Dec 28, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) goes to the basket against Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski (22) during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey each scored 32 points and Paul George played incredible defense as the Sixers held off the Utah Jazz to push their winning streak to three games.
Here's what I saw.
- The Paul George discourse lately has been, um, stupid? If you're comparing him to Tobias Harris, I don't know what to tell you, other than maybe that the games are televised on NBC Sports Philadelphia in case you were mistaking them for another product. I'm assuming the chatter comes from point watchers and not people who actually watch the games.
Anyway, another sub-par shooting game for him. But, his defense continues to be absolutely stellar. His instincts in help were excellent, George reading passing lanes or selling out on turned ball-handlers to blow up possessions before the Jazz even had chances to shoot. He's also been up to the task as a ball defender, moving his feet well and keeping his shoulders squared to the handler.
The versatility of that defense, alone, puts him on a level that Harris could never reach. While the former Sixer became a decent-to-good on-ball defender, he was always an underwhelming helper. This game was a good example of the benefits of George's off-ball skills.
- Embiid has been doing something this season that no other player I've ever covered can seem to do: he's using a shot fake at the rim, watching defenders fly by and either getting fouled or going up unabated once they're all past him. It's sort of akin to a jump-stop. Whether it's that or a slowing of pace to a stop before using the fake, Embiid is gathering with control and basically getting open shots at the rim because of it.
- I've been critical of Kyle Lowry in this space (and Nick Nurse for continuing to go to him!), but he made some outstanding defensive plays in the third quarter. His hands and timing were sensational, blowing up two possessions in which the Jazz had advantages getting downhill. He also bullied the ball away from Walker Kessler on a rebound, sparking a transition chance for Philadelphia.
- After playing brilliantly for 98 percent of Christmas Day's win over the Boston Celtics, the Sixers looked totally asleep at tip-off. I can excuse missed shots because that's a natural part of basketball. But, the symptoms of disengagement were very clear on defense. We'll start with Kelly Oubre Jr. He picked up two fouls before the first quarter hit the six-minute mark. Beyond that, he had a couple of unfocused moments defending the ball.
He reached in on Collin Sexton in an effort to poke the ball away and lost the gamble, ceding dribble penetration to the Jazz guard that ultimately led to an easy bucket at the rim. He then failed to stay in front of Lauri Markkanen in space, giving up a left-handed driving lane to the Jazz forward.
Oubre was hardly the only one, though.
- There were schematic problems at hand, too. You could point to Jazz possessions in which Embiid's helper didn't rotate when he was in pick-and-roll coverage, leaving the Sixers vulnerable to the cut and alley-oop on the back side. There was no one in position to tag the cutter, resulting in lobs or offensive rebounds when the shot went up.
Beyond that, it was ridiculous - and that may be generous - to go zone when Markkanen was already warming up from three. Just asking for trouble.
- Nurse deployed a lineup featuring Tyrese Maxey, Reggie Jackson and Lowry in the second quarter. It went as you'd expect. Sixers after dark is not for the faint of heart.
- Philadelphia got off to an excellent start in the second half, and then completely lost the plot of everything that worked to get back into the game and eventually take an 11-point lead. There were two major contributors: lack of discipline to defend without fouling and terrible pace on offense.
George picked up his fifth foul midway through the third frame. The Sixers, as a team, couldn't contest without sending the Jazz to the foul line. On the other end, the Sixers were way too slow to get into their offense. The shots they did get - a handful of which were Embiid threes - left a lot of quality to be desired.
- Ricky Council IV certainly is a quirky guy. This was a sight to behold:
Who does Ricky Council think he is pic.twitter.com/o3onTQSDFE
— J🐐 (@SixersJustin) December 29, 2024
The Sixers (12-17) will visit the Portland Trail Blazers (11-20) on Monday. Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m., Eastern time. You can watch the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
