I like the fact that Lavoy saw increased minutes in last night’s game (21.3 mpg over last 10) as I’d rather have him on the floor than Kwame. He did some nice things with those extra ticks, like the 2 OREBs he grabbed in one trip at the 3:40 mark of the 3rd Q. Or also in the 3rd, the help D that he supplied on which he tied up J-Smoove for a jump ball.

He’s been simply amazing this year and last night he posted what might have been he best all-around game of the season.  Two stretches of his play really stick out for me.  In the 3rd Q he had a steal that led to a break; then he tipped in a Holiday miss and after that he drew a charge.  The OREB play in the 3rd Q where he battled for the ball 3 times on the glass before grabbing it and putting it back in was also stellar.  He’s now scored in double figures in 17 straight games.

Turner is so much better when he is not playing the point.  His stretch of play to open the 4th Q was fantastic — shot clock beating FG; slam on the break and then a beauty of a dime to Thad on the blocks.

Jrue did a nice job of working himself back into the lineup without forcing things or trying to do too much.  What a difference he makes for this team.

J-Rich got off to a fast start — 8 points; 7 dimes; 3 rebounds and 2 steals — in the 1st half and had a very solid overall game.  His FGM made to open the 2nd half was huge.  His beautiful post up, spin move and kiss off the glass in the 3rd Q put the Sixers up 10 and IMO was the knock out blow for the Hawks (even though the run by Louis got them within 8).

I thought we learned in Texas that this guy needs more minutes and more looks.  I guess I was wrong.

I thought he would have more trouble against the Hawks physical front-line, so this was a surprisingly strong effort from Spencer.

If he can give us this production every night, we’ll make the playoffs (sarcasm here).

I’d like to see his minutes further reduced.

DNP — CD…That’s what I’m talking ’bout !!!!

When I have to say things like, “Lavoy Allen looks slower than Chris Kaman”, then you know you had a bad game.  I’m tired of drilling Lavoy, but he’s playing like “Mr. 500″ this season.  Due to both foul trouble and bad play, Lavoy barely saw the court in the second half of this game.

Thad could find himself playing in his first All-Star Game if he keeps his play at this level.  20 points, 7 boards and a career-high 11 free-throws attempted.  The bulk he added in the off-season is paying dividends for the Sixers who crucially need him to succeed for the team to succeed.  He wasn’t necessarily strong on defense, but made up for it and then some on the offensive end of the court. Needless to say, he’s a starter the rest of the year no matter what happens if Bynum does indeed return.

In the first quarter, ET had 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.  In the third quarter Turner had three straight crucial buckets to turn a 66-70 deficit into a 72-70 lead.  In the fourth quarter, Turner denied Vince Carter an attempt at the last shot (when he had been red hot in the quarter up until that point) to bring the Sixers a victory.  It was a complete performance from Turner on both ends of the floor who finished with a game-high 22 points and showed an organization the type of player he’s capable of being on a more consistent basis.  Turner’s now scored 10 or more points in the last seven games while adding at least four rebounds and three assists.  In fact Evan has now scored 10 or more points in 11 of the Sixers 15 games this season (73%).  Last season Turner scored 10 or more in just 28-of-66 games (42%).

Great game from Jrue, up until the fourth quarter.  Two crucial turnovers, a couple late misses and a foul on O.J. Mayo which could have cost the Sixers a win.  I was rooting for Jrue to score 20 points so I could research when the last time three different Sixers reached 20 or more points in a game, unfortunately it didn’t happen.  However 18 points, seven assists and three steals is a great performance in my book.  His defense on O.J. Mayo deserved applause and he made a few awe-inspiring passes to open teammates.  He took a step back in terms of turnovers, but his plus’ outweighed his minus’ in the grand scheme of the game.

Richardson hit two straight three’s to open the game, but then didn’t score the rest of the night. However, he played solid defense with three steals, he had eight first half rebounds and the Sixers were +13 with him on the court. Hard to argue with his playing time.

Wright’s playing time was one of the things I was upset about in this game.  The Sixers were up 87-81 when Wright exited the game midway through the fourth quarter.  He had just had a huge dunk a couple plays earlier for his first points of the game, but he had played a large role as a facilitator and defender up until that point.  Swaggy P on the other hand was having a terrible game and terrible fourth quarter up until that point, but for some reason when it came time for Thad to check back into the game it was Swaggy and not Wright who was allowed to stay on the court.  I don’t know what Wright did for Collins to be dogging him like this, but after a great start to the season I would’ve expected Wright to be respected a little more than this.

For the most part, Hawes was a non-factor in this game.  He had a couple big buckets in the fourth and a big steal, but really disappointing overall.  He’s now gone nine-straight games without 10 rebounds and had just two in this game.  If he doesn’t start getting physical, Collins will find minutes for guys who are willing to bang no matter how much shorter they may be.

Were you as happy as I was watching Kwame Brown in this game?  He was physical, he was smart, he was efficient, he was active on the boards and he showed toughness.  Literally every question I had about Kwame was answered in his 16 minutes of playing time.  He can be a productive player in this League, he really just has to be aggressive and to stay focused.  I admittedly am a hater of Kwame, but I was excited for him watching this game.  The crowd, after booing him when he first entered the game, was even behind him by the end of the game.  If Kwame can start to do this every night then maybe Doug Collins knew what he was doing all along.  If not…I go back to my realistic expectations.

Before the game I asked Maalik how he had felt getting his first real production in the NBA in the teams win over Pheonix and he responded, “I’m getting more comfortable.  I know what to do now and I’m getting more acclimated to it.  I’m trying to make the most of my minutes whether it’s five minutes or seven minutes, whatever it is I’m trying to make the most of it and to come out successful.”  In Maalik’s most extensive minutes of the season against the Mavs, he had his ups and downs but ultimately showed that he can be more than effective for the team this season.  He had eight first half points and showed that his speed is something that could be dangerous to an opposition. He was crossed up to the floor by Collison, but came back with a three.  He was blocked by Brand, but came right back at the rim and was hacked for two.  He left Collison wide open for a three, but attacked the rim right after and got two more from the line.  Inconsistency is supposed to come with being a rookie, give Maalik some playing time to get comfortable and he could be dangerous.

Horrible game.  Should’ve played at least 10 minutes less than he did.  His only points came off of a runner/floater where he almost turned the ball over.  He also made a careless pass for an easy two and simply took his eyes off a pass on another occasion.  Despite the crowds “swag” chants, this guy deserved some bench time.

A solid night for LA overall, but his bucket at the 9:24 mark of the 4th was HUGE as it ended an 11-0 run by the Suns and kept the Sixers afloat in this one.

I was expecting a bigger scoring punch from Thad last night, but with Holiday going off it wasn’t really necessary. His defense (along with the rest of this team) is still a work in progress.

Poor overall shooting aside, I thought ET played a very solid game.  I’m not sure I want him shooting so many 3-balls every night (career high three 3PM), but the one he knocked home in the early 4th was big.  Of course he also gave me at heart attack with the missed FT at the end.

Only two players in the last 35 years of Sixers basketball have put up numbers like ‘The Jruth” did last night.  The other one was “The Answer” — 38 points and 15 assists against the Orlando Magic on Jan. 26, 2006. – and he’s headed to the HoF…Just sayin’ (More on Jrue’s night later).

Obviously the Sixers need J-Rich to shoot better, but still a decent night all-around.  His 3PM in the 4th that pushed the Sixers out to a 00-97 lead was clutch.

He was probably so shocked at getting playing time that he didn’t know how to react.

Another effort by Wright that should help pull him out of DC’s dog house.  Love that his FT shooting is automatic.

An okay night from Hawes, but he can not fall off if this team is to succeed without Bynum.  20 mins of play and only 2 boards is unacceptable.

My favorite stretch took place near the end of the third quarter and than into the 4th Q when Kwame air balled a FT; had his slam attempt blocked at the 3rd Q horn and then got called for an illegal screen to open the 4th (?able call).

The FG Swaggy P hit in the 3rd Q was huge as it allowed the Sixers to keep pace with PHX.  Other than that, he was a non-factor.