GRADES: Philadelphia 76ers 134, Houston Rockets 96
A meaningless win to boost the Philadelphia 76ers’ spirits.
The Philadelphia 76ers and Houston Rockets played all available starters in this game despite no meaningful stakes. The Sixers even gave 22 minutes of run despite a hurt wrist, which he visibly aggravated on multiple occasions in the first quarter.
While both teams played their starters, the product was not a competitive basketball game. The Sixers essentially controlled this game from the opening tip, spare a few brief flourishes from Houston.
Philadelphia ended the first quarter on a 19-5 run before proceeding with similarly dominant basketball in the second quarter. The ball moved well on offense, and the Sixers quickly took advantage of Houston’s small-ball rotation. It wasn’t Embiid’s sharpest game — he recorded five turnovers — but he was unafraid to use his bulk against the likes of P.J. Tucker and Robert Covington.
Speaking of Covington, he and Embiid crossed paths on a couple plays — including one in which Covington sent Embiid packing at the rim. All love to Cov, who continues to fling his arms into opposing offenses’ airspace in vintage process form.
The third quarter saw a brief spark of life from the Rockets, who cut the lead to 11, but the Sixers quickly stretched the lead back into the 20s. Eight minutes into the quarter marked the end of the night for starters on both sides, and thus began the most meaningless stretch of a meaningless game.
<strong>23 mins | 18 pts | 7 reb | 4 ast | 1 stl | 0 blk | 0 TO | 6-10 FG | 2-3 3PT| 4-4 FT | 0 PF | +2 |</strong><p>Harris played extremely efficient basketball. He leveraged his height advantage against a tiny Rockets defense, he accumulated four assists to zero turnovers, and he did what needed to be done on defense. This wasn’t a game for grand, sweeping takeaways, but Harris’ performance level <a href=. SF. Philadelphia 76ers. TOBIAS HARRIS. A
JOEL EMBIID. C+. <strong>22 mins | 14 pts | 6 reb | 1 ast | 1 stl | 1 blk | 5 TO | 6-12 FG | 0-0 3PT| 2-3 FT | 5 PF | +9 |</strong><p>Embiid took advantage of his size early on, but the Rockets adjusted well and managed to swarm him for five turnovers. I do, however, respect Embiid’s desire to gut it out and play despite visible pain in his wrist — even if I don’t agree with the logic behind his participation in a meaningless game. He made a few nice hustle plays, and he baited James Harden into the strangest technical foul of 2020.</p>. C. Philadelphia 76ers
A. <strong>22 mins | 16 pts | 5 reb | 5 ast | 2 stl | 0 blk | 0 TO | 6-11 FG | 4-6 3PT| 0-0 FT | 0 PF | +37 |</strong><p>Alec Burks was the first player off the bench. While the game itself lacked purpose, the rotations were still mostly in tact through the first 2.5 quarters. It appears Burks is your sixth man moving forward. And it’s well deserved. This game was an extension of his recent hot streak — 4-for-6 from deep, five assists to no turnovers, and a hilariously lopsided +37.</p>. SG. Philadelphia 76ers. ALEC BURKS
MATISSE THYBULLE. A+. <strong>17 mins | 7 pts | 2 reb | 1 ast | 4 stl | 2 blk | 1 TO | 3-4 FG | 1-2 3PT| 0-0 FT | 1 PF | +36 |</strong><p>Matisse Thybulle played strong defense on James Harden in the first half — probably the most important takeaway from this game. The Sixers will need Thybulle’s defense in the Celtics series, as aside from the absent Ben Simmons, he’s the only one who stands a chance in hell against the likes of Jayson Tatum. Thybulle will need to bring his A-game in the Boston series, and hopefully this serves as a springboard for him.</p>. SF. Philadelphia 76ers
B+. <strong>18 mins | 14 pts | 3 reb | 5 ast | 0 stl | 0 blk | 0 TO | 4-8 FG | 1-3 3PT| 5-7 FT | 0 PF | +20 |</strong><p>Let me just say — I’m a fan of Raul Neto. This is borderline sacrilege on a Sixers blog, but he’s not bad. And some fans’ obsession with tearing him down is frankly strange. He has been an undeserving scapegoat on a team with problems far beyond him. His performance in the bubble probably won’t lead to steady postseason minutes, but he has done everything in his power to salvage a disparaged reputation. He’s a steady playmaker, a good shooter, and a confident spark plug in the second unit. The Sixers need that sometimes.</p>. PG. Philadelphia 76ers. RAUL NETO
In the end, there’s nothing of significance to take away from this. No one was going full speed — despite Embiid’s willingness to volleyball spike a loose ball while diving out of bounds on a bum wrist — and the Rockets, notably down Russell Westbrook, were clearly half asleep on defense.
Next. 2020 NBA Mock Draft 5.0. dark
The Sixers will now turn their attention to the Boston Celtics on Monday, a game which is bound to spark irrational reactions of some variety regardless of the outcome. This was essentially a warm-up to the real basketball that lies on the horizon. Strap up, folks!