As the trade deadline nears, is the Sixers bench strong enough? | Off the Dribble

Good morning, 76ers fans. Even with injuries, the Sixers keep moving along. Sunday’s 101-100 overtime win in Madison Square Garden against New York was the Sixers’ second defensive struggle that resulted in victory against the Knicks in the past week.

It was the first of a season-long six-game road trip, which will resume Tuesday in San Francisco against the Golden State Warriors.

The trade deadline is Thursday and there will be plenty of speculation between now and then, especially concerning whether the Sixers need a bench upgrade.

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— Marc Narducci (offthedribble@inquirer.com)

The thought of many (including this reporter) has been that the Sixers need a bench upgrade by the trade deadline, but what if they don’t get one? Is this bench good enough to prosper?

Lately it has been.

What has made things more impressive is that with their recent injuries, while some reserves have had to start, the bench has still been productive. In the seven games since the All-Star break, the Sixers reserves have outscored their opposition in each game. That isn’t the only way to determine success, but it does illustrate how they have been productive.

Here is the list:

March 31: Sixers, 101, Knicks 100, OT, bench, 42-28

March 20: Sixers 129, Sacramento 105, bench 32-31

March 17: Milwaukee 109, Sixers 105 OT, bench 39-9

March 16: Sixers 99, New York 96, bench 30-29

March 14: Sixers 134, San Antonio, 99, bench 56-51

March 12: Sixers 127, Washington 101, bench, 56-38

March 11: Sixers 127, Chicago, 105, bench 55-33

Danny Green, who has started all 43 games for the Sixers (30-13), concedes that earlier in the season, there was some concern about the bench.

“There was a point where we were like, our bench isn’t deep enough, but now for sure we have full confidence in them, but I think the whole group is more confident,” Green said.

A major key to the bench is if Shake Milton is playing well. Milton scored 28 points as a starter Saturday against Sacramento, and had 21 off the bench Sunday against the Knicks.

In the six games he has come off the bench since the break, he has had mixed results. In three games, he averaged 5.3 points and shot 8-for-25 (32%). In the other three, he averaged 18 points and shot 24-for-44 (54.5%). More consistency from Milton will be needed.

Another thing to look for is the offensive contribution of Matisse Thybulle. His defense has been off the charts, but teams have left him open to shoot. Lately, he has come through. In the last seven games, he is shooting 11-for-19 (57.8%) from three-point range.

Dwight Howard has continued to provide energy, toughness and rebounding off the bench. He is fourth in the league in rebounds per 100 possessions (22.0).

In the last seven games, Furkan Korkmaz, who started Sunday but has come off the bench in the other six, has averaged 13.1 points and shot 17-for-38 (44.7%) from three.

He is prone to wild swings. During the last seven games, twice he has shot 1-for-6 from deep, but he also had games of 4-for-5, 4-for-4 and 3-for-4.

» READ MORE: Sixers’ D has been a major factor in their strong showing this season

Tony Bradley, has started in the absence of Joel Embiid, who missed his fifth straight game Sunday because of a bone bruise on his left knee. When Embiid plays, Bradley doesn’t see much time.

Mike Scott is averaging 16.8 minutes, and rookie Tyrese Maxey hasn’t earned regular rotation minutes, having not played in two of the seven games since the break. Maxey has shown flashes, but he hasn’t enjoyed nearly the playing time he did earlier in the season when the Sixers had more injuries and players were out due to health and safety protocols.

The key question the Sixers have to ask is whether the last seven games are a big enough example or if the bench still needs upgrades by the trade deadline. We will find out by Thursday.

Eastern Conference contenders Brooklyn and Milwaukee have already made player additions. Keith Pompey asks whether the Sixers will do the same.

David Murphy outlines the critical week that Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey faces leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline.

Ben Simmons endorses himself for NBA defensive player of the year. Simmons also offers some critical comments about the NCAA.

Pompey writes about Green, a three-time NBA champion, who has helped bring a winning culture to the Sixers.

Tobias Harris came close to his first career triple-double in Saturday’s win over Sacramento.

With the Sixers visiting Golden State on Tuesday, it’s appropriate to look at the three-point wizardry of the Warriors’ Stephen Curry, who has missed the last two games because of a tailbone contusion.

» READ MORE: Sixers coach Doc Rivers speaks out against rise of violence and discrimination toward Asian Americans

Curry is near or at the top in several three-point categories. Here are some of them, courtesy of the Warriors.

Most three-pointers made, NBA history

2,973 Ray Allen, 1,300 games

2,677 Curry, 738 games

2,560 Reggie Miller, 1,389 games

Curry has averaged 3.67 threes per game. Allen has averaged 2.28 per game, and Miller has averaged 1.84.

Longest streaks with at least one three-pointer made

157 games, Curry — Nov. 13, 2014 to Nov. 3, 2016

127 games Kyle Korver, Nov. 4, 2012 to March 2, 2014

101 games, Curry, Dec. 1, 2018 to present

95 games, Klay Thompson, Dec. 11, 2016 to Jan. 8, 2018

89 games, Dana Barros, Dec. 23, 1994 to Jan. 10, 1996

Games with 10 or more three-pointers in NBA history

17, Curry

5, Klay Thompson

3, James harden, Damian Lillard, J.R. Smith

Barring an extended absence, Curry should be the Warriors’ all-time leading scorer by season’s end. Here are the top three:

Wilt Chamberlain, 17,783

Curry 17,549

Rick Barry, 16,447

Tuesday: Sixers at Golden State Warriors, 10 p.m., Chase Center, TNT/NBC Sports Philadelphia

Thursday: Sixers at Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m., Staples Center, TNT

Saturday: Sixers at Los Angeles Clippers, 10 p.m. Staples Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia/NBA TV

March 30: Sixers at Denver Nuggets, 9 p.m., Ball Arena, NBA Sports Philadelphia/NBA TV

April 1: Sixers at Cleveland Cavaliers, 7 p.m., Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Question: Ask Doc if he’s going to encourage Ben to shoot at least 1 15 footer a game, not 3 pointers just to keep the defense honest. — Patrick Tran from Facebook

Answer: Thanks for the question, Patrick. Doc Rivers has been asked this several times, and his answer is always the same. He likes Simmons to have the ball and doesn’t care where he shoots from. He does want Simmons to take it to the basket with authority and to be aggressive but Rivers said he doesn’t care if Simmons shoots threes or shorter-range jumpers.

One thing I would add: People think that if Simmons takes jumpers that the defense will play closer to him, but that won’t be the case until he consistently makes those shots. Defenders will give him a medium- or longer-range jump shot all day, and that is how it will be in the playoffs. Simmons would have to hit more than a few for this strategy to change.

Send questions by email to mnarducci@inquirer.com or @sjnard on Twitter.