Thad received a well-deserved rest tonight in what appeared to be the Sixers first effective effort at tanking all season long.  At this point in this season, and his career, we know what we’re getting from Thad.  It’s about damn time Collins gave him a break and gave the youngins some burn.

Another game where we leave thinking, “what is wrong with that guy” about Turner.  ET got out-performed by Dorell Wright, Damien Wilkins, Randy Foye, Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks tonight. That shouldn’t happen to a No. 2 Overall Draft Pick.  More on this After The Jump…

A near double-double from Spencer and another performance that makes me want to bang my head against a wall.  WHERE WAS THIS IN JANUARY?  Could the Sixers realistically be a playoff team right now if Hawes was playing at this level back when they were just a few games out of the 8th spot in the East?

Similar to Thad, it was good to see Jrue log less minutes tonight.  Obviously, you don’t want him to shoot 25% from the floor and turn the ball over 4 times, but at this point in this dreadful year, who cares?  I’m happy to see Jrue just get some rest!

When the Utah (Root Sports) TV broadcasters discuss how much a player has progressed and developed recently, you know it’s legitimate.  I’ll be honest, it’s good to see Wilkins improve as of late, but it scares me the front office will throw him way too much money in the offseason and retain him instead of filling that roster spot with a young player full of potential.  Keep in mind, Wilkins is 33…

WELL DONE, ARNETT!  Man is it refreshing to watch this guy crash the boards, fight for position while defending the post and take the ball to the rim aggressively and with authority?  Yet, ridiculously, he played so well, entered the game at the 7:35 mark in the 1Q and still only played 23 min.  Why, Collins?  Why?????

Wright again put on a great off-the-bench performance for this team.  Unfortunately, it’s just a tease at what could have been if Wright was regularly used to his full potential all season long.  Are you starting to sense all of the “what-ifs?” about this team that don’t even include Andrew Bynum?

Despite his terrible shooting night, a solid effort by Lavoy.  But, in what upside down universe does he deserve to be playing more minutes than Moultrie in this game at this point in this season?  Jeeze, man! This “rotation” never, ever makes sense.

After not even playing a minute against the Kings the night prior, Jenkins comes out and receives 19 minutes.  Thank the basketball lords.  He produced out there too!

Oh, Jeremy.  Were you thinking about your alma mater Gonzaga’s loss to Wichita State in the Round of 32 when you went oh-for from the field?

Congratulations, Royal! You were 100 percent successful in completing a trillion!  You had absolutely no impact on this game!

Wait, who is this again?

I miss you, Swaggy! Get well soon!

Collins finally rested Jrue Holiday and Thad Young… but it took him until the second night of a back-to-back road set to do it.. on March 25!  It goes to show how much a grasp this guy has of NBA coaching if I have not given him a higher than a C+ in any of my reacts.

A steady, punch the clock and go to work night from Thad.  I loved the little altercation he got into with Cousins.  Thad has a rep for being “Mr. Nice Guy” and it was nice to see a bit of an edge from #21.

I wouldn’t say Turner did anything wrong last night, but I’m just over him and ready to see “The Enigma” playing for another team.

If you’re going to talk the talk, you need to walk the walk…and that’s just what Spencer did last night. After engaging Sacto fans in a minor Twitter war yesterday, Hawes went out and posted his 8th double-double in the last 14 games.  Hawes was booed from the opening tip and responded by hitting the game’s first basket.  Of course it was an 18-foot jumper.

Yes Jure racked up another double-double, but he was 1-4 on 3PAs and some of those shots were ill-advised.  Jrue was also an unacceptable 2-6 from the FT line.  However his 8 points in the 3rd Q were a key part of the Sixers grabbing control of this game.

Is it possible that Damien’s play over the last two weeks (13 ppg. in his last 10 runs) has earned him a contract here in Philly for next year.  Believe me, I know that the fact he is starting means the Sixers are awful, but his veteran presence, instant offense, ability to get to the FT line and defense could be an asset off the bench next year.  Just sayin…

Keep your head up kid…DC probably won’t be here next season.

That’s what I am talking about…As I have said many, many times, Wright has one job — hit open jumpers and last night he was awesome at his job.  He scored 13 in the 2nd Q and 5 straight to close out the 3rd Q.

Lavoy escaped from the Do(u)ghouse to score a career-high 20 (10 in the 2nd Q & 6 in the 4th Q) on 9-of-13 shooting, adding seven boards.  He must have used Temple’s devastating Tourney loss as motivation for this performance.

Moving on…

The only reason I even know this guy is alive is because of his Instagram account.

How funny were his thoughts on Lavoy Allen in the post game? Talk about taking digs at a player. IMO Collins is post game commenting his way out of town.

Outside of Hawes, Thad was out there by himself last night.

Last night was an improvement over what we have seen fro “The Enigma” of late, but still not acceptable for what he needs to deliver for this team each night.

I don’t like that he threw up three 3PAs, but outside of that a decent night by Hawes.  It’s as if Hawes is playing for a new contract, so he has reached down deep and found a new dedication to the game.

I’m simply stunned here…

Given Damien’s recent stretch of over-his-head play, I was hoping for more, but like the rest of this team, Wilkins had nothing last night.

On the good side, he out rebounded Lavoy in nine less minutes and grabbed 2 less rebounds then Hawes in half the tick.  On the down side, he was 0-3 shooting and that’s not how you earn more tick with DC.

While there is nothing terrible about the night Wright had in LA, I was expecting his recent scoring outburst to continue.  I actually thought he was a little gun shy last night.  Ohh and his defense was a lil’ suspect.

I’m not sure what is more depressing — the fact that Lavoy didn’t score a bucket or get to the FT line or the fact that he only grabbed 4 boards in 24 mins.

I gave him the A because he took advantage of the limited minutes he was given.

What would you like me to say here?

I know Ivey has been a legit threat from 3-point land this year, but last night it was clear that he did not have his stroke.  Instead of getting an short jumper, easy lay-in or trip to the FT line to kick start his jumper, he kept firing away from deep.

Swaggy did something to get in the Do(u)ghouse, but DC gave him a few garbage ticks in front of the hometown crowd and Young went out there and fired away.

I hope he had fun on the town with Swaggy on Tuesday night.

I’m not sure how much of the blame does DC deserve here, but too many times this year the Sixers have simply crapped the bed and that’s what they did in the 2nd and 3rd Qs of this one.

I would like to have seen Thad grab more than 3 rebounds and have passed up that ill-advised 3PA he launched in the 1st Q, but outside of those two items it was a very good night for #21.  His coast-to-coast for an AND1 in the early third was awesome to watch.  He also scored 4 straight on two different stretches in the 2nd Q.  The steal Thad snatched in the 4th Q was ridiculous.

“The Enigma” strikes again…

That’s 6 double-doubles in the last 11 games for Spencer.  I wasn’t crazy about his 3PA in the 1st Q and his defense on Aldridge for most of the night was not good.  Although it was rock solid on that last POR possession vs. Aldridge.  Overall Spence is playing out of his mind right now so I am not going to complain too much.  I just wish he could have done this all year.

There was a stretch in the early to mid 4th Q where I thought Jrue lost his mind while launching ill-advised 3PAs early in the shot clock, but overall a great night for “The Jruth”.  He recovered to score 11 points in the 4th including a huge leaner in the closing minutes that put the Sixers up 5.

Did you ever think the Sixers would receive this much production from Damien Wilkins?

What else do want a guy to do with 9 mins of burn?  Moultrie had a nice dive to the rim that he turned into 2 FTs, but unfortunately there’s not much else to write about.

Wright scored 12 points in 14 mins. during the first half and then lost his stroke.  He ended with 16 points on 14 FGAs which is not an efficient scoring night.  However, I’ll give Wright credit for grabbing some key boards as well as getting to the FT line and knocking ‘em down.

2 points and 3 rips (1 big OReb) in 5 mins…well done Lavoy.

Anyways…

I wonder if the docs who are working on Bynum’s knees on Tuesday can put a heart in this stiff?

I have to assume that DC has tweaked the offense to push the rock a little more often and work the ball from the inside on more half-court trips.  Unfortunately the changes have come too late and now the wins are killing us.  I also really liked that he did not double Aldridge on that last Blazers possession.

Thad always plays with incredible heart and hustle.  If he doesn’t receive at least an A- nightly, something went terribly wrong.  Tonight, the prototypical small-ball PF was extremely efficient from the field and played great D on David West.  But he shouldn’t play 37 minutes at this point in the year, Doug.  Give some of that burn to Moultrie!

Evan put together a decent night of his own against a team that should have provided a tough match-up for him: lengthy and athletic perimeter players.  It’s a positive sign that he only shot the ball 11 times, but he should have converted more of them.

Wow.  After blanking a crucial layup in his last time out against the Heat, the big ole’ stiff comes out and delivers a near quadruple-double!  He even made contact on a few screens and rolled to the basket!  And, he embarrassed Roy Hibbert!  Wow.  Just, wow.

Jrue played like an all-star this evening.  And, of his 3 turnovers tonight, two came when he was arguably fouled in the 4th Quarter.  He could have shot a much better percentage overall, but he straight carried this team to a triumphant victory.

Damien Wilkins should not be playing 19 more minutes than Arnett Moultire and Charles Jenkins combined at this point in the season.  He shouldn’t.  ‘Nique’s nephew is shooting 43% from the field this year.  Why is he playing over two young guys who might actually be able to contribute to your rotation for the next five seasons?

You’re the man, Arnett! Keep fighting hard for rebounds!  Keep blocking shots!  Keep running the floor! Keep smiling on the bench like you’re not pissed about playing behind Damien Wilkins!  Maybe, just maybe, one day you’ll have a coach that recognizes your potential and how it would be very beneficial to give you some playing time.

Dorell Wright took the form of a quality wing perimeter player that he can be with regular minutes this evening.  Over the team’s last five games, Wright is playing 23.0 minutes and scoring 14.2 points per contest. Why couldn’t he have gotten to this consistent run earlier in the season?

Eh.  Lavoy is what he is.  16 minutes is a good number for him and 4 points and 3 rebounds is a solid contribution.  But he was just another face in the crowd, tonight.

Unfortunately for Charles, Collins refuses to acknowledge this guy is the second-leading scorer in Colonial Athletic Association history behind only David “The Admiral” Robinson.  Give this kid an opportunity to prove himself!

Again, only a few more games before Kwame Brown becomes, “Kwame Brown’s expiring contract” That’s worth some trade value, right?

It’s not his fault he’s really irrelevant at this point in the season for this particular team, right?

Who?

At least Swaggy looks swaggy on the bench.

DC did a good job of coaching tonight to win this game.  He played the hot hands, he left units in that went on big runs.  He even made key substitutions in a few situations.  However, he gave Moultrie and Jenkins 14 minutes, combined.  Their are 240 minutes to divide amongst a roster in an NBA game. They got 14. Come on, Doug!

Back-to-back double-doubles from Thad has a nice ring to it.  It’s especially impressive that it came on the 2nd night of a road, then home back-to-back set and that it was an efficient shooting night on a rough schedule.  His 4 straight points in the 4th Q were huge.

This was a much better night for “The Enigma”, but still far from great.  16 points on 18 FGAs is not an efficient night and 1-5 from deep is not good.  He also made several plays in the 4th Q, including a FT lane violation and an ill-advised jumper early in the shot clock, that made me cringe.  However, he had a decent 1st Q and the 3-pointer he buried in the 4th Q was clutch.  Plus the board he grabbed at :48 mark of the 4th was key to sealing the win.

I have said this numerous times over the 2012-13 season…It’s really a shame that Hawes is sooo bad defensively. Lopez absolutely killed Spencer last night, especially in the 1st Q (14 pts.) and that happens too often for me.  I don’t love his “soft” offensive game and some of his decisions, but when Spence decides he wants to play, there is no doubt he can score the ball.  Like in the 3rd Q when he went off for 10 points.  He also threw in a block during the 3rd Q.   If he could just give us 14 & 10 every night, this team would be a lot better.

It was obvious that Holiday chose to get others involved early on in this one and then picked his spots to score.  Hopefully this is the end of his shooting slump.  He did a great job on penetrating the Nets defense in the 4th Q.  FYI…including last night Jrue has attempted 8 or more FTs in a game only 4 times this season.

I tip my hat to Wilkins for his recent stretch of stellar play and the block he had on Lopez last night was tremendous.  However I ask you, “What good does it do the Sixers to give a 9 year veteran who likely won’t be on the roster next year 26 minutes in a lost season?”

A great dive to the rim by #5 in the early 2nd Q for a hoop earned him nothing in the minutes department.  Someone needs to have a talk with coach.

A very nice 2nd Q by Wright — 13 pts. & a charge drawn — helped the Sixers grab the lead in this one. So where was he for the rest of the game and where has Wright been for most of the season?

Given that I expected him to receive a DNP-CD last night, Allen played well in his limited run.

Jenkins took two awful 18+ foot jumpers in the 2nd Q.  I threw the remote after his second FGA and cried out for Pargo.

7 minutes well played.

Did he make it back from Florida?

Isn’t this the same guy who hung 28 on the Sixers earlier this year?  Didn’t he also score 12 points in his Sixers debut after only one practice session?  Yet DC can’t find a way to get this kid some minutes. You deserve better Mr. Pargo…

I’m sorry, I know the Sixers got the W last night and that’s great (sort of), but this season is over and Collins needs to get on board with playing the kids who could possibly be on this roster next year.  No offense to Ivey and Wilkins because they are playing well, but they need to take a seat.

He may be from Memphis, but man does Thad love Florida.  After hanging 25 on the Heat, Young recorded his 16th double-double of the season against ORL.  He was huge in the 3rd Q with 8 points. However it was the stretch in the 4th Q where he scored 4 straight pts. and then grabbed a steal that blew my mind.  I didn’t love the 20-footer he hoisted up with 1:37 left in the game, but that’s being very picky.

Turner’s run of awful play continues and thus he found himself on the bench during the clutch minutes of the 4th Q.

I had a hard time grading Hawes tonight.  He had a solid offensive game, but he still goes to the tin too softly for my tastes.  The play in the 3rd Q where he had a bunny blocked and then fell to the floor like someone shot him was an example of what I am talking about.  Also he got simply worked over by Vucevic on both ends.

I’m running out of patience with Jrue’s recent struggles.  He’s relying on the jumper too much.  To get out of this funk he has to get to rim for some easy hoops or trips to the FT line.  He really pressed in the 3rd Q tonight and it was not pretty.  I did love the dime he hit Thad with in the 4th Q that gave the Sixers the lead.  His steal and hoop to tie the score at 85 was also nice, but that’s about it.

I said after the Heat game that Wilkins getting the start was coming.  To his credit, he delivered with another great effort. I really like that he gets to the rim on the break and in the half-court.  Wilkins had great energy in the 3rd Q and scored 7 pts. in that Q.

Why does Collins insist on playing with this kid’s minutes?!?  Play him 25 a night and let Moultrie develop.

Isn’t this guys supposed to be a 3-point specialist?  Plus he missed 2 FTs.

A brief escape from the Do(u)ghouse did not go all that well for Lavoy.

Jenkins lost his the starting job he held for one night, but didn’t sulk.  His jumper in the 3rd Q was huge at the time, but in the end it turned out to be just an insignificant note in the box score.

Moving on…

I hope Kwame enjoyed spring break down in Florida.

It’s killing me that Collins is not playing Pargo.

I understand that Wilkins earned the right to start tonight, but that doesn’t help the future of this team. Neither does playing Moultrie only 15 minutes and slapping Pargo with a DNP-CD.  Sooner or later it’s going to sink in with Collins that he needs to play the young guys — right???  I did like that he benched Turner in the 4th Q.

Yes he could have grabbed a few more rebounds, but overall another tremendous performance for Thad.  His loose ball, dive on the floor steal in the late 2nd Q was just another example of how important his energy and hustle are to this team.

The slump continues for “The Enigma”…Turner is now 15-52 (28%) in his last 4 games.

A very respectable effort from Hawes and his new haircut last night. He got off to a quick start by scoring 8 in the 1st Q.  That led to 13 & 7 in the 1st half and a double-double on the night.  However, outside of an ill-advised 3PA in the 3rd Q Hawes was invisible in the 2nd half of this game. That can’t happen if you are going to win on the road, especially in Miami.

Jrue’s shooting woes continue, but I have to say that he did a nice job of not forcing things last night.  A lot of primary options would have hoisted up 20 FGAs trying to shoot their way out of the slump. Instead he got others involved and picked his spots to get shots.  His 5 points were key to the run the 7-6 made in the early 3rd.  Still he’s got to get his stroke going again.

Outside of one filthy crossover and hoop in the 3rd Q he did not capitalize on his first start.

Moultrie did a nice job of keeping the ball alive on the O-glass on several trips.  He also may be the only Sixer who actually boxes his guy out when the ball goes up.  However, he is still struggling on the defensive end and the play where lost “Birdman” on pick-and-roll that turned into a reverse alley-oop was embarrassing.

Wright’s offense was a key part of the Sixers ability to stay in this game, but it came in one quick flurry.  He had a tip-in and two 3PM (9 straight points overall) at the end of the 3rd Q which was exciting to watch, but where was he the rest of the game?

Offensively, Ivey did all I can ask of him.  However, it was mentioned in the TV broadcast that the reason he didn’t start was because Collins wanted Ivey to guard Ray Allen.  That didn’t work out so well…Allen scored 5 straight at the end of the 1st Q and 12 overall on 5-8 shooting.

Wilkins stretch of solid play continues.  Although I would like to have seen him challenge Ray Allen a little better on that FB dunk Allen threw down.  So the question for me is at what point does Collins start this guy?

It’s official, Lavoy has entered the Do(u)ghouse.

At least he got to work on his tan down in South Beach.

What has Pargo done wrong that Charles Jenkins is getting the start over him?

I liked that the Sixers got off to a fast start in this one.  I also liked the effort and tenacity the team showed all night.  Collins deserves some credit for those items.  I did not like that he started Jenkins over Pargo.  I also didn’t like that Moultrie saw only 15 mins. of burn.  And having Holiday on the bench during the start of the 4th Q in this game was simply stupid (IMO).