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As he has so often this season, Joel Embiid led the way for the Sixers on Friday night in Minnesota. At the end of the third quarter, the team no longer needed him to work.
Embiid was able to watch comfortably from the bench for the 14:04 final after registering 37 points, 11 rebounds and three assists in the Sixers’ 118-94 win over the Timberwolves at Target Center.
The 14-6 Sixers will play Sunday night against the Pacers.
Sixers head coach Doc Rivers began his pre-game media availability by sharing his admiration for Hall of Fame coach and Philadelphia basketball icon John Chaney, who died at 89 on Friday.
“I just loved him as a man,” Rivers said. “I loved the way he behaved, I loved the way he fought for his team, his players but also fair for the institution in many ways. He was more than a basketball coach. He was truly a teacher and a teacher of life. We don’t have much like that anymore. He will be missed.
Here are some observations on the Sixers’ victory on Friday:
Resist the first shooting difficulties
Embiid’s status was called into question throughout the day due to back strain, but he was in the Sixers’ starting lineup. It was an engaging match for him on paper against veteran Ed Davis as Minnesota was without big men Karl-Anthony Towns (health and safety protocols) and Naz Reid (sprained right wrist).
However, Embiid missed early on in the midrange jumpers that he has sunk so often this season. He missed his first five shots and the Sixers finished 2-for-14 as a team in half-distance attempts in the first period, according to Cleaning the Glass. Ben Simmons also started 0 for 5.
The Sixers have managed to score at something akin to a normal rate by shooting a lot of free throws, however, and Embiid has been the star as usual in that category. With his night of 16 for 18 on the foul line, Embiid has now made 152 free throws.
This is the second in the league behind Trae Young despite Embiid missing four games, and a factor that reinforces the idea that the Sixers are capable of beating the Eastern Conference elite in the playoffs. There is apparently a lock for double-digit free throw attempts in every game at this point.
While it’s likely necessary for players like Seth Curry, Danny Green, and Shake Milton to do open jumpers for the Sixers to excel in the playoffs, Embiid’s draw and overall 1-on-1 shine mitigates the damage. caused by any shooting problem, as we have seen. Friday. His hard work early in the season against doubles teams is also a positive sign when you consider the bigger picture for the Sixers.
“It’s just domination on his part,” said Tobias Harris. “I think he got it, and he did a great job creating games for other guys outside of the position. Tonight they had to keep him straight. He continues to understand that, continues to be dominant. and it’s a pleasure to be able to be with him when he’s got that behavior and he’s going like that. It makes us a really great team.
Tyrese Maxey had six key points in the second quarter at a stage where the team’s second unit wasn’t enjoying much success or attacking pace either.
Avoiding a bad model from last season
A troubling trend for the 2019-20 Sixers on the road was the team’s frustration with their offensive woes leaking into a shoddy defense.
“You just can’t live off your attack,” Rivers said during training camp. “And it’s not just our team, but teams that are not doing well. Your offense will let you down. … It’s being human; it happens. But you can still win the game. If we can have that kind of confidence that we’re going to gain whether we shoot or not, that would make us a hell of a force.
Friday night’s game was a prime example of Rivers’ point. It would have been easy (and understandable) for the Sixers to lose focus and intensity defensively. Logic has suggested their superior talent will win out at some point, but no team is good enough to survive a horrific shooting streak just hoping it starts hitting jumpers. The Sixers had to compete in defense, and they deserve to be commended for doing so.
Matisse Thybulle had a particularly strong defensive night, collecting three of the Sixers’ 11 interceptions. Rivers said the Sixers asked Thybulle to focus on defensive “strength” because he didn’t need to play a lot to get deflections and steals.
“He had 12 deflections on his own in a quarter,” Rivers said. “And Joel was amazing, but if I gave a game ball it would probably be Matisse, or we would share it with these two, because I thought he was a difference maker.
“I thought he was frustrating (Ricky) Rubio, then I thought he was phenomenal on (D’Angelo) Russell. He’s just a hell of a defender. He’s got his legs under him now, he knows what we expect him and he’s been great.
With the win, the Sixers are 4-5 on the road, which means they need eight more wins to tie last season’s tally.
Waiting for Scott to return
Mike Scott missed his seventh straight game with swollen right knee. While it might not seem very important in isolation, Rivers has mentioned on several occasions that Scott’s absence narrows the Sixers’ options and increases the importance for Simmons and Harris not to have any issues.
When Scott is available, how might Rivers’ rotation change? Maybe Furkan Korkmaz’s minutes will be cut off, even if the Sixers seem determined to help him find a rhythm.
There should be a bit less of a burden on players like Harris, who played a team-high 34 minutes on Friday.
“I like any of the three – Joel, Tobias or Ben – on the floor at all times,” Rivers said. “I don’t like how we’re doing it right now, because we’re extending one of their minutes every night. I don’t like it. Without four, we literally have no choice but to do it.
“We played Furk – or whoever wants to claim the four … I think Matisse called himself the four tonight all of a sudden. You play the right team, a bigger team, it’s really tough. i like any of those three on the floor anytime i think it’s good for us we’re deep enough not to do it but most games i will have one on the floor.
We also wonder how Dwight Howard will be impacted. Rivers used Simmons as a smallball center in the first half of Wednesday’s victory over the Lakers and admitted ahead of Friday’s game that Howard had had a poor run recently. The veteran had three points, 10 rebounds and four fouls in 17 minutes against Minnesota.
“I’m not very concerned about this,” Rivers said. “He didn’t play very well. It happens in life, it does, and it will get by. It’s been around long enough. I thought the Lakers adjusted and went small for a second on him, which affects him. Detroit did the same. You can either stay tall, which I often do, or sometimes you can have a fit. Our problem, obviously, is that Mike Scott is out, we don’t have a lot of adjustments we can make at the moment and that has absolutely limited us for sure.
Simmons in the center surely won’t become the norm, although Rivers has said, “It’s a look that I love.” He looks forward to working on it, noting that the Sixers should have a rare opportunity to train early next week.
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