Category: Philadelphia 76ers Blog

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76ers end 4-game losing streak, beat Clippers 100-92

The AP reports: The reward for the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers, two teams riding four-game losing streaks, was that somebody had to win. Andre Iguodala had 28 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and the 76ers closed out the year with a 100-92 victory Wednesday night… Al Thornton scored 24 points for the Clippers, who lost their fifth in a row… This time, a combination of players did in the Clippers. Thaddeus Young added 20 points for the 76ers and Andre Miller had 15 points and nine assists against his former team… Eric Gordon added 21 points and Marcus Camby had 16 points and 17 rebounds for the Clippers, who fell apart after tying the game with 3 1/2 minutes remaining. They were outscored 14-6 from there.

Williams leads short-handed Jazz over 76ers

The AP reports: Deron Williams got out of bed Monday feeling his best and made sure the reeling Philadelphia 76ers knew it. He scored 27 points to help the short-handed Jazz beat Philadelphia 112-95… With two of Utah’s top three scorers out with injuries and Mehmet Okur limited with a sore back, the normally unselfish Williams made 11 of 18 shots, including four 3-pointers. He has battled ankle and calf injuries since the preseason… Andrei Kirilenko, filling in for injured power forwards Carlos Boozer and Paul Millsap, had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and changed a number of shots in the lane. Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young each scored 17 points for Philadelphia, which dropped its fourth straight and is winless on its six-game road trip with three more remaining.

Dec 26: Nuggets 105, Sixers 101

The AP reports: The Denver Nuggets played most of the game disinterested in anyone or anything that wasn’t standing within a step of the 3-point line. Odd, then, that they won it with a backboard-shaking dunk from a big guy, Kenyon Martin, who spent most of Friday night acting as though he was one of Denver’s many shooting guards. Martin took a bounce pass from Chauncey Billups and drove for the go-ahead dunk with 9 seconds left to lift the Nuggets to a 105-101 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers… J.R. Smith made seven 3s for the Nuggets and finished with a team-high 27 points. Billups had 26 points and 10 assists… Andre Miller, used as trade fodder two seasons ago when the Nuggets dealt for Allen Iverson, had 19 points and eight assists for the Sixers… Louis Williams finished with 16 points, and his nice alley-oop to Marreese Speights gave Philly a 101-100 lead with 17.7 seconds to set the stage for Martin.

Dec 23: Celtics 110, Sixers 91

The AP reports: Winning streaks are nice and all, but Kevin Garnett prefers something more tangible—like a championship ring. “Unless you win it all, it’s pretty much steam in the air: You see it, and then it evaporates,” Garnett said after scoring 18 points to lead the Boston Celtics to a franchise-record 19th consecutive victory, 110-91 over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night. The Celtics will go for 20 in a row against the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day in a rematch of last spring’s NBA finals, which Boston won in six games for its unprecedented 17th league title. The crowd couldn’t wait, chanting “Beat L.A!” with 5:27 left to play against the Sixers… Rajon Rondo also scored 18, Kendrick Perkins had eight points and 11 rebounds, and Ray Allen had 16 points as the Celtics starters watched from the bench while reserves Leon Powe and Eddie House helped expand the lead in the fourth quarter. Boston improved to 27-2—the best start for a two-loss team in NBA history.

Record-level coach firings

The New York Daily News (Mitch Lawrence) reports: A fifth of the league’s 30 coaches – six – already have been dismissed, a record for this early in the season. If that isn’t insane, three of the choices to take over were nothing short of mind-boggling. In Minnesota, Washington and Philly, head coaches were replaced by members of the team’s front office. In the cases of the Wizards and Sixers, the interim choices, Ed Tapscott and Tony DiLeo, respectively, had only limited time in NBA huddles. This is nothing personal against Tapscott or DiLeo or Kevin McHale, who was forced to move from his GM suite to the bench to take over for Randy Wittman, marking McHale’s second tour of duty on Minnesota’s bench. But they’re no more qualified to coach a team than an equipment man is to run a draft. For many teams, these moves violate the NBA’s version of the separation of church and state. GMs and their subordinates do one thing (procure the talent). Coaches do something else (coach it). And ne’r should the career paths cross (unless, of course, it’s Pat Riley).

Dec 19: Sixers 109, Wizards 103

The AP reports: The battle of interim coaches went to the Philadelphia 76ers for the second time in less than a week, with Tony DiLeo’s team persevering through the loss of leading scorer Elton Brand to pull out a 109-103 victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday night. Lou Williams scored 26 points—including 16 straight Philadelphia points during one stretch in the first half—to post his second career-high game in a row. Thaddeus Young, starting in place of Brand in a smaller lineup, and Andre Iguodala added 18 points apiece, and rookie Marreese Speights had a career-high 17 for the 76ers, who improved to 3-0 under DiLeo… Jamison scored 23 points despite playing with a strained left thumb, and Mike James had 16 in his second consecutive Wizards start.

Elton Brand out one month

Philadelphia 76ers power forward Elton Brand recieved an MRI last night which revealed a fracture of the humeral head (bone) and a tear of the labrum, which was expected with the dislocation.  Sixers team physician Dr. Jack McPhilemy does not feel the injury will require surgery at this time.

Brand will begin rehabilitation immediately and is expected to be out one month.

For the season Brand has been playing 35.2 minutes per game and averaging 15.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.39 blocks on 44.7% shooting.

With 11 wins and 14 losses, the Sixers, who recently fired head coach Mo Cheeks, have not lived up to team expectations this season. If the season ended today they’d finish 9th in the Eastern conference, just missing out on the 8th and final playoff spot, currently held by the Chicago Bulls.

Dec 17: Sixers 93, Bucks 88

The AP reports: Lou Williams matched his career high with 25 points in a reserve role, Miller added 19, and the Philadelphia 76ers overcame the loss of forward Elton Brand to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 93-88. Brand dislocated his right shoulder with 7:23 left in the third quarter after landing on Milwaukee’s Luc Mbah a Moute. Marreese Speights tied his career high with 12 points, and Thaddeus Young had 10 to help the Sixers improve to 11-14 overall and 2-0 under interim coach Tony DiLeo. DiLeo replaced the fired Maurice Cheeks on Saturday. Luke Ridnour and Charlie Bell scored 14 points each for Milwaukee, and Mbah a Moute added 13. Richard Jefferson and Charlie Villanueva had 11 apiece. The loss ended the Bucks’ two-game winning streak.

Dec 13: Sixers 104, Wizards 89

The AP reports: It had been 18 years since Tony DiLeo paced the sideline as a coach—and that came in another country. Though he couldn’t revel in the circumstances of his elevation to coach of the Philadelphia 76ers because of his close relationship with Maurice Cheeks, the experience didn’t seem any different. Elton Brand scored a season-high 27 points, leading Philadelphia to a 104-89 victory over the struggling Washington Wizards on Saturday night in DiLeo’s coaching debut with the 76ers… Lou Williams added 15 points, Thaddeus Young and Andre Iguodala each had 14, and Willie Green scored 13 for the Sixers, who snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 10-14… The Sixers had lost their previous five home games. Samuel Dalembert pulled down 17 rebounds and Andre Miller had a season-high 12 assists.