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The Philadelphia 76ers picked up a solid road victory Thursday to close out 2020 with a 116-92 victory over Orlando Magic. It was a game that featured an offensive Philadelphia clinic, including a triple from star Ben Simmons.
Another really cool development was the fact that Matisse Thybulle played well in his first real minutes of the season. The Sixers are a deeper team at the moment and Thybulle hasn’t been able to stop new coach Doc Rivers from turning.
However, with Furkan Korkmaz absent, Thybulle is given an opportunity and he didn’t waste it. He had nine points and four rebounds while knocking down two deep and his usual excellent defense was also there.
“We’ve been telling him that from the start,” Rivers said. “Matisse is going to be a key player for this basketball team. I thought his first half for both sides was phenomenal. In the second half I was a little upset because he had, I think, two 3’s that he missed and he tried to drive and I told him when you open let him fly . He did it in the first half but defensively, in the second half, he was phenomenal on (Cole) Anthony. Anthony is very aggressive and he was phenomenal tonight.
Thybulle was fully in Brett Brown’s rotation as a rookie as he bought time with his phenomenal defense. This is not currently the case under Rivers and he understands that in time he will have to earn his place. Now is his chance to do so.
“I would say it was pretty similar to what happened last year,” Thybulle said. “I have to fight for a spot in the rotation and it’s been hit or miss from top to bottom so that’s nothing new. I didn’t come into the season with any hope of being on the floor based on what I did last year. I knew I was going to have to win it and I think I’m doing it now.
Regarding his attack, everyone understands that he is not yet up there on that side. He needs to keep working on that aspect of his game. The nine points were his first points of the season after going scoreless in the first four games of the season.
“I just feel there,” he added. “These are my first buckets of the season, so I just feel right, and the more minutes I spend, the more comfortable we feel on the pitch. I think it will come. I think we’re all growing up and trying to figure out where our shots are, what the best shots are, and as you can see I’m going through them as we speak.
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