Wow. Last night's game with the Raptors was almost hard to believe. After getting roughed up by them just last week, the Sixers were able to keep this game tight all the way down to the wire. At one point the Sixers led by as much as 15. Toronto is one of the better teams in the east so a 15 point deficit to them really wasn't a high mountain to climb. The Sixers were a foul shot rebound away from making there way down the court and trying to sink a three for OT. In the end it wasn’t enough though as they lost 91-86.
Everybody by now has heard of Noel’s comments following Monday’s awful loss to the Wizards. He criticized the ball movement of the team, saying that when they don’t move the ball the offense becomes stagnant. Well I guess something clicked last night. 6 Sixers players scored in double figures (Covington 18, McDaniels 14, Noel 12, Carter-Williams 12, Grant 11, and Mbah A Moute 10). There was also some great displays of passing from MCW. Early in the game, he repeatedly found Robert Covington for a couple completely wide open three’s. He also got Nerlens involved late in the game after dishing him an over-the-shoulder dime for two. Another particular play I was impressed with was late in the game when it looked like McDaniels was about to create another highlight, when the backdoor defender came over to help out. McDaniels was somehow able to slip the ball to the now unguarded Noel for what should've been an easy two. Nerlens did miss the contested dunk attempt, but KJ was right there to clean up what he had started, and finally put the ball in the hole. They showed great unselfishness, and ultimately didn’t quit until they got the bucket.
Noel had one of his best games as a Sixer, racking up 12 points and a career high 14 boards. Noel now leads rookies in double-doubles with 6. That’s great to hear if you're a Sixers fan, and I think it may be time to start considering Noel a leader among the squad. Although his offense has struggled this year, his defense has been outstanding. On top of that, someone who can say something out loud about his teammates, and hone their focus on getting better at it is a leader no question.
Other impressive games came from MCW who stuffed the stat sheet once again with 12 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds. He also kept the turnovers to a minimum with only 4. Covington continued to impress leading the team in scoring with 18 and grabbing 6 boards. It was all in all a great effort from the youngsters and even though they fell short there was plenty to be proud of following the game. They will travel to Memphis today to take on one of the toughest teams in the west in the Grizzlies. Tip-off is tonight at 8.
