Jared McCain, Guerschon Yabusele anchor Sixers’ much-needed bench performance in overtime win

Jared McCain calls his in-game mindset “feel the dance,” which is useful while guarding Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball late in overtime.

Jeff Dowtin Jr. stays ready by keeping the same daily routine, down to his pregame pasta with chicken, shrimp, and broccoli.

Guerschon Yabusele responded to the unexpected news that he would be starting Sunday’s second half by racing to the court to fire a couple extra shots.

» READ MORE: Paul George ‘frustrated’ to sit out OT, feels lucky they pulled out victory vs. Hornets

Those approaches yielded much-needed results for all three 76ers reserves, whom coach Nick Nurse called “outstanding” in their team’s 107-105 overtime victory over the Hornets at the Wells Fargo Center. McCain, Yabusele, and Dowtin combined for 58 points, prompting the coach to reward each player with key minutes throughout as the Sixers snapped a five-game losing skid.

“It was a great lift,” Nurse said after the game. " … It was time to shake it up just a little bit.”

A significant reason for those players’ increased scoring opportunity was, of course, the Sixers’ ongoing roster depletion during this disappointing 2-7 start plagued by several offensive droughts. Sunday’s outing was the last of Joel Embiid’s three-game suspension for shoving Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes during a Nov. 2 locker room altercation. Tyrese Maxey missed his second consecutive game with a hamstring injury. And Paul George (15 points, nine assists) remained on a minutes restriction in his return from a preseason knee bone bruise, keeping him on the bench for Sunday’s overtime of a delayed home debut.

Yet Nurse also acknowledged that McCain (team- and career-high 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting), Yabusele (career-high 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting, eight rebounds), and Dowtin (11 points on 4-of-7 shooting) at least temporarily overtook more experienced teammates.

Dowtin’s entrance was the first rotation surprise, holding the backup point guard role instead of Reggie Jackson. Yabusele then began the second half over Andre Drummond, and played down the stretch of the fourth quarter and overtime. McCain got second-half stints over Eric Gordon and Kelly Oubre Jr., and had the ball in his hands in crunch time to create his own shot.

“You start the season, and you’re going to give those veteran guys the first cracks at stuff,” Nurse said. “That’s the way I’m going to do it, until you think that maybe it’s, OK, you’ve given them a couple shots here and there, and you’re not exactly where it wants to be.

“So then you’re going with some younger guys. I think that was part of the decision.”

Dowtin scored nine first-half points, and played a stretch before the break with starter Kyle Lowry. Yabusele scored 12 during the third quarter, on a mixture of deep paint finishes and three-pointers to boost a team that went 1-of-14 from long range in the first half. McCain totaled 13 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, including multiple go-ahead shots late in the fourth and a layup that put the Sixers up, 103-102, with less than 90 seconds remaining in the extra frame.

» READ MORE: So far, Guerschon Yabusele has been a critical frontcourt pickup for the Sixers

“I just try to take it moment-by-moment,” McCain said. “Be present. And when you’re present, I feel like you react in the moment and you feel everything that’s happening around you.”

Those players were not perfect during Sunday’s victory, however. McCain was guarding Ball on his dazzling corner three-pointer to force overtime, which McCain called “just the worst feeling, when you know you kind of messed up.” Yabusele missed two free throws that could have put the Sixers up three points with five seconds remaining in the extra period, before Caleb Martin grabbed the rebound. The Sixers led by as many as 16 in the second half.

And Nurse surely is not done tinkering with personnel, as he aims to identify pathways to win while playing without one or multiple stars. KJ Martin was out of the rotation Sunday, while Gordon played 17 minutes but zero in the fourth or overtime. Oubre, a starter, was not on the floor in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, but certainly will be in the future.

Sunday’s key reserves, though, vow to make the effort to remain ready. Yabusele said he keeps focus by studying details — such as which opposing players are popping and rolling off picks, and who might be off to a hot shooting start — during the game’s opening minutes. McCain says staying alert is the only option, because when Nurse calls to the bench, “he screams it, and it’s almost like your heart skips a beat.”

“And sometimes, when he says ‘Eric,’ I think he’s saying ‘Jared,’” McCain said. “Maybe it’s just me wanting to go in the game.”

McCain turned that desire into success Sunday. Ditto for Yabusele and Dowtin. Then, the rookie brought evidence of that much-needed performance along to his postgame news conference: The game ball, passed from assistant Rico Hines to Maxey to present to McCain.

“I’m just learning how I’m going to play in the NBA,” McCain said. “And I’m hopefully learning fast.”