Philly Sports Jabronis
Report From Philadelphia 76ers
Game Recap: Timberwolves 100, 76ers 95
Leading up to Monday’s game at Target Center, all the talk centered around the first professional meeting between Jahlil Okafor and Karl-Anthony Towns. The first-year big men were taken third and first overall, respectively, in the 2015 NBA Draft, and have so far been considered the early favorites for NBA Rookie of the Year honors. It was last year’s top rookie, however, who proved to be the central figure in Minnesota’s (6-8) 100-95 victory over the 76ers (0-15). With the Sixers in front, 84-78, and five and a half minutes remaining in regulation, Andrew Wiggins took over. He scored 11 of the Timberwolves’ next 13 points, then handed out the assist on a crucial Kevin Martin three-pointer that gave Minnesota a five-point lead with 28 seconds to go. The Sixers didn’t have enough time to recover.
Okafor unquestionably got the better of Towns in their first head-to-head NBA confrontation. The Duke produced a double-double for a second straight contest. He notched 19 of his team-best 25 points in the first half, and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds by the time the evening had ended. Also for a second tilt in a row, the Sixers’ reserves delivered critical contributions. Robert Covington punched in 18 points, while Hollis Thompson finished with 15 points. Isaiah Canaan had 14 points.
Wiggins manufactured 15 of his game-high 32 points in the fourth quarter. Thirty-nine year-old Kevin Garnett, now in his 21st NBA season, emerged as a key factor as well, single-handedly stringing together a 6-0 run that put Minnesota back in front in the opening four minutes of the third quarter. He also hauled in 10 rebounds. Towns tied a season-low with six points, and set a new season-low with two rebounds. It was just the second time he was held below 10 points.
Top Moment:
Jahlil Okafor’s most impressive stretch of a dominant first half came in the final five minutes of the second quarter. He scored the Sixers’ last nine points of the period, with the finishing touch coming on an emphatic follow-up slam on Kevin Garnett. Here’s video evidence:
http://www.csnphilly.com/basketball-philadelphia-76ers/highlights-okafor…
Brett Brown Said – On the Sixers’ performance in their past two games, both of which were decided by five points:
“They should look at their body of work, and not need to be propped up. They have been great. We have been in games and we put ourselves in a position to win. As I have said…I think we have taught them how to compete and the next layer is how to close out a game and a win. Sometimes that only comes with a win.”
Of Note:
Jahlil Okafor facing Karl-Anthony Town was the dominant pre-game storyline. The pairing, however, wound up being one-sided. Okafor had Towns overmatched, especially in the first half. The Dukek product displayed effective physicality on the defensive end, blocking two of Towns’ first four shots, and was aggressive offensively as well. Perhaps most important, though, was that Okafor played a major role in getting Towns into foul trouble, forcing a third personal on Towns with four minutes to go in the second quarter. With Towns on the bench for most of the first half, Okafor went off. He generated 19 points and nine rebounds by the break.
As impressive as Okafor’s effort was, Brett Brown said before the game that he and the coaching staff gauge Okafor’s progress based on subtle improvements to his game, rather than the results he posts in individual match-ups.
Brown explained, “Things like how many screens do you set when you force people over. It’s screens that you roll out of. It’s number of steps to get from one end of the court to another. It’s number of steps rolling out of a screen. Everything Jahlil is based on his energy. I’m personally trying to grab him and help a 19 year old kid figure out life in the NBA. You just move him further and further along as the season unfolds, and I think he’s fantastic in regards to wanting to learn, to caring about winning, caring about his personal development, caring about the team. He has been a true pleasure to coach.”
Monday night marked Okafor’s seventh 20-point output in 15 games.
With the Sixers winding down the first month of the season, Robert Covington has shown signs of turning a corner. He was sidelined for nine of the Sixers’ first 10 games, including seven in a row at one point, due to a right knee sprain. Brett Brown viewed Covington’s 21-point showing against the Miami Heat on Saturday as a step in the right direction.
“It was wonderful,” Brown said of what he saw Covington do at American Airlines Arena. “To think that a shooter of that stature came back, and was 0-18 [to start the season], and then made his first three, shows you that you’re not going to just jump back in the NBA and do what you do. So, he is an elite shooter. We need shooters to sprinkle around Jahlil [Okafor], or life is hard. Space in the NBA with the NBA size of athletes is everything, and Robert creates space when he can make shots.”
As he did in Miami, Covington drilled his first three-point try on Monday in Minneapolis.
“More so just seeing it go in,” Covington said Monday, discussing the factor that he believes will allow him to get back into a rhythm. “Just seeing the ball go in after going through a little slump, is just a relief. Now that you got that comfort, you got that monkey off your back. Now it’s just continuing moving forward.”
Covington put up 18 points at Target Center, converting six of his 14 field goal attempts. Three of his makes were deposited from the perimeter.
Nik Stauskas was held out of Monday’s second half with left knee pain. The Sixers announced the injury at intermission.
Stauskas logged 12 minutes between the first and second quarters. He tallied two points on free throws.
Hollis Thompson, in particular, rose to the occasion in Stauskas’ absence, making the most of increased playing time. His 33 minutes (20 of which came in the second half) were the most he’s played since receiving 36 minutes of action in the Sixers’ season-opener against the Boston Celtics. The third-year Sixer sunk 15 points, his second-highest total of the campaign.
Next Up:
For the second time this season, the Sixers visit the Boston Celtics (7-6), which currently sit in a three-way tie for ninth-place in what has so far been a balanced Eastern Conference. The C’s are even in the loss column with the Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks, two Atlantic Division rivals that have won two and one more game than Boston, respectively. After defeating the Sixers 112-95 on Opening Night, the Celtics went on to drop their next three contests. Since then, they’ve earned victories in six of their last nine appearances. For at least the next few weeks, Boston will be without Marcus Smart, the sixth pick in the 2014 draft. The gritty, physical, and versatile guard sustained a lower left leg injury in a win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said Smart’s absence will be a “big loss for us;” Smart had been averaging 9.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.8 blocks in 29.1 minutes per game. Spunky reserve point man Isaiah Thomas paces the C’s with 21.1 points per game. Evan Turner, in his second year with Boston, is producing 13.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per 36 minutes of action.
