Pros and Cons: Sixers vs. Nuggets
MVP candidate vs. MVP candidate.
Adam Aaronson, whose legal name is Sixers Adam (@SixersAdam on Twitter), covers the Sixers for The Rights To Ricky Sanchez. He believes cantaloupe is the best food in existence, and is brought to you by the Official Realtor of The Process, Adam Ksebe.
In the second leg of a road-home back-to-back, the Sixers returned to the Wells Fargo Center tonight for a matchup against reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. Here’s what jumped out to me tonight:
Pro: Matisse Thybulle shines
Good lord, Thybulle was good tonight. He absolutely dominated on the defensive end, turning in one of the best performances of his career.
Thybulle racked up four steals and blocked three shots… in the first half. Even by his lofty standards, it was a defensive showing so impressive that it was almost comedic.
Thybulle made several strong plays as a weak-side help defender, but also contained Denver’s guards.
This game was up there among his most impressive defensive contests. And because he was able to contribute offensively, it was one of the most impressive single game performances of his entire career.
Thybulle frequently made himself open as a cutter for James Harden to find, netting him not only a few buckets, but also a slew of assists against a collapsing Nuggets defense. It was everything you could ever ask for from Thybulle on either end, as he looked like a truly optimized version of himself.
Con: DeAndre Jordan… doesn’t shine
I was a loud critic of the possibility of signing Jordan. And while I will admit that he has looked a bit better than I anticipated, tonight all of my hypothetical fears about his play came to fruition.
One of Jordan’s supposed selling points is defensive value. His supporters will tell you he is a good defender and rim protector. Unfortunately, neither of those things have been true for the last few years.
Jordan is prone to foul-heavy play and lapses in concentration that lead to easy buckets for the opposition. Tonight, he struggled mightily, whether it was against Jokic or DeMarcus Cousins.
I understand Doc Rivers going to Jordan: they have history, Jordan has a long track record of success, and there is no obvious backup center on the roster right now after the debacle that was Paul Millsap playing time.
I take issue with this less because of Jordan playing tonight, and more because of my fear that Rivers will rely on him for far too long.
Jordan is a “veteran,” which gives him an inherent advantage over guys like Paul Reed and Charles Bassey in Rivers’ book. And that makes sense… to an extent. If Jordan continues to be exposed, the Sixers will need to come up with another solution.
Con: Sixers fall in action-packed fourth quarter
Before I actually get to the final result, let me just say that this was one of my favorite games of the year, a fascinating matchup both stylistically and strategically. I had high hopes for this one, and it lived up to them.
Unfortunately for the Sixers, however, it didn’t end the way they wanted it to, with Nuggets rookie Bones Hyland going nuts from beyond the arc and lifting Denver to a 11-point advantage in the fourth quarter close victory.
This was a tight game for the entire second half, but ultimately the Sixers just didn’t quite have enough for an impressive Nuggets team that turned their intensity up a notch down the stretch.
As far as reasons to be pessimistic go, I’m not finding many, truthfully. The Sixers generated good looks for most of the night, shots that simply didn’t fall, and while their transition defense was poor, they weren’t completely inept on the defensive end of the floor.
Sometimes you play well, and a few unlucky bounces sink you against a good team. That’s what happened tonight.