Philadelphia 76ers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Rivers, Harden, VanVleet, R. Williams

April 30th, 2022 at 8:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

Sixers coach Doc Rivers is responding to criticism about having center Joel Embiid still on the court late in Game 6 against the Raptors with a 29-point lead, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Embiid was struck by an inadvertent elbow from Pascal Siakam, resulting in an orbital fracture and concussion that has him sidelined indefinitely.

“It wasn’t four minutes left and 29 points,” Rivers said. “He scored the bucket [at the 4:10 mark] to make it 29. And in the playoffs, just so everyone knows, so we can not talk about blame and talk about winning this next series.”

After a reporter interrupted to ask, “So why was he in?” Rivers answered, “Because everyone was in. The other team had all their guys in, too. The last five minutes of the game, we made the run the last minute … right before that. That’s when we got up 29. After Joel made the shot and did the [celebratory] airplane, if you watched the game, I turned and said, ‘I’m calling a timeout on the next possession.’”

Rivers also pointed out that in the playoffs, virtually every team leaves its starters in until about three or four minutes are left, regardless of the score.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Embiid’s absence will result in James Harden becoming the focal point of the offense, Pompey adds. Harden averaged 19.0 points and 10.2 assists per game in the first-round series against Toronto, but Rivers indicated he’ll be asked to do more scoring until Embiid returns. “We are going to play more of a James-dominant offense than we have because we have to,” Rivers said. “We’re going to space the floor more. We’re going to play in space more.”
Raptors guard Fred VanVleet said the hip flexor that forced him to miss time in the playoffs shouldn’t linger into the offseason, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. VanVleet was also dealing with a bone bruise on his knee that happened before the All-Star break. He indicated that he’s interested in discussing an extension with the team this summer (Twitter link from Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports).
Celtics center Robert Williams has been doing extra conditioning work since returning from knee surgery, coach Ime Udoka tells Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Udoka also said the wrap that Al Horford is wearing on his left thumb and hand is just a result of “the regular nicks and bruises from the playoffs.” (Twitter link)

Charles Bassey Practices, Could Play In Second Round

April 30th, 2022 at 3:47pm CST by JD Shaw

Sixers rookie Charles Bassey practiced in full with the team on Saturday, Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com tweets. Bassey has been dealing with a shoulder sprain. The 21-year-old big man could be available for the club’s series against Miami, which could be important with Joel Embiid out indefinitely. Bassey averaged 18.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.6 blocks for the team’s G League affiliate this season, playing 28.6 minutes per contest.

Joel Embiid Out Indefinitely With Orbital Fracture, Concussion

April 29th, 2022 at 9:10pm CST by Rory Maher

9:10pm: Like Neubeck, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN hears from sources that Embiid’s orbital fracture might not require surgery. He’ll be reevaluated next week but will miss a minimum of five days due to the concussion. With the caveat that there’s still no timetable for his potential return, sources tell Shelburne that “the door isn’t closed” on that possibility (Twitter links).

7:57pm: Sixers star Joel Embiid suffered a right orbital fracture and mild concussion in the team’s Game 6 victory over Toronto on Thursday, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter), who says the center will be sidelined with no timetable for a return.

The Sixers have confirmed the news, according to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice (Twitter link). Embiid will be listed as out and his status will be updated “as appropriate.”

As ESPN’s Tim Bontemps notes (via Twitter), the injury appeared to occur when Embiid was hit in the face by an inadvertent elbow from Pascal Siakam late in the fourth quarter of the 132-97 blowout win. Philadelphia was up 29 points at the time, with only four minutes remaining, Derek Bodner of The Daily Six newsletter tweets.

Embiid had already been playing through pain for the past week after he tore a ligament in his right thumb in Game 3 of the first-round series, which will require surgery in the offseason.

Obviously, it’s devastating news for both Embiid personally and for Philadelphia’s title hopes. Any prolonged absence will have a profound impact on the team’s upcoming series against Miami, which starts on Monday. The Heat are the No. 1 seed in the East and hold home-court advantage over the No. 4 Sixers.

The 28-year-old big man is an MVP finalist for the second consecutive season after a phenomenal regular season in which he averaged a league-best 30.6 points along with 11.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.5 blocks on .499/.371/.814 shooting in 68 games (33.8 minutes). Despite playing through the torn thumb ligament for three-plus games, he averaged an impressive 26.2 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in the team’s six-game series win over the Raptors.

This is the second orbital fracture Embiid has sustained in his career, Neubeck writes in a story for PhillyVoice. The first occurred on the left side of his face in 2018, with Embiid undergoing surgery and ultimately missing 22 days and 10 games (including two playoff games), which is the average recovery timeline for the injury, per Jeff Stotts of InStreetClothes.com (Twitter thread). There’s no indication yet that a surgery will be required this time around, Neubeck notes.

With Embiid sidelined, the Sixers will lean heavily on James Harden, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris for offense, but there will be a giant hole in the middle of the lineup with their best player out. Backup big men Paul Reed, DeAndre Jordan and Paul Millsap are candidates to see additional action in Embiid’s stead.

VanVleet To Miss Game 6; Booker Returns For Suns

April 28th, 2022 at 5:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

5:05pm: Booker will play tonight, according to coach Monty Williams, Andrew Lopez of ESPN tweets.

4:40pm: The Raptors have ruled out guard Fred VanVleet for Game 6 against the Sixers tonight, according to coach Nick Nurse, Tim Bontemps of ESPN tweets.

VanVleet had been listed as doubtful. The Raptors will be looking to stave off elimination once again and even up the series at 3-3 with a win in Toronto.

VanVleet suffered a left hip flexor strain in Game 4 on Saturday. Toronto emerged with a 103-88 win in Game 5 without him as Nurse used an unconventional rotation without a true point guard.

Meanwhile, the Suns will look to close out their series with the Pelicans with their leading scorer back in action. Devin Booker is expected to play in Game 6 tonight, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Booker will test out his strained hamstring in pregame warmups, and assuming all goes well, he’ll be back on the floor after missing the past three games.

Phoenix has gone 2-1 without Booker, who is officially listed as questionable.

Atlantic Notes: Rivers, Achiuwa, Nurse, G. Williams

April 27th, 2022 at 9:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

With the Sixers in danger of becoming the first team ever to lose a series after taking a 3-0 lead, coach Doc Rivers is defending his playoff record, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Rivers, the only coach in NBA history to lose more than one 3-1 advantage, asked reporters to “tell the whole story” about his playoff history.

He pointed out that the Magic team he coached in 2003 was an eighth seed that overachieved by taking the series lead in the first place. He added that Chris Paul was playing with an injury when the 2015 Clippers squandered a 3-1 lead, and L.A.’s 2020 loss took place in the Orlando bubble without the benefit of home court advantage.

“But, it just happens,” Rivers added. “So I would say with me, some of them is … I gotta do better always. I always take my own responsibility. And then some of it is, circumstances happen. This one, let’s win it, and we don’t have to talk about it.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Second-year center Precious Achiuwa has played an important role in helping the Raptors turn the series around, observes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. In his first significant postseason experience, Achiuwa has matched up well with MVP candidate Joel Embiid and has improved steadily throughout the series, according to Smith. “He feels like a more confident, different player to me,” coach Nick Nurse said. “We used to say that a little bit about Serge (Ibaka) back in the old days. All of a sudden Serge became a factor later on in the series when he kind of got used to what was going on out there and stuff.”
Overcoming a 3-0 deficit may be unprecedented, but Nurse doesn’t see it as impossible, per Lori Ewing of The Toronto Star. The Raptors have survived two elimination games already, and they seem to be embracing the optimism that Nurse has been trying to convey. “Listen, everybody was disappointed about the 3-0 start and it felt a little heavy for a while,” he said. “But when we got back to the film room the next day, I liked the body language, I liked what I was hearing communication-wise and I felt that we were ready to go.”
Grant Williams had an under-the-radar role in helping the Celtics sweep the Nets, according to Nekias Duncan of Basketball News. Williams took advantage of Brooklyn’s focus on Boston’s stars to average 11.3 points per game while shooting 50% from beyond the arc. He was also part of the group of defenders who held Kevin Durant in check.

Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Harden, J. Brown, T. Young, Knicks

April 26th, 2022 at 8:40am CST by Luke Adams

After winning the first three games of their series vs. the Raptors, the Sixers have now dropped two consecutive close-out opportunities and will head back to Toronto clinging to a 3-2 lead. Star center Joel Embiid, who tore a ligament in his right thumb in Game 3, said after Monday’s loss that he wants to make an effort going forward not to favor that injury quite so much.

“I’m in a situation where I try to protect it,” Embiid said (Twitter link via Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer). “Before I even attack or if I get the ball, it’s almost like I’m not playing freely where I’m like, ‘Well, if I do this, I might get hit or I might get hurt.'”

Embiid also told reporters on Monday night that his All-Star teammate James Harden, who attempted just 11 shots from the field and had 15 points in Game 5, needs to be more aggressive on the offensive end, as Tim Bontemps of ESPN relays.

“I’ve been saying all season since he got here, he needs to be aggressive and he needs to be himself,” Embiid said. “That’s not really my job. That’s probably on Coach (Doc Rivers) to talk to him and tell him to take more shots, especially if they’re going to guard me the way they’ve been guarding. But that’s really not my job.”

No team in NBA history has blown a 3-0 series lead. If they can get a home victory on Thursday, the Raptors would be just the fourth team (of 145) to force a Game 7 after falling behind 3-0, which would put a ton of pressure on the 76ers to close out the series on Saturday at home.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Celtics wing Jaylen Brown earned another one of his contract bonuses on Monday due to the team’s first-round series victory. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter), advancing to the second round assured Brown of an extra $482,143 this season.
The Raptors‘ decision to give up a first-round pick for Thaddeus Young at February’s trade deadline may look short-sighted if he leaves in free agency this summer, but he has provided intangible value to the team through his veteran leadership and understanding of the game, says Eric Koreen of The Athletic. Additionally, since the Raptors acquired a second-rounder from San Antonio in the Young deal, they only ended up moving down 13 spots in the draft, from No. 20 to No. 33.
In his latest mailbag, Fred Katz of The Athletic addresses a series of offseason questions facing the Knicks, weighing in on Mitchell Robinson‘s upcoming free agency, whether Tyus Jones or Malcolm Brogdon make sense as offseason targets, and more.

Joel Embiid, Rudy Gobert, Taylor Jenkins Fined By NBA

April 25th, 2022 at 12:05pm CST by Luke Adams

12:05pm: Sixers center Joel Embiid has also been fined $15K for publicly criticizing the officiating following a loss on Saturday, according to the NBA. Embiid mockingly applauded the referees as he left the court following a Game 4 loss to Toronto, then sarcastically praised them during his post-game press conference, insinuating they wanted to push the series to a Game 5.

“I’m going to take my own advice and not complain about fouls,” he said, “but like I was doing at the end of the game: They did a great job. I admire the job that they did today. To me, it felt like they had one job coming in here tonight. And they got it done. Congrats to them, tonight.”

11:57am: Jazz center Rudy Gobert was fined $25K by the NBA on Sunday for “using profane language during a live television interview,” the league announced in a press release.

The fine stems from Gobert’s comments in a live, post-game interview following Utah’s Game 4 win over Dallas on Saturday. Asked by Matt Winer of NBA TV about the Jazz’s potential in this postseason, Gobert replied, “Man, f— the talk,” referring to the ongoing speculation about the team being headed for an early playoff exit and a summer roster overhaul (video link).

Meanwhile, Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins was hit with a $15K fine by the NBA on Monday for his own comments to the media after Memphis lost Game 4 in Minnesota on Saturday. The league said in its statement that Jenkins was penalized for “public criticism of the officiating.”

“In my opinion, one of the most poorly officiated games I’ve ever seen in my NBA career,” Jenkins said on Saturday, noting that many of his starters were in foul trouble from the first quarter onward (video link). “… I’ve never seen a more inconsistent and arrogant officated game.”

Jenkins expected to be fined when he made those comments after the loss, telling reporters that he’d “take whatever hit’s coming my way” in order to protect and advocate for his players.

Fred VanVleet Ruled Out For Game 5

April 25th, 2022 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams

Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet won’t be available for Monday’s Game 5 vs. the Sixers, he told reporters today, including Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link).

VanVleet suffered a left hip flexor strain in Game 4 on Saturday and was forced out of action in the first half. The All-Star guard said today that he’s taking the injury day by day and isn’t sure whether he’d be available to play in Game 6 on Thursday if the Raptors – currently down 3-1 – can extend the series tonight (Twitter link via Bontemps).

“I’m always going to leave that window open, but it’ll probably take some time,” VanVleet said (Twitter link via Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca). “… I would feel great about maybe playing in the next round. Nobody believes we can do it, but I think we can. I’m going to stay positive and get as much rehab as I can.”

While it’s very possible VanVleet has played his last game of the season, he said he was relieved that an MRI on the injury didn’t show any serious damage, per Bontemps. The 28-year-old told reporters today that surgery this offseason shouldn’t be necessary, per Eric Koreen of The Athletic (Twitter link). He added that he has dealt with the issue on and off throughout the season (Twitter link via Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca).

With VanVleet sidelined, it’s possible Malachi Flynn will see an expanded role in Philadelphia on Monday night. However, Flynn barely played on Saturday, even after VanVleet’s exit, as Toronto instead opted to lean on long, versatile lineups that featured forwards like Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Scottie Barnes as the primary ball-handlers.

For what it’s worth, those longer VanVleet-less lineups have given Philadelphia a little trouble over the course of the series. Through four games, Toronto has a 104.2 defensive rating and a +8.4 net rating in 57 minutes without its starting point guard on the court.

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Embiid, Celtics, Griffin, Irving

April 24th, 2022 at 8:06pm CST by JD Shaw

In order to maximize their chances of winning a championship, the Sixers need to reinvent themselves around an injured Joel Embiid, David Murphy of the Philadelphia Inquirer opines. Embiid is dealing with ligament damage to his thumb and will undergo surgery after the playoffs.

As we relayed, he has no intention of sitting out, but he clearly seemed bothered by the injury in Game 4. The MVP candidate still finished with 21 points and eight rebounds, but he was frequently grabbing at his hand during stoppages of play.

The Sixers have enough talent around Embiid to close out their series against the Raptors, but advancing beyond the second round without his usual level of production would be difficult. Embiid is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-high 30.6 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks on 50% shooting.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe takes a look at the Celtics’ hopes to bring the All-Star Game back to Boston. The Celtics are preparing a bid, Washburn notes, as Boston hasn’t hosted an All-Star Game since 1964. The team would likely look to host in 2025 or 2026.
Nets veteran Blake Griffin provided a lift off the bench in Game 3 against Boston, Peter Botte of the New York Post writes. Griffin played for the first time since April 2, recording eight points in nearly eight minutes. He could see action again in Game 4 on Monday.
A trio of ESPN hosts — Stephen A. Smith, Jalen Rose and Michael Wilbon — ripped Nets star Kyrie Irving and believe the team shouldn’t sign him to a long-term deal, as relayed by Adam Zagoria of NJ.com. Irving didn’t get vaccinated against COVID-19 and couldn’t play in home games until late March this season due to New York City’s vaccine requirement. That, combined with a midseason James Harden trade and key injuries, have harmed the Nets’ ability to build chemistry. Irving could decline a $36.5MM player option for next season and become a free agent this summer.

Joel Embiid Has Ligament Tear, Will Get Surgery After Playoffs

April 24th, 2022 at 1:36pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

An MRI has verified that Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid has suffered a right thumb ligament tear, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).

Philadelphia head coach Doc Rivers has indicated that Embiid still intends to keep playing through the injury, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link). The MVP finalist himself mentioned that he hoped to keep playing through the injury ahead of the MRI. Ligament damage had been anticipated, based on an initial exam earlier in the week.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that Embiid will need surgery to treat the ligament tear, but noted that the Sixers will hold off on an operation until their current postseason run concludes. The 76ers currently lead the Raptors 3-1 in their first-round matchup.

Embiid, a five-time All-Star and one of the three contenders for MVP honors this season, enjoyed a monumental regular season, averaging 30.6 PPG, 11.7 RPG and 4.2 APG in 68 games, with shooting splits of .499/.371/.814. He is averaging 26 PPG, 11.8 RPG, and 1.8 APG across the first four games of Philadelphia’s first-round series with Toronto.

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