Charlotte Hornets

81

FinalRecap | Box Score

89

Philadelphia 76ers

	Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, PF 34 MIN | 4-13 FG | 4-5 FT | 7 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 13 PTS | +12 +/-Once again, Embiid’s babysitter puts up a solid, but inefficient stat line.  Still, I have to admit his defense is one of the resons the Sixers got this game turned around last night.
	Robert Covington, SF 33 MIN | 7-15 FG | 3-5 FT | 8 REB | 2 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 2 TO | 22 PTS | +4 +/-After a slow start to this game, Cov poured in 11 of his 22 points in a pivotal 3rd Q and 19 overall in the 2nd half.  His ability to splash threes on the secondary fast break is amazing.
	Nerlens Noel, C 34 MIN | 5-9 FG | 2-2 FT | 7 REB | 1 AST | 3 STL | 2 BLK | 1 TO | 12 PTS | +9 +/-A very solid night from #$ who scored several buckets with his left hand and put up 6 points during the Sixers run from the late 2nd Q into the mid 3rd Q.
	Tim Frazier, PG 37 MIN | 0-7 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 8 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 4 TO | 0 PTS | +15 +/-Obviously Frazier needs some work on his shooting stroke, but I have to give the kid credit, with little to no practcie he has performed very well in his two games with the 76ers.  Last night his ability to push the ball up the floor, get into the defense and then kick the ball out to the 3-point line to an open shooter was a thing of beauty to watch.
	JaKarr Sampson, SG 22 MIN | 1-5 FG | 2-4 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 4 PTS | +3 +/-I felt that thie biggest issue last night for Sampson was that he forced some ill-advised shots and that led to a poor shooting night.

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The scene was familiar.  Thaddeus Young sat in front of his locker in a locker room on the event floor of the Wells Fargo Center after a loss.  He had done it many times before.  However, this time, it was different.

There was no name plate above Young’s head at the locker where he sat, and the reclining chair each player is afforded in the home locker room, where they usually conduct post-game interviews from, is absent.

The locker is noticeably empty behind him. When he leaves the Wells Fargo Center, he won’t be able to drive mere miles back home to his wife.  Instead, he has to fly back to Minnesota to prepare for a home game against the Cavaliers.

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Denver Nuggets

98

FinalRecap | Box Score

105

Philadelphia 76ers

	Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, PF 32 MIN | 2-5 FG | 0-2 FT | 10 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 4 PTS | -3 +/-Luc doesn’t usually allow himself to have a quiet game like he did last night, but I only have one note on him from the entire game and that was about a nice jumper he banged home in the 1st Q. Obvioulsy the stat sheet says he did a nice job on the boards
	Robert Covington, SF 29 MIN | 4-12 FG | 7-8 FT | 8 REB | 2 AST | 2 STL | 1 BLK | 3 TO | 17 PTS | -2 +/-I think that stat line for Covington last night can be a little misleading.  Cov had a near double-double, but scored only 2 points in the 1st half as the Sixers built a 21 point lead and he was 1-for-his-first-4 on the game.  However, his 7 pts in the 4th Q helped keep the Nuggs at arm’s length in this one.  If you remove the Cavs game from the equation (6-13; 46%), Cov is shooting 28.3% in his last 3 contests.
	Nerlens Noel, C 27 MIN | 3-6 FG | 4-5 FT | 8 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 2 BLK | 2 TO | 10 PTS | -8 +/-A near double-double was highlighted by Noel being more aggressive on offense last night, operating in traffic and getting to the FT line where he was nearly perfect.  His failed attempt at a follow slam that some how rolled in, was comical.
	Michael Carter-Williams, PG 34 MIN | 4-12 FG | 6-10 FT | 8 REB | 12 AST | 2 STL | 1 BLK | 4 TO | 15 PTS | -1 +/-A near triple-double in what was an excellent performance for 3 quarters by #1.  The stat line indicates that MCW did not shoot the ball well from the field or from deep, but really he was having a great game until a stretch in the 4th Q where he forced a number of ill advised shots and drives to the basket.  During that run in the 4th Q, it was if MCW had lost his mind and reverted to his old way of playing.
	JaKarr Sampson, SG 18 MIN | 3-4 FG | 3-4 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 3 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 11 PTS | -3 +/-I have to admit that I was not a big fan of Sampson’s move to the starting lineup, but I was wrong.  The kid played well again last night and a quick 5 point burst in the 1st Q by Sampson was a big boost for the Sixers.

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Philadelphia 76ers

84

Final Recap | Box Score

97

Cleveland Cavaliers

	Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, PF 32 MIN | 6-14 FG | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 2 TO | 13 PTS | -13 +/-Overall a decent night by Embiid’s babysitter.  I don’t like that he jacks up threes at the worst times, but that’s an issue for another post.  It’s no secret that I am not a big fan of the fact that Luc is receiving 30+ mins a game and stunting the development of the kids on this roster.
	Robert Covington, SF 34 MIN | 6-13 FG | 2-3 FT | 3 REB | 4 AST | 7 STL | 1 BLK | 2 TO | 18 PTS | -16 +/-Welcome back…After some serious struggles with his jump shot of late, including 1-9 on threes vs. ATL, “The Cov” was on fire last night.  In fact in the 4th Q where Cov scored 8 points early (12 total) you could see that LeBron switched onto #33 defensively in hopes of slowing Cov’s roll.  The 7 steals is simply ridiculous as well.
	Nerlens Noel, C 33 MIN | 2-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 2 AST | 2 STL | 3 BLK | 3 TO | 4 PTS | -9 +/-I can accept that Noel is raw offensively and has trouble defending the pick-n-roll, but it is ridiculous to me that an athletic 7-footer only grabs 4 boards in 33 mins of play.  Mozgov pushed him around all night.  Hit the weight room, please.
	Michael Carter-Williams, PG 20 MIN | 1-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 5 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 2 PTS | -14 +/-Is it too much if we refer to this game a “Shin-gate”?
	JaKarr Sampson, SG 18 MIN | 4-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 1 AST | 2 STL | 1 BLK | 3 TO | 10 PTS | +2 +/-JaKarr has found a nice role in teh starting lineup for this team and after slow start last night (2 pts. in 1st half) he found his stride in this one by draining two 3-balls in the 3rd Q.  It had to be weird for Sampson to be matched up against LeBron — his idol and a fellow Akron, OH native last night.

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This edition of “Fo’ with the Foes” – Philadunkia’s advanced scouting series which with the help of an accomplished journalist from around the NBA beat or blog world, previews key upcoming 76ers games – features tonight’s opponent, the Cleveland Cavaliers who since the 76ers beat them last month, have added Iman Shumpert and JR Smith as well as Timofey Mozgov and currently own a 10-game winning streak.

After the jump, I’ll look a Fo’ key items for tonight’s game.  Additionally, we’ll get a little more insight into the Cavaliers team the Sixers face tonight from our colleague Scott Sargent at waitingfornextyear.com, as Scott will answer Fo’ questions on the Cavaliers from us here at Philadunkia.

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The 2015 NBA Trade Deadline is now just twenty days away.  If between now and February 19th Sam Hinkie decided to pull the trigger on one of the numerous Michael Carter-Williams trade rumors circulating around the League, that would leave Nerlens Noel as the only 1st Round pick taken by the 76ers between 2007-2013 remaining on this roster.  The cold truth is in fact that every Sixers’ 1st Round pick since 2004 has either been traded or cut, but for purposes of this post I”ll only look at the years between 2007 and 2013.

The NBA draft is designed for franchises to improve their rosters with young talent and promising ball players.  A great deal of research, scouting, and film time are put in by team’s front offices and personnel departments to ensure that valuable 1st Round picks picks do not go to waste.   Unfortunately for the 76ers, several trades as well as poor decisions and bad luck in the Draft have left this roster devoid of any 1st Round selections with tenure.

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Detroit Pistons

69

FinalRecap | Box Score

89

Philadelphia 76ers

	Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, PF 31 MIN | 6-14 FG | 0-0 FT | 6 REB | 4 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 12 PTS | +34 +/- The 1st Q of last night’s game was the Luc show as he scored 8 points in the opening stanza to propel the Sixers fast start and huge early lead.  IMO 14 FGAs is too many for Luc, but we’ll over look that for now.  This guy has to be worth a 2nd round pick to a contender that needs a big who defends well and score some, right?
	Robert Covington, SF 25 MIN | 7-11 FG | 1-1 FT | 5 REB | 3 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 19 PTS | +22 +/- In his last 3 games leading up to last night, Covington was shooting 28% from the field (9-32), so it was nice to see him rediscover his shooting stroke vs. the Pistons and score 5 points in the 1st Q.  He also drained two three-balls in the 3rd Q.
	Nerlens Noel, C 29 MIN | 2-5 FG | 1-2 FT | 4 REB | 5 AST | 4 STL | 2 BLK | 1 TO | 5 PTS | +34 +/- After an pathetic effort against the NOP, I was looking for a motivated Noel to come out and play very well last night. He didn’t play badly, but Noel was not nearly as agessive as I expected and his stat line was nothing to write home about.  He took only 2 shots and scored only 2 points in the 1st half when the Sixers put this game away.
	Michael Carter-Williams, PG 35 MIN | 5-10 FG | 3-5 FT | 9 REB | 10 AST | 0 STL | 2 BLK | 5 TO | 14 PTS | +34 +/- I thought this was one of MCW’s best all-around games of the year (1 board shy of triple-double).  He was under controll all night and looked to set up teammates.  He did not force shots at any point in the game.  #1 got the Sixers out in the open court early on and that led to a good number of easy baskets for the 7-6.  The only blemish for MCW last night was the 5 TOs.
	JaKarr Sampson, SG 24 MIN | 5-6 FG | 1-2 FT | 8 REB | 0 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 13 PTS | +26 +/- JaKarr got the start last night (never thought I would type that line again) and took advantage of the opportunity.  He scored a career-high 13 points and grabbed a career high 8 boards.

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This edition of “Fo’ with the Foes” – Philadunkia’s advanced scouting series which with the help of an accomplished journalist from around the NBA beat or blog world, previews key upcoming 76ers games – features tonight’s opponent, the Detroit Pistons who have lost three straight; 4 of their last 5 and are now searching for an identity after losing Brandon Jennings for the season.

After the jump, I’ll look a Fo’ key items for tonight’s game.  Additionally, we’ll get a little more insight into this New Orleans team the Sixers face tonight from our colleague Tim Thielke at pistonpowered.com, as Tim will answer Fo’ questions on his Pistons from us here at Philadunkia.

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Philadelphia 76ers

74

FinalRecap | Box Score

99

New Orleans Pelicans

	Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, PF 31 MIN | 6-13 FG | 2-3 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 14 PTS | -16 +/-Luc is a solid player, but I have come to realize that he is also a better than average defender.  He should be delay for an asset as soon as possible.  Maybe Embiid would go on a hunger strike after the trade and drop the 50+ lbs. he’s allegedly packed on.
	Robert Covington, SF 30 MIN | 2-11 FG | 2-2 FT | 6 REB | 5 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 6 PTS | -1 +/-I realize that NOP’s entire defensive scheme was built around stopping Cov and that may have impacted his shooting last night. Still, I felt he got a number of decent looks last night and simply didn’t convert.  Nights like these happen too often for Cov and thus I’m not sold that he is a keeper yet.
	Henry Sims, C 19 MIN | 4-9 FG | 6-8 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 14 PTS | -14 +/-Sims just punches the clock and most night delivers a more than respectable performance for Brown.  His 8 points in the 3rd Q is the only reason the Sixers weren’t trailing by 3o after that stanza. However, he too was helpless vs. Davis.
	Nerlens Noel, C 31 MIN | 1-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 6 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 2 BLK | 1 TO | 2 PTS | -14 +/-See comments after the jump.
	Larry Drew II, PG 32 MIN | 2-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 2 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 4 TO | 4 PTS | -17 +/-Obviously he can’t shoot 2-9 every night and stay in this League, but I thought Drew did some nice things last night.  I especialy like the way he pushes the pace and his crossover on Eric Gordon and lay-in was a thing of beauty to watch.

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With 40 games remaining in Tank 2.0, it become obvious that the 76ers are not going to experience any Detroit Pistons-like push (9-3 in their last 12) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.  A roster that was built to lose, and has done so nicely, is now missing its key 6th man (Tony Wroten) for an undetermined amount of time.  Additionally, the starting power forward (Luc) will allegedly miss his third straight game tonight with a bruised knee.  Finally, the Sixers starting center (Noel) suddenly contracted a respiratory illness, could not play against the lowly New York Knicks on Wednesday and is questionable for tonight.

Still, the Sixers have collected 8 wins so far this season (4-6 in last 10 games) which is more victories than this scribe and most of the online “experts” dreamed Brett Brown’s team would haul in prior to the 2015 All-Star break.  However, with key players missing and a brutal upcoming schedule that features games — vs. TOR; @MEM; @ NOP; vs. DET; @ ATL; @ CLE and @ DEN — , it bears exploring just how bad the odds makers think this team might be.

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