Philadelphia 76ers Blog – Page 60 – NBA Blog

Reggie Evans grabs 23 rebounds in Nets win over 76ers

P.J. Carlesimo had little patience for questions about Andray Blatche before the Brooklyn Nets routed the Philadelphia 76ers.

”He’s been playing well and I expect him to play well today,” he said.

Blatche did play well, scoring 20 points hours after he was questioned by Philadelphia police as part of a sexual assault investigation at an upscale hotel. He helped the Nets improve to 6-1 under Carlesimo with a 109-89 win over the 76ers on Tuesday night…

Reggie Evans grabbed a career-high 23 rebounds, and Williams scored 22 points for the Nets.

Evans dominated on the glass, outrebounding the undersized Sixers 23-22 through three quarters. Evans had 22 rebounds against Seattle in 2006.

Up by one at halftime, the Nets routed the Sixers in the third. Joe Johnson, who scored 15 points, and Gerald Wallace each hit 3-pointers during a game-changing 16-2 run to open the quarter. The Nets made 14 of 19 shots in the third to stretch the lead to 23 points…

Evans had 16 rebounds (12 defensive) by halftime, three fewer than Philadelphia’s total. He had 20 rebounds with 6:54 left in the third, one more than the Sixers. He finished with 17 defensive rebounds, but scored only two points..

”It don’t matter to me about scoring,” Evans said. ”We’ve got guys in here that can go out and score 100 points every night. When I score, it’s a bonus. I just want to go out, do what I do, and get wins.”

Jrue Holiday scored 19 points and Spencer Hawes had 14 for the Sixers, who stumbled home from a 2-6 trip and on a three-game losing streak.

— Reported by Dan Gelston of the Associated Press

76ers sign guard Maalik Wayns to 10-day contract

The Philadelphia 76ers announced today that they have brought back free agent guard Maalik Wayns and signed him to a 10-day contract.

Wayns (6-1, 195) was not selected in the 2012 NBA Draft following his junior season with Villanova. He originally signed as a free agent with the Sixers on July 31 and was waived on January 6.

In 20 games for the Sixers this season, Wayns is averaging 2.5 points and 1.0 assists in 7.8 minutes per game.

Sixers waive Maalik Wayns, recall Arnett Moultrie from D-League

The Philadelphia 76ers announced today that they have recalled rookie forward Arnett Moultrie from their NBA Development League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce and waived rookie guard Maalik Wayns. The Sixers roster now stands at 13.

Moultrie (6-10, 245) was the 27th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by Miami. He was traded to Philadelphia on draft night in exchange for the draft rights to Justin Hamilton (45th overall pick) and a protected future first round pick

In seven games during his assignment with the Skyforce, Moultrie averaged 9.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 26.3 minutes per game. He has appeared in 11 games for the Sixers this season.

Wayns (6-1, 195) was not selected in the 2012 NBA Draft following his junior season with Villanova. He signed as a free agent with the Sixers on July 31 and saw action in 20 games this season, averaging 2.5 points and 1.0 assists in 7.8 minutes per game.

Big second half helps Thunder wreck Sixers

The Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t want to leave home on a sour note with a difficult stretch on the road ahead.

Russell Westbrook scored 27 points, Kevin Durant added 26 and the Thunder beat the Philadelphia 76ers 109-85 on Friday night before heading out to play 11 of their next 13 games on the road.

Oklahoma City made eight of its first 10 3-point attempts in the second half and never trailed after scoring the final five points before halftime.

The Thunder had lost 110-93 to Brooklyn on Wednesday night, but were able to avoid posting back-to-back losses at home for the first time since dropping two of the first three games of the 2010-11 season…

Oklahoma City went 23 for 36 from the field, connecting at a sizzling 64 percent clip, while outscoring Philadelphia 63-43 in the second half…

Serge Ibaka chipped in 15 points and 10 rebounds and Kevin Martin had 16 points off the bench for the Thunder.

Nick Young hit five 3-pointers and led Philadelphia with 21 points. He also attempted the Sixers’ only eight free throws of the game, making six. Oklahoma City went 21 for 27…

Jrue Holiday had 15 points and nine assists, Dorell Wright contributed 11 points and Thaddeus Young scored 10 for Philadelphia. Spencer Hawes pulled down 13 rebounds. The Sixers fell to 2-5 on their eight-game road trip, which started before Christmas and concludes Saturday night at San Antonio.

— Reported by Jeff Latzke of the Associated Press

Jrue Holiday gets triple-double in loss to Suns

After Luis Scola gave the Phoenix Suns a nice cushion late in the game, the 76ers were unable to complete a late rally and fell to the Suns, 95-89, Wednesday night at US Airways Center.

The loss wasted a triple-double (16 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) by Jrue Holiday. The Suns, led by Scola’s 21 points, ended a six-game losing streak and beat a Doug Collins-coached Sixers team for the first time.

“I don’t want a triple-double if we don’t win,” Holiday said.

The Suns took their largest lead of the game early in the fourth quarter when Scola sank a jump shot for a 77-66 advantage. The Sixers steadily cut into the lead and finally got to within 87-85 when Holiday hit Dorell Wright for a layup with just over two minutes to play.

That was the closest the Sixers would get.

— Reported by John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer

Suns beat 76ers to end six-game skid

Luis Scola and the Phoenix Suns have watched a lot of late leads vanish. On Wednesday, they found a way to hold on.

Scola scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half and the Suns beat the Philadelphia 76ers 95-89 to snap a six-game losing streak.

”It’s only one win but we needed one win,” Scola said…

Dragic added 20, Shannon Brown scored 12, and Marcin Gortat had 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Suns…

Holliday had 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his second career triple-double for the 76ers, who are 2-7 in the second half of back-to-back games. Wright and Thaddeus Young had 14 points apiece for Philadelphia…

Scola has scored 20 or more in three straight games. … Phoenix has won five of its past seven at home. . The Sixers are six games into a season-high, eight-game holiday road trip.

— Reported by Jonathan Dalton of the Associated Press

Lakers guard Jodie Meeks holds no grudge towards Sixers

Sometimes when they leave a team and land somewhere else, NBA players don’t speak fondly about their old club.

Not so with Jodie Meeks, now a backup guard with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Meeks spent almost three seasons in Philadelphia and started 114 games before the 76ers allowed him to walk as a free agent last summer. Meeks wanted to stay in Philadelphia, but he knew that the Sixers wanted to free up more playing time for Evan Turner, the second overall pick in the 2010 draft.

No hard feelings.

“No, not at all,” said Meeks, who signed a two-year, $3 million deal to be a backup with the Lakers. “I liked everything about Philadelphia. It was a good organization. I liked Coach [Doug] Collins and still do to this day. He gave me the chance to start in the NBA and I loved playing for him. . . . But they made a business decision and it was time to move on.”

— Reported by John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer

Jrue Holiday leads Sixers over Lakers 103-99

Jrue Holiday had 26 points and 10 assists, Evan Turner added 22 points and 13 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers rang in the new year with a 103-99 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.

The Lakers (15-16) have matched their worst start after 31 games since the 2002-03 season, when they began defense of their third straight NBA title with a 12-19 record.

Kobe Bryant, who shifted from shooting guard to small forward five games ago in coach Mike D’Antoni’s redesigned rotation, led the Lakers with 36 points. Steve Nash added 12 points and 10 assists.

The Lakers, who tied a franchise record with 10 3-pointers in the first half of their 111-98 win at Philadelphia on Dec. 16, were 1 for 11 from 3-point range before intermission in the rematch and finished 3 for 22 from behind the arc.

Pau Gasol had 11 points and nine rebounds, but shot only 2 for 12 while playing on a sore right foot. Dwight Howard missed his first five shots and finished 1 for 7 with seven points and 14 boards. The six-time All-Star’s only field goal came with 6:15 left in the third quarter, a put-back dunk that reduced Philadelphia’s lead to 67-63…

Lakers reserve F Antawn Jamison was benched for the sixth straight game. The 15-year veteran, a two-time All-Star and former sixth man of the year (2003-04), hasn’t played since Dec. 16, when he went scoreless in 13 minutes against the 76ers.

— Reported by Joe Resnick of the Associated Press

Sixers struggling to get to the free-throw line

The Sixers (13-15), who begin an 11-day, seven-game Western Conference road trip Wednesday in Memphis, so far seem to prefer to stand outside and shoot jump shots rather than attack the basket and absorb the hard hits that prompt officials to call fouls.

“We just keep talking to them about the ‘moment of truth,’ ” said Sixers coach Doug Collins, who gave the players Christmas Eve off. “At the moment of truth, just go in there and get hit. We had the ball in the paint 48 times [Sunday]. We’ve got to just get in there and find a way.”

Of the 30 teams in the NBA, only Orlando, with an average of 16.5, attempts fewer free throws per game than the Sixers, who average 18.0. It’s not surprising that none of the four teams ranked at the bottom of the list has a winning record.

— Reported by John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer

Joe Johnson scores 22 points, Nets beat 76ers

Nets coach Avery Johnson used the previous three days to give his team some rest after Brooklyn dropped nine of its last ten games.

The Nets got in some practice time and Johnson’s staff looked over recent game film, adding some new plays to an offense that has struggled this season.

It paid off Sunday against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Joe Johnson scored 22 points, including 10 in the third quarter, Gerald Wallace had 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists and the Nets held on to beat the 76ers 95-92.

Avery Johnson came away pleased with the performance after the Nets had coughed up leads in the second half during their recent stretch of loses…

The Sixers rallied from eight points down in the final 40.5 seconds left, but Brooklyn didn’t fold.

”We definitely needed it. We just needed to get back in the winning track, especially in our building. It was good for us tonight,” said Deron Williams, who added 16 points to help the Nets end a six-game losing streak at home against Philadelphia…

Jrue Holiday led Philadelphia with 21 points, nine assists and six rebounds, Thadeus Young added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Evan Turner had 15 points and seven rebounds. The 76ers, opening an eight-game trip, have dropped six of their last seven games…

Nets F Kris Humphries was projected to be in the starting lineup but was replaced by F Keith Bogans. Wallace slid over to the power forward spot as Avery Johnson preferred to go with a smaller lineup, something he had been working on over the stretch of days the team had off.

— Reported by the Associated Press