Sixers coverage on FortyEightMinutes.com is exclusively sponsored by the Borderline Restaurant in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Check them out on Facebook!
Doc Rivers may have unlocked a major weapon for the Sixers in opting to play more zone defense: Matisse Thybulle. The second-year pro started the game in place of Ben Simmons (out with the flu; not COVID-related) and shined on the defensive end of the floor.
Danny Green said that Thybulle’s defense “changed the game.” Joel Embiid talked up the 23-year-old after the contest, telling FortyEightMinutes and other media in Philadelphia that he believes Thybulle should end up having a spot on the NBA’s All-Defensive Team.
“I think he has the potential to be the best defender in the league,” Embiid said after the Sixers’ 118-113 win.
Mathief (his basketball reference nickname; other nicknames are The Disruptor and Spiderman) had four steals in the victory, though his impact on the game goes beyond the box score.
More From Philadelphia
- Joel Embiid said his back woes stemmed from the Lakers game where he took a hard fall to the floor after LeBron James, though he called the ailment “not alarming.” Embiid missed the game on Monday because of back tightness.
- Seth Curry‘s season-high is 28 points and he approached that against the Rockets, scoring 25. Readers of my Rockets-Sixers preview piece were not be surprised by the shooting guard’s performance.
- No practice on Thursday for the Sixers. They, like a lot of teams, have cut down on practices because of the intense, compact schedule this season. Plus Philadelphia’s about to get hit with a major snowstorm between the end of the game on Wednesday and the Bulls’ contest on Friday.
