The Sixers are aiming to halt their slippage on defense, especially in transition: ‘We’ve got to be better’

LOS ANGELES — Although the 76ers’ win over the Lakers on Sunday came down to a defensive stand — one confirmed by the NBA’s two-minute report, which concluded that Joel Embiid did not foul Russell Westbrook on his drive to the basket — Embiid and coach Doc Rivers were not thrilled with their team’s overall effort on that end of the floor.

“We’ve got to be better,” Embiid said. “We haven’t been good the past four or five games on that end. I think that’s where it starts with us. We’re still top five [in efficiency], but we should be the best defense in the league.”

The Sixers’ defensive slippage actually goes back further than Embiid’s calculation. Though they entered Tuesday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers ranked fourth in efficiency (110.5 points allowed per 100 possessions), they were 19th in that category during their previous 10 games (115.6 points per 100 possessions).

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That sample size, which includes a season-high 133 points surrendered Thursday during a home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, essentially coincides with Tyrese Maxey’s return from a fractured foot. It’s reasonable to assume that is part of the reason for Rivers’ recent commitment to lineup experimentation, particularly when perimeter disrupter De’Anthony Melton moves into the starting or closing lineups.

Matisse Thybulle, an All-Defensive second-team selection the last two seasons, has recently described a collective buy-in from his teammates on that end of the floor. Even James Harden, who has long been regarded as a significant defensive liability, has been breaking huddles with the word “defense,” Thybulle said.

Yet during this 10-game stretch, the Sixers rank 27th in opponents’ three-point percentage (38.9), with wide-open looks often created by defenders getting beaten off the dribble on drives to the basket before a kick-out pass when help arrives. The Sixers also have been a poor rebounding team all season, entering Tuesday ranked 28th in the NBA with 40.7 per game. They are even worse in transition, allowing the second-highest total of fastbreak points in the league (16.7 per game) entering Tuesday.

Improving in that last category, Thybulle said, begins with better anticipation on the offensive end of the floor.

“Knowing your teammates and knowing when they’re getting to their spots and they’re going to shoot it,” Thybulle said, “and then being able to get back and get ahead of the offense. Then, communicating when you’re back, so we can either find our matchups or be cross-matched and not get out of position.”

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Melton missed Tuesday’s shootaround at UCLA with a non-COVID illness, the Sixers said, but was listed as probable to play against the Clippers on the NBA’s injury report.

Melton, who started against the Lakers as part of Rivers’ new matchup-centric approach to the first unit, entered Tuesday ranked fourth in the NBA in steals (1.9 per game) and tied for sixth in deflections (3.4). He was also averaging a career-high 11.2 points per game on 39.5% shooting from three-point range, while adding 4.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.