Brett Brown and the Sixers knew it would be a struggle to get a team that lost two of its best players (and defensive players) to get back in sync, especially on the defensive end. Though they had moments of solid play, they had a series of breakdowns and struggles in two road games following the moves.
Luol Deng made their defensive rotations look like a Division II college team, hitting 11 of 14 on Monday night, often getting wide-open looks. They then allowed Michael Carter-Williams and the Bucks to shoot 53% from the field and found themselves in a 61-32 hole at halftime, not having much of a prayer on the defensive end.
“The first couple of games together, we were giving up way too many points,” veteran Jason Richardson said.
Brown himself acknowledged that, admitting it is “extremely hard” to get momentum defensively and get in a groove when there are so many moving parts coming in and out of the lineup. Despite that, he wants to make it a priority on his team and for their home city of Philadelphia—regardless of who he is coaching.
“We need to go back to who we are and just always stay grounded that we’re building the program through defense,” Brown said, via CSN Philly.
They have made progress, however, in their recent games. On Wednesday against the Wizards, they held one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference to only 81 points. They held the Wizards to only 32% from the floor and only 23% from three.
They had a few poor stretches, particularly early in Sunday’s game against the Pacers, but they also put together a great stretch of basketball, allowing just 28 points over a 22 minute stretch—nearly half of the ball game.
Richardson called it a “great effort”. He even pointed to why the turnaround, albeit a brief sample size, but said they are communicating with each other more. That sounds like a bunch of new players getting used to playing together. The Sixers have a brand new floor general, or point guard, after all.
“We see a lot of mistakes we make on film, and they’re very correctable,” he said. “It’s nothing too out of the ordinary that we’re not doing, or they’re doing. It’s just mistakes that we’re making with not talking, and that’s what happens when you’ve got a bunch of young guys: they’re not used to talking and helping each other out, so we come in here and we try to explain to them — myself, Luc [Mbah a Moute] and coaches — to talk more, and we correct those mistakes in the second half.”
While they may have their moments of struggles and mistakes, it appears they have the right attitude and voices to guide them into building a sharp defense. They, especially Brett Brown, also seem committed to doing so.
It’s just another one of the things they are trying to build—together (with whichever assets haven’t been traded yet).
Game Notes:
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Toronto comes in ice cold, having lost 5 in a row–including to the New York Knicks on Saturday.
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Philadelphia has turned the ball over 50 times in three contests against Toronto.
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The Sixers have lost seven straight against Toronto. They have never lost more than that in the season series.
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The Raptors are feeling pressure from the rest of the Eastern Conference as they have been in a slight free-fall. Chicago and Cleveland are just a half-game and one game back from them, respectively.
Injuries:
- Robert Covington will not play after falling and injuring his elbow last night in Indiana. Joel Embiid (foot) and Tony Wroten (knee) are out indefinitely. Toronto will enter the game healthy.
Projected Lineups:
Toronto:
PG- Kyle Lowry
SG- Greivis Vazquez
SF- DeMar DeRozan
PF- Amir Johnson
C- Jonas Valanciunas
Philadelphia:
PG- Isaiah Canaan
SG- JaKar Sampson
SF- Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
PF- Nerlens Noel
C- Henry Sims
Prediction:
Toronto bounces back from an ugly stretch and ugly game Saturday to top the tired, depleted Sixers.
