By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)
Philadelphia 103, Brooklyn 98 – Box Score
I attended Saturday night’s Sixers game in a group with a couple kids in a NBA arena for the first time. The Sixers were honoring the late, great Darryl Dawkins during the game, and had World B. Free and Bobby Jones sit down with Marc Zumoff at center court during halftime to discuss Dawkins’ life, while also showing video clips from current and former players who had known him.
The kids I was with loved the whole concept of shattering a backboard, so I’m pretty sure they’ll remember Darryl Dawkins even know they never had the opportunity to watch him play, which I find pretty cool. They’ll also remember seeing a Sixers victory at their first NBA game, and that was thanks in large part to the team’s most recent pair of big men.
Against a Brooklyn frontline of Brook Lopez and Thad Young where neither guy is much of a threat from the perimeter, Coach Brett Brown was able to stick with the tandem of Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor together much more than usual. The results were very promising, as it was probably the best game collectively for the two all season.
Noel recorded 18 points, 4 steals and 3 blocks, as being exclusively at the 5 spot allowed him to hang back and affect the game with his defense. Meanwhile, Okafor was the good soldier dropping down to play the four, and seemed to do okay defensively, but really used the situation to his advantage on the other end. Big Jah terrorized the Nets on the offensive glass, grabbing 7 of his 17 rebounds on the offensive boards, while tallying 22 points and 3 blocks on the night. This arrangement might not work against most teams that have an actual stretch four threat, but it was encouraging to see it is at least capable of working.
Aside from the big men, the MVP of the night was the guy who wasn’t even supposed to start at the beginning of the day. Ish Smith was scratched with an ankle injury, meaning T.J. McConnell would be making his first start in a couple months. T.J. answered the call in a big way, playing arguably his best game of his career. McConnell tied a career-high with 17 points, shooting 7-10 from the field (2-2) from three, and dishing 6 assists against just 2 turnovers.
Unlike earlier in the season when he would collapse into a puddle in the clutch, McConnell was crucial for the Sixers down the stretch. Midway through the fourth quarter, T.J. hit a fadeaway jumper (the kind of shot he wouldn’t have even considered taking a couple months ago) to tie the game back up at 86. The next 5 buckets for the Sixers were all either scored or assisted by McConnell, as he confidently controlled the flow of the game. Then, with Philadelphia clinging to a 1-point lead inside of a minute left, McConnell came up with a huge steal, and in transition, Robert Covington found Noel for a dunk to just about ice the victory.
Saturday night saw the Sixers honor a legendary figure, feature perhaps the beginning of a workable partnership between its top two plays, and show an undrafted rookie continue to blossom into a legitimate NBA player. It was a night to remember, whether it was your first game, or your hundredth.
Other Game Notes:
- Hollis Thompson continued his hot second half of the season, dropping 14 points off the bench, while shooting 3-7 from three.
- Against his former club, Thad Young had 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Nets. With Brooklyn mired in a terrible season and having a very bleak future, I wonder if Thad is happy he took the big money to stay with the Nets.
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