NEW YORK–The Philadelphia 76ers opened up the preseason action on Monday when they hit the road to take on the Brooklyn Nets. Training camp was over and it was time to hit the hardwood against somebody other than themselves.
The Sixers were down Joel Embiid, James Harden, and PJ Tucker in this one to manage their load while Danuel House Jr. was out due to a stiff neck, but they had Tyrese Maxey who was terrific in his 14 minutes of action. The young man out of Kentucky had 20 points on 6-for-8 shooting and he knocked down all six free throws with two triples as Philadelphia took the game by a score of 127-108.
Paul Reed had 10 points and five rebounds, Furkan Korkmaz had 15 points and four assists, Tobias Harris had nine points in 16 minutes, and Montrezl Harrell had 10 points and five rebounds before fouling out in 12 minutes. Isaiah Joe had nine points and Georges Niang had eight off the bench as well while Julian Champagnie had 15 points.
Here are the player grades following the win:
Maxey came out firing in this one as he scored Philadelphia’s first 10 points including knocking down two triples with the Nets left him open. He was so aggressive on the offensive end and that is something that will serve him and the team well as he takes on more responsibility on the offensive end. He was far and away the best player on the floor in this one that included the likes of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Ben Simmons.
Melton was extremely active on the defensive end. His ability to press Brooklyn’s ball-handlers a bit and get into their chest was a big reason why Philadelphia had success on the defensive end to start this game. He’s barrel-chested and that’s going to be a big attribute to the Sixers on the defensive end. His shot was off as he shot just 1-for-7 from deep and 2-for-10 overall, but it is preseason so he will get a break for that.
The good for the Sixers with Thybulle was that he knocked down his first triple attempt in this one. It was a catch-and-shoot opportunity and he didn’t hesitate on it. On the next possession, Thybulle threw a pump fake against Durant and drove to draw a foul on the 2-time finals MVP. After that, he struggled with his shot, but as the team said in training camp, the biggest thing with him is going to be continuing to shoot even when he’s struggling.
As he begins a full season in this new role on the offensive…
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