PLAYER GRADES: Philadelphia 76ers 125, Chicago Bulls 109
The Philadelphia 76ers finished the 2018-19 regular season on a surprisingly fun note.
With the No. 3 seed locked up, the Philadelphia 76ers rested all five starters and were missing both James Ennis and Jonah Bolden for Wednesday’s season finale against Chicago. The result was unexpectedly entertaining.
Given the Sixers’ recent struggles, most expected the Sixers — who aren’t deep with the starting five in tact — to unceremoniously drop a meaningless game to end the season. Even with the Bulls missing four of five starters, it just wasn’t a game the Sixers seemed to care about.
The reserves put on a show, though, with Brett Brown’s jumbled rotations doing considerable damage. Boban Marjanovic, Mike Scott, Furkan Korkmaz, Zhaire Smith and T.J. McConnell were starters, while Jonathon Simmons contributed a team-high 20 points in reserve.
It was a thorough blowout, with the Sixers leading by 20 at halftime and by 33 when the third quarter ended. The final score doesn’t do the Sixers’ performance justice, which is surprising given how underwhelming the bench has been all season.
Philadelphia 76ers. ZHAIRE SMITH. A. <strong>31 mins | 17 pts | 4 reb | 5 ast | 0 stl | 0 blk | 1 TO | 7-13 FG | 2-5 3PT| 1-2 FT | 0 PF | +15 |</strong><p>This was about as good a game as one could expect from Zhaire given the circumstances. He has now appeared in six games since returning from an extended absence, showing serious potential in the process. His on-ball defense, hustle and athleticism all shined against a weak Bulls roster. He finally threw down a couple slams, made some nice passes and drilled two threes.</p>. SG
<strong>24 mins | 18 pts | 8 reb | 6 ast | 0 stl | 2 blk | 1 TO | 8-12 FG | 2-3 3PT| 0-0 FT | 0 PF | +20 |</strong><p>The gentle giant thrived against Chicago’s frontcourt, defending <a rel=. C. Philadelphia 76ers. BOBAN MARJANOVIC. A
<strong>23 mins | 18 pts | 2 reb | 6 ast | 0 stl | 1 blk | 1 TO | 9-10 FG | 0-0 3PT| 0-0 FT | 1 PF | +24 |</strong><p>McConnell has been struggling lately, so it was nice to see the fan favorite break his slump ahead of the postseason. He was aggressive early, notching 14 first-half points before relenting in favor of end-of-bench talent late in the game. His efficient shooting, one turnover and overall swagger were positives.</p>. PG. Philadelphia 76ers. T.J. MCCONNELL. A
A-. <strong>29 mins | 20 pts | 7 reb | 5 ast | 0 stl | 1 blk | 2 TO | 8-14 FG | 3-6 3PT| 1-2 FT | 0 PF | +11 |</strong><p>We can’t give everyone an A, so Simmons gets the honorary A- among those who performed well. His 20 points led the team in scoring and he drilled three triples. His shot selection, tunnel vision and defense are all problematic, but it wasn’t a huge issue tonight in a meaningless game. It was fun, vintage J-Simmons. He might’ve missed an opportunity to lob it to Zhaire, though.</p>. SG. Philadelphia 76ers. JONATHON SIMMONS
A-. <strong>23 mins | 14 pts | 6 reb | 3 ast | 0 stl | 0 blk | 0 TO | 5-10 FG | 1-1 3PT| 3-4 FT | 1 PF | -4 |</strong><p>Most of Monroe’s minutes game alongside <a rel=. C. Philadelphia 76ers. GREG MONROE
Perhaps the brightest spot was Zhaire Smith, who continues to show positive flashes after missing most of the season recovering from a life-threatening allergic reaction. For him to not only return, but to show promise has been one of the season’s most underrated storylines. One can’t help but feel good for him.
There are very obvious rookie moments for Zhaire, but his on-ball defense is something the Sixers lack right now. Brett Brown previously said neither Zhaire nor Shake Milton would get playoff minutes, but there’s reason to believe his stance can change.
The Sixers also got solid production from all three centers, with Boban Marjanovic, Greg Monroe and Amir Johnson feasting on the Bulls’ thin frontcourt. In lieu of depth, Brown relied on some atypically large lineups with atypical levels of success.
Now that the dust has settled, the 51-31 Sixers will host the sixth-seeded Brooklyn Nets in round one. It’s not the best matchup on paper, but a healthy Sixers squad should enter the series as heavy favorites. Joel Embiid‘s status is worth watching over the next few days.
Next. LeBron should regret his decision. dark
Shouts to the bench mob for showing up and giving fans a strong ending to an enjoyable season. The Sixers have gone through extreme amounts of change, and capping it off with big games from Boban Marjanovic, T.J. McConnell and Jonathon Simmons felt oddly fitting. The postseason should be fun.