Sixers Dial 3 for Thaddeus in 95-92 Win

By Sean Kennedy

Following a Kemba Walker jumper to tie the game, the Sixers’ final possession was basically a referendum on what they’ve been trying to accomplish this season. Rather than go with Evan Turner, who scored 11 of his team-high 23 points in the fourth quarter, Philadelphia put the ball in the hands of one of the future faces of their franchise, rookie point guard Michael Carter-Williams. MCW did not disappoint in the crucial situation, confidently probing the defense out of a pick-and-roll before finding a wide open Thaddeus Young on the pop out. Thad made just 2 threes the last 2 seasons combined but has shot 39% this season from behind the arc as management has encouraged him to expand that part of his game. The results were once again right on point, as Young drained the game-winning three, sending the Wells Fargo Center crowd home happy. If the Sixers are going to win games this season, these are the type of victories you hope to see.

The Sixers didn’t always make things easy for themselves, as their 24 turnovers kept the Bobcats in the game on a night Charlotte couldn’t hit much of anything from the field. A poor shooting team to begin with, the Bobcats didn’t seem to have their legs under them on the second leg of a back-to-back, but were able to do plenty in the open court off Sixers giveaways. Philadelphia had 9 turnovers in the first quarter alone, basically begging the Bobcats to run away with the game. Finally, the Sixers got things under control in the second quarter and the result was a 15-2 run that propelled them to a double-digit advantage. Good teams would have blown Charlotte out of the water at that point but where would the fun be in that.

While Turner went into ‘gotta get mine’ mode in the fourth, it was Spencer Hawes who did the heavy lifting for the Sixers in the first half. Big Spence was on triple-double watch by halftime with 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists at the break, finishing with 17, 14, and 7 while draining 3 threes. Another man who did a little bit of everything was MCW, who wasn’t too far off from a triple-double himself with 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. More importantly, in the midst of a horde of Sixers turnovers, Carter-Williams wasn’t really part of the problem, as he looked under control running the show with just 2 turnovers on the night. Efficient scoring with less of those rookie mistakes while maintaining his multi-faceted floor game, last night was everything the Sixers and fans could hope for from the rookie.

Box Score

Notable Observations:

• New signing Dewayne Dedmon received some burn with both Allen and Moultrie and had a few interesting moments. On the first defensive possession of his career, you could see Al Jefferson yakking it up with the youngster just before taking him down on the low block and drawing the foul. It was a textbook ‘Welcome to the league, rook’ moment. Dedmon did finish with 7 rebounds and 2 blocks, bringing the exact things to the table he was expected to bring. He had one sequence in the third quarter where he rejected a Kemba Walker shot in the lane, couldn’t quite finish a wild alley-oop look on the offensive end, but then hustled back to get the next rebound. Overall, it was just nice to see a legitimate 7-footer out on the court for the Sixers; I hope he continues to receive an extended look.
• Brandon Davies somehow had 4 fouls a couple minutes into the second quarter and finished with 5 in just 11 minutes of play. I remain flummoxed as to why the Sixers kept him while dropping Orton but then I remember management doesn’t necessarily want to win.
• Tony Wroten had the play of the night (non-game-winner division) with a nasty dunk over MKG that also drew the foul. Wroten was his typical attack self, getting 9 points but also committing 5 turnovers. He is the best and worst of all of us.
• The victory was the first home game in regulation the Sixers had won since early November as their last four wins at home had all been in overtime. Not predictive of anything, but interesting given that this game was close to going an extra five minutes as well.

Tanking Implications:

The Sixers nearly lost to the Bobcats despite being rested and Charlotte having played the night before, which would have been crucial in the tanking scheme of things. Alas, we’ll have to be happy with exciting game-winning shots in the closing seconds. MCW looked like worthy ROY material and youngsters like Wroten, Dedmon, and Elliot Williams weren’t complete stiffs on the night. Overall, there was plenty to like about the young talent on the evening. 3/5 tanks