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The Sixers were scheduled to play a basketball game on Wednesday night and did so, beating the Wizards by a score of 141-136 and improving to 7-1.
These facts, and basketball in general, seemed secondary to the outside world.
Head coach Doc Rivers was thoughtful and not afraid to call it right as he saw them before the game when asked about the pro-Trump rioters who stormed the Capitol in Washington, DC He described it as a “disturbing” day and said, “Can you imagine if all of this was Black people stormed the Capitol, and what would have happened?
The Celtics and Heat left the field ahead of their scheduled game and then released a joint statement saying they decided to play to “try to bring joy to people’s lives”.
The Bucks and Pistons players took a knee after being cautioned.
The Sixers will play again Thursday night against the Nets in Brooklyn. Here are the observations on their victory on Wednesday:
The curry can not be missing
“When I get good shots, I expect to do them at a pretty high percentage,” Seth Curry said on Saturday.
There is plenty of evidence to support this sentiment. Curry caught fire in that game, making 6 of his 7 three-point attempts and scoring 28 points, a season-high. He’s not a shooter who should never lose confidence, but it’s clear he has it in abundance right now.
Curry’s fake pump has been very effective, partly because it is convincing on its own, and partly because not challenging its shot is risky. When the Sixers swing the ball around the perimeter and defenders move closer to him, his fake pump is a particularly useful tool.
The 30-year-old has now made 25 of 42 three points as a Sixer (59.5%).
The Bradley Beal Show
The Sixers’ defense, who entered the game as the best in the NBA, saw Bradley Beal score a career-high 60 points on a 20-for-35 shot, a huge individual effort from the double All -Star.
Overall, performance like Beal’s shouldn’t be a major concern. He’s a tough player to defend for any team, and the Sixers managed to win despite their poor defense.
Still, Beal’s big night is a reminder that the Sixers have no conventional stopping perimeter defenseman other than Ben Simmons, who guarded Russell Westbrook and had 17 points and 12 assists. Danny Green is forcing turnovers and playing smart team defense, but Simmons and Joel Embiid are several rungs above any other Sixer on the defensive end. Needless to say, this remains a great defensive base.
Speaking of Embiid, he scored 38 points and had three blocks and three interceptions, eventually finding an offensive groove after missing his first six field goal attempts and providing important baskets down the home stretch. He had an impressive chase block against Wizards playmaker Raul Neto in the second quarter, rushing to catch up with his much shorter former teammate.
A veteran’s response
Shake Milton has scored just 40.5% of his field goals and 27.3% of his three in the Sixers’ first seven games. It was only a matter of time, however, until his shots started to drop at a higher rate. Milton’s composure, self-confidence, and straightforward rider were useful qualities early in his young NBA career. Green doesn’t consider the 24-year-old to be one of the Sixers’ “young guys”.
“He’s a vet in my mind – the way he acts, the way he moves, his manners,” Green said last week.
Milton broke through Wednesday for 19 points on a 6 for 9 shot, doing damage to all three levels.
He took the opportunity to play more with rookie Tyrese Maxey due to injuries to Furkan Korkmaz (left adductor strain) and Mike Scott (left knee contusion). Both players stayed on the sidelines against Washington.
“A youngster can go – ‘Rese can go,” Milton said after the Sixers’ shoot on Wednesday. “It’s really fun having someone like that in the backcourt with you. He can dribble, shoot. , pass. He’s just a playmaker. Anytime you have an extra playmaker on the field, it’s fun to play with.
It will be interesting to see what Rivers does with his bench when everyone is healthy. With the way Maxey’s quick and energetic style matches the pace that Rivers wants, it would be surprising to see his minutes drastically reduced.
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