March 01, 2024
Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports
Tobias Harris finally bounced back Friday night, looking like the best version of himself against the Charlotte Hornets
The Sixers made a quick stop at home Friday night for a matchup against the struggling Charlotte Hornets. It was a timely opponent for a Sixers team desperate for a win, and they took care of business, defeating the Hornets 121-114. Here is what jumped out from the victory:
With Joel Embiid, De'Anthony Melton and Kelly Oubre Jr. all out for this contest, the Sixers' head coach took the opportunity to get creative and change up his starting five. Nurse made some radical adjustments: he started Kyle Lowry alongside Tyrese Maxey, slid Buddy Hield up to the three, and replaced Paul Reed in the starting lineup with Mo Bamba. The Sixers' starting unit in this one -- Maxey, Lowry, Hield, Tobias Harris and Bamba -- had never spent one single possession on the floor together before this one tipped off.
Nurse has remained adamant that Nic Batum would be a long-term starter, as his several talents are tailor-made for someone who is rounding out a star-centric unit. But Batum returned to the bench Friday night. It is unclear how much of this is performance-based -- Batum has struggled to leave a lasting impact on games since returning from another lengthy absence due to injury -- and how much of this is about protecting him from missing time down the line. But it is certainly notable that Batum, who at one point seemed like a lock to start for the remainder of the season, has been returned to the bench after a period of regression.
For as long as Embiid is out, Nurse is justified in experimenting with his lineups, because nothing has stuck since the reigning NBA MVP went down with his left meniscus injury. As the Sixers focus on maintaining their standing in the Eastern Conference's top six seeds -- and bypassing the NBA's Play-In Tournament -- Nurse must figure out how to maximize the capabilities of his injury-ridden roster.
• Harris got off to a nice start in this one, giving the Sixers a solid first eight minutes or so. He scored eight points, grabbed two rebounds and collected an assist, including knocking down two of his four attempts from beyond the arc, before checking back in and the end of the period and scoring twice more, including a buzzer beater three, to get to 13 points in the first 12 minutes. The Sixers have been desperate for Harris to break out of what has been possibly his single worst slump in five-plus years as a member of the team. With Embiid out, they have needed their veteran wing scorer to step up. Instead, he has been largely disastrous. The Sixers hope his nice start to this one can help him escape the struggles that have been plaguing him for weeks.
• The most impressive aspect of Buddy Hield's tremendous opening to his Sixers tenure was his playmaking. Just as much as he was knocking down tough shots, he was creating looks for others consistently -- something he had never done very well in the NBA. Just as his shooting percentages have dipped in recent games, his assist numbers have gone down. Well, in the first quarter of this game he dished out four assists. His ability to leverage the attention defenses pay him because of his threatening nature as a three-point shooter into better looks for his teammates has been impressive.
• After a solid defensive quarter in the first, the Sixers' defense fell off a cliff in the opening minutes of the second period. First against a small-ball lineup with Harris and Batum manning the middle, and then against a lineup with Bamba at the five, the Hornets were getting to the rim with little deterrence and finishing there just as easily. For all of his flaws, the Embiid-less Sixers are at their best on the defensive end of the floor when Reed is in the game.
• Ricky Council IV is clearly a ridiculous athlete, so much that just about every time he checks into the game he seems to make at least one play that impresses. In this one, he finally got the poster dunk he was longing for: Council duped a defender with a pass fake, opened up a driving lane and threw down an absolutely massive slam over Grant Williams. Council's leaping ability is absolutely outrageous:
RICKY COUNCIL IV THROWS IT DOWN 🔨 pic.twitter.com/ZwklHr7Emy
— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 2, 2024
• After going down due to their poor interior defense and a hot shooting stretch from the Hornets, the Sixers put together an impressive run, led by Hield and punctuated by a three from Lowry. It was a much-needed spurt, as the Sixers were down by as many as a dozen in the middle of the quarter.
• Before the trade deadline, it felt like the Sixers could really use another heady player who makes good decisions. Fast forward, and they have Lowry, simply a brilliant basketball mind who is leaving a significant impact on every game with both his play and his mind. It is more apparent than ever just how much the Sixers needed someone like him. A funny anecdote: as he was being replaced by Cam Payne in the final minutes of the first half, Lowry refused to leave the floor until each of his teammates on the floor had acknowledged the play he had called -- a "Horns" set that the team frequents. Lowry finally stepped to the bench and continue to direct traffic on the possession from across the floor -- and, yes, the Sixers did score on the possession.
• It was more of the same from Harris early in the second half, a fantastic sign. He was able to continue scoring efficiently in a variety of ways, whether it be from beyond the arc, at the rim or in the intermediate area. At this point, even a half-decent game from Harris would have been an encouraging sign. Instead, he went above and beyond, truly leaving his mark on the game for the vast majority of the contest. The Sixers surely hope this performance can serve as a turning point of sorts for their $180 million man.
• When you think about great shooters in the NBA, you think about the catch-and-shoot triples first and foremost. Maybe, if you are lucky, your best shooter can run around a bunch of screens and fire away while on the move. And then there are the truly great launchers: guys who can create their own shots from beyond the arc all on their own. And while Hield has never been thought of as an on-ball generator of offense, in addition to the aforementioned shot creation for others, he has displayed the ability to knock down off-the-dribble threes. Hield truly is an elite three-point shooter in every possible fashion.
