Sixers

Grinding Out a Win – Observations from Sixers 100, Raptors 93

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Dec 30th, 2020 · 9:13 AM EST

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Good teams find a way to win, right?

That’s the old saying, and while we’re not yet sure how good the Sixers are going to be, Tuesday night’s win was a nice exhibit in the resilience department.

It looked ugly for a while, with Toronto shooting lights out from three-point range during the first half. The visitors built up a double-digit lead while Doc Rivers’ squad looked like they were shooting on the double-rimmed outdoor hoops at the Cione Playground. Nothing was going in.

But they really turned it around in the second half, cranking up the defense and holding the Raptors to just 37 points. They shot 51.4% in that time frame, held the Raptors below 30%, ripped off five steals, blocked five shots, and grabbed five offensive rebounds.

That was pretty much the difference. The Sixers’ second half was better than the Raptors’ first half, and they got themselves to the foul line 33 times to keep the game close even when they weren’t playing particularly well.

“These are the types of wins you love,” said head coach Doc Rivers postgame. “I don’t know how many wide open shots and layups we missed tonight, but that happens. You have to keep playing. I was really happy with holding them to 37 points in the second half on a night where we weren’t making shots. Instead of falling in love with your offense, you kept playing the game, hung in there long enough, and grinded the game out. These games are great for your character.”

It’s now 17 straight wins at the Wells Fargo Center. They actually did not lose a home game in the calendar year of 2020, and yes, we did lose all of that time during the COVID shutdown, but it’s an impressive feat nonetheless, spread out over portions of two shortened seasons.

Decisive Tobias Harris

26 points on 11 of 20 shooting.

It was the Harris we’ve been looking for in the three prior games, and he was making quick decisions, looking for the ball, and getting himself involved in the game.

Rivers noticed that, saying this:

“I just thought in the second half that he got very aggressive, on both ends. My favorite play of the night was when we’re bringing the ball down, Tobias ran and grabbed and ball and demanded that we post. What I loved about that was that Tobias had it going, but he looked at the matchup and said ‘we’re going down to the post.’ That’s the type of stuff you love as a coach. That was the right decision, by the way. That leadership and toughness he showed tonight was terrific.”

It’s a good point. It doesn’t even necessarily have to be Tobias Harris launching 25 shots; he just has to make himself involved. He’s got eight years of experience, so he’s not an NBA newcomer. He can insert himself and help direct the offense just as much as anybody. It doesn’t necessarily have to come from veterans like Danny Green and Dwight Howard.

Bottom line, when Harris is assertive, and involved, and his thinking becomes automatic, then he’s earning his five years, $180 million. And, perhaps ironically, his biggest play of the game may have been the body he put on Fred VanVleet at the rim to deny a layup at the sub-two minute mark in the fourth quarter.

Ben Simmons in a nutshell

There was a first quarter sequence that really summed up Simmons’ offensive game and the push/pull that we experience with his lack of shooting.

On two straight possessions the Sixers played the trailing big, set a flare screen for Simmons, and he drifted into the corner:

Thought Simmons might shoot this. Trailing big, little flare screen here and he just floats into the corner but doesn't pull the trigger: pic.twitter.com/uBAGnRrrbU

— Kevin Kinkead (@Kevin_Kinkead) December 30, 2020

He’s got an open look if he pulls the trigger, but hesitates and puts the ball on the floor.

Frustrating? Yes, it is, but then what happens is he drives, VanVleet is sagging and snoozing defensively, and Simmons kicks to a wide open Harris for a catch and shoot three.

Look at how the Raptors play this:

That’s Ben in a nutshell. You’re frustrated when he doesn’t take the open shot, but he turns it into a high-percentage look for another, better shooter.

That’s why we always have to approach the “Simmons won’t shoot” topic with nuance and context, because oftentimes he’s able to generate decent looks on sequences that are otherwise bothersome.

Beard talk

God bless Jim Lynam, but that chin strap needs to go. He looks like C. Everett Koop, the guy who served as Ronald Reagan’s Surgeon General:

This may have to be a separate column at some point, unless he shaves.

Other notes

• Ridiculous to concede that 8-0 run right before halftime. You had just played your way back into the game.
• Lot of hard double teams on Joel Embiid, who had a game-high 29 points. He turned the ball over three times on doubles, but otherwise seemed to handle it okay. He got to the line a ton and just started to dominate after coming back from the injury.
• That Stanley Johnson put-back dunk on the missed free throw was a backbreaker at the time. Luckily they got a stop on the next possession and hit a shot on the offensive end.
• Not sure how it took so long to get the ruling on that Aron Baynes disallowed three-pointer, but it resulted in a huge swing. Could use one of those per game.
• Pretty sure VanVleet got fouled by Harris on that no-call with about 1:30 on the clock, but Tobias went up pretty strong, kept his hands straight, and didn’t give the refs anything to go with. They were calling portions of this game like the 2005 Big East tournament, i.e., anything goes!
• Really nice ATO in the fourth quarter to get a wide open Danny Green three and he barely hit the rim. He made up for it with the catch and shoot make a possession later.
• I’m not sure about that mid-fourth quarter studio cut-in with Jim and Amy Fadool. It feels like it’s out of place at that point in the game. Maybe you do it earlier.
• They had a nice stretch there playing 4 out/1 in with Embiid surrounded by Tyrese Maxey, Shake Milton, Harris, and Matisse Thybulle. Big 13-0 run to tie the ball game.