the paint, kicking it out, generating threes. That’s what I tried to do. Got a couple of corner threes with that group, and that’s good offense for us.”
For the game, Maxey made 12 of 24 shots to go with eight assists, four rebounds, a career-high eight steals, and one block.
“I was just trying to be aggressive, you know, make plays for my teammates,” Maxey said of his steals. “I think it gets us going when we get out in the open court [after stealing the ball] and get some easy baskets.”
Meanwhile, Embiid scored nine of his 30 points in the fourth quarter. The center also finished with nine rebounds and four assists.
But it was like the Sixers fell into a deep slumber against the Pacers before they took over.
Sixers center Joel Embiid poured in 30 points in a combeack win Monday over Indiana.
At the start of the game, they looked like a well-oiled machine.
Embiid had 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting. Oubre, who started in place of Paul George, had six points on 3-for-3 shooting. And Dominick Barlow had the other two points on 1-for-2 shooting, as the Sixers had an 18-15 lead with 6:19 remaining in the first quarter. They had made 9 of 12 shots at the time.
They couldn’t shake the Pacers and clung to a 33-30 lead heading into the second quarter. And things only got worse for the Sixers in the second. They shot 26.3% and trailed by as many as 10 points against the NBA’s second-worst team. Much of the defending Eastern Conference champions’ struggles are down to injuries.
On Monday, they were without Tyrese Haliburton (right Achilles tendon tear), Bennedict Mathurin (sprained right thumb), and Obi Toppin (right foot stress fracture).
The Sixers struggled through 3-for-13 three-point shooting over the first three quarters. They ended up making 5 of 17.
But struggling against an undermanned squad isn’t uncommon.
On Jan. 5, they put forth an inexcusable effort against a Denver Nuggets team playing without its entire starting lineup and three key reserves.
This time, the Sixers woke up from their slumber and escaped with a nine-point victory. But they need to do a better job of putting teams away that have no business competing with them.
Maxey impacted the game in many ways on Monday. But the belief is that the sixth-year veteran is just scratching the surface.
“I think I’m most definitely nowhere close to where I could be, as far as basketball-wise,” Maxey said. “I feel like I can keep getting better. And my thing is I just want to be better. You know what I’m saying, for my teammates, for this organization, my family. And I know I have a coach, an organization, and teammates who believe in me. And when you have that, it kind of pushes you to be even better than what you are.”
Right now, he must do a better job of adjusting when teams trap him. But Maxey is most proud of his leadership and the strides he’s made on defense. He was a good defender growing up. But he’s found that the transition to the NBA has been more challenging.
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey had a career-high eight steals in Monday’s win.
“I feel like I figured it out a little bit on how to be impactful,” he said, “and impact the game on the [defensive] end of the floor.”
But even though he needs to regain his rhythm, Maxey is in the midst of a career season.
He is third in the league in scoring (30.2 points per game), second in steals (2.1), and 15th in assists (6.7). He is also fourth in made three-pointers (140), and has scored at least 30 points in 19 of 39 games.
“We’re trying to give him every opportunity to be aggressive and go do his thing,” Nurse said. “And he’s very talented. And I keep saying there’s still a lot of room for growth, which I think is exciting.”
The Sixers were outscored 35-14 in bench points, and even that was misleading. They only had eight heading into the fourth quarter.
Grimes had five points on 1-for-7 shooting. Walker had five while making 2 of 5 shots. He was, by far, the most productive reserve, finishing with six rebounds and four steals. Bona (two points, 1-for-2 shooting) and Trendon Watford (two points, 1-for-4 shooting) were the other bench scorers.
Justin Edwards and Jared McCain didn’t attempt a shot after playing only the final 47 seconds. But the Sixers must get more production out of their bench if they expect to remain competitive.
The 76ers relish the opportunity to play the Cleveland Cavaliers again on Friday at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The matchup will be two days after the Sixers lost, 133-107, to the Cavaliers at the same venue. It was the Sixers’ fifth series loss in six meetings against Cleveland.
“So, absolutely [excited] to get a chance to play them again,” Paul George said. “It’s a test for us. And, you know, see how we respond.”
Donovan Mitchell finished with a game-high 35 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists on Wednesday. The six-time All-Star has scored 35, 46, and 37 points in his last three games vs. the Sixers. And he’s averaging 28.0 points and 6.6 assists in 10 games against the Sixers (22-17) after being traded to Cleveland (23-19) from the Utah Jazz on Sept. 3, 2022.
Meanwhile, Evan Mobley had 17 points and game highs of 13 rebounds and four blocks on Wednesday for his 15th double-double of the season. The 7-foot power forward and reigning defensive player of the year has averaged 19.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in his last five games against the Sixers.
But the All-Stars aren’t alone in their dominance.
Cleveland had five double-figure scorers, shot 53.3% — including 18 of 44 three-pointers — in a 132-121 victory over the Sixers on Nov. 5. On Wednesday, they shot 52.6%, and made 20 of 46 three-pointers. Their 41 assists on Wednesday were the most an opposing team has posted against the Sixers this season.
Tyrese Maxey was shut down in the Sixers’ loss to the Cavaliers, producing only 14 points on 5 of 16 shooting.
“It wasn’t just a win, but how we played,” Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Forty-one assists on 50 made baskets is kind of college basketball [numbers] the way we moved it.
“And defensively, we were good.”
They shut down Tyrese Maxey (14 points on 5-for-16 shooting) and VJ Edgecombe (nine points on 3-for-10) on Wednesday.
The Cavaliers showed Maxey two defenders several times to get the ball out of his hands quickly.
“I started off slow, kind of, energy-wise, and let them kind of box me in a little bit,” said Maxey, who had nine points on 3-for-10 at halftime. “But, yeah, sometimes you just got to make the right plays. I felt like some times I came off, and there were two or three bodies, and I just got off the ball.
“That’s how I play basketball. If I see multiple bodies and I don’t think I have an advantage, like, somebody else on my team should have an advantage.”
And as in the teams’ previous meeting, Wednesday’s outcome was all but decided after three quarters.
Nick Nurse is eager to see how the Sixers respond on Friday.
“I think it’s a great test for us,” the coach said. “It’s a great test for us to see if we can snap out of the energy funk that we were in [Wednesday night] and dig in and guard something and execute something on offense because we didn’t … scheme right or execute right.”
Sixers power forward Dominick Barlow missed most of Wednesday’s game after suffering a back contusion early in the third quarter. Barlow was expected to have an MRI on Thursday. His injury is a tough blow for the Sixers, as he is a solid glue guy who started alongside George, Joel Embiid (20 points), Edgecombe, and Maxey.
Meanwhile, Cleveland’s Darius Garland (right foot) and Sam Merrill (right hand) also left the game because of injuries. Atkinson said he doubts that they’ll play on Friday.
“Dom is a big piece for us, but it is, it’s another gut punch, man, that somebody else goes down,” said George, whose squad has dealt with injuries all season. “Soon as we finally start to get healthy and there’s some consistency with the starting group. It’ll be another starting group come Friday, so that has been a challenge.”
When the 76ers blew two late leads Sunday in their 116-115 overtime loss to the Toronto Raptors, they didn’t have to wait long to get revenge.
The teams met the next night, on the same floor, with the Sixers beating the Raptors, 115-102.
Then on Wednesday, the Sixers hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first of a pair of home games at Xfinity Mobile Arena. They will square off again on Friday.
These quick two-game series are part of a scheduling change the NBA implemented several seasons ago that has teams periodically playing consecutive games against the same opponent in the same location to reduce travel.
“It kind of gives you a small preview of what the playoffs look like, having to beat a team and go out and do it again the next night or whenever you play,” Sixers power forward Dominick Barlow said Wednesday after shootaround.
Coach Nick Nurse added that it does keep you on the same team for a few days in a row.
“So it gives you a chance to maybe look at your team a little more in depth over those days,” he said, “because you’re not sprinting to the next prep session or whatever as much.”
Sixers forward Dominick Barlow is a fan of the two-game series.
Nurse is fine with this format. It’s something he experienced frequently while coaching in the NBA G League.
Barlow feels this forces players to be ready, physically and mentally.
“You play a team twice, they are going to know your tendencies a little bit better,” he said. “They have a scouting report. So I think it’s good.”
Home sweet home
The two games against Cleveland begin a six-game homestand for the Sixers. In all, they’ll play nine of their next 10 games at home.
They’ll have a back-to-back against the Indiana Pacers (Monday) and Phoenix Suns (Tuesday) before entertaining the Houston Rockets on Jan. 22 and the New York Knicks on Jan. 24. After traveling to Charlotte to face the Hornets on Jan. 26, the Sixers will entertain the Milwaukee Bucks the next night before closing out the month with home games against the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 29 and the New Orleans Pelicans on Jan. 31.
“I like it,” Barlow said of this stretch of home games. Playing at Xfinity Mobile Arena “kind of reminds me of playing outside as a kid. … The crowd, they are just passionate, and they care. If you are not playing well, they’ll let you know. If you are playing well and doing what you are supposed to do, they love you. That’s what I grew up on. So I like it.”
He is also excited to be home after playing eight of the last 10 games on the road. It gives him a chance to go home after the game instead of traveling to a new city and checking into hotel rooms.
The Sixers headed into Wednesday’s game with a 22-16 record and in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings. They were a half-game behind the fourth-place Raptors (24-17), 1½ games behind third-place Boston Celtics, and 2½ games behind the second-place New York Knicks. However, the Sixers were only 1½ games ahead of the seventh-place Cavs (22-19).
“I try to look at it just from a competitive standpoint,” Barlow said of keeping up with the standings. “But I try not to get too wrapped up in it, because we’ve got to control what we can control. When you look at that sometimes, you start to worry about when other teams are losing. We’ve got to worry about us winning.”
