Sixers pull away from Pelicans late to win, 117-107 | Analysis

Tyrese Maxey stood near center court, hands on his head and eyes wide open as the New Orleans Pelicans’ Nikeil Alexander-Walker stepped to the line for a pair of third-quarter free throws.

The 76ers point guard’s pose exemplified his team’s Tuesday-night slog against an inferior opponent. It took until the fourth quarter for the Sixers to shake free, but improved defense and big offensive nights stars Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris propelled them to a 117-107 victory at the Wells Fargo Center.

“Just our energy, our effort, our communication out there was better in the second half,” said Harris, who finished with 33 points and 11 rebounds. “And we just rolled with that from there.”

It was the Sixers’ 15th victory in 18 games since Christmas. But it was far from an inspired performance against a Pelicans team (18-29) that had won four of its past six games but was missing four starters and playing on the second night of a back-to-back. This game was originally scheduled for Dec. 19, but was postponed when the Sixers had too many players injured and in COVID-19 protocols.

The Sixers outscored New Orleans 67-49 in the seconds half. They finally seized the lead for good when Harris broke a 95-95 tie with an and-one finish and free throw with less than eight minutes to play. Joel Embiid then made it a two-possession game with two free throws that made the score 102-97 about two minutes later, before following with a jumper on the Sixers’ next possession. The advantage then grew to double digits at 108-98 on two more Embiid foul shots with less than four minutes to play.

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That the Sixers needed a combined 75 points from their two stars demonstrated how much of a struggle the night was. Still, they propelled their team to victory.

Embiid’s 30-point performances are officially becoming routine. He reached that mark for the 16th time in 18 games, finishing with 42 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists and a season-high-tying 4 blocks. Embiid crossed the 30-point threshold on two free throws in the third quarter, before totaling 12 points in the decisive final period. He made 12 of his 24 field-goal attempts and 18 of his 20 free throws.

Embiid described his performance as “really bad” in the first half, when he went 6-of-11 from the floor but allowed the Pelicans’ Willy Hernangomez to rack up 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting.

“I’d really had enough at halftime,” Embiid said. “I just really needed to be aggressive offensively and especially defensively.”

Another bright spot of a so-so night was Harris’ efficiency, which also kept the Sixers within striking distance in the first half. He connected on 13 of his 19 shots and finished with his seventh double-double of the season. It was his fourth consecutive 20-point game, and his fifth in his past six games.

Sixers coach Doc Rivers said Harris has gotten back to his quick decision-making. With so many players out for the Pelicans, Harris was also able to take advantage of matching up against smaller defenders. And following a “flat” first quarter as a team, Harris’ goal was to provide a spark while playing with the reserves in the second quarter.

“Just try to pick up the energy for the whole group,” Harris said. “We were able to create some good ball movement, swing-swings, for some shots.”

Added Rivers: “When he [is quick with the ball in his hands], he has a size and speed advantage. When he doesn’t do it, he allows guys to get into his body, get their hand on the ball. It’s just so night-and-day when he does it. ... He’s been doing it a lot the last four or five games. You can feel him getting back to the pace of last year, which is important for us.”

Harris made six of his first seven shots, including both three-pointers and three consecutive buckets (plus a technical free throw) to pull the Sixers within 39-36 midway through the period. He finished the first half with 17 points and five rebounds.

Embiid and Harris connected when the big man found Harris for a go-ahead three-pointer that put the Sixers up 66-64 midway through the third quarter.

Despite the Pelicans being in the second night of a back-to-back set, the Sixers were sluggish, facing deficits of 18-10 early, double digits in the second quarter and 58-50 at the break.

Two sequences epitomized the Sixers’ flat approach. A jump ball between the 7-foot-2 Embiid and an incredibly generously listed 6-foot Jose Alvarado — who did not even attempt to challenge Embiid — still somehow wound up in the Pelicans’ possession, leading to a Hernangomez and-one finish. Then in the quarter’s final seconds, Hernangomez secured the offensive rebound off an Alvarado missed free throw for the putback.

New Orleans shot 52.3% from the floor before the break, scoring 34 points in the paint and going 6-of-12 from deep. The Pelicans also scored 13 points off an uncharacteristic nine turnovers from the Sixers. Hernangomez finished with 21 of his 29 points before the break.

“In the first half, everything was easy for them,” Embiid said. “They were able to get to their spots, but we did a better job in the second half.”

The Sixers particularly tightened up in the fourth quarter, holding the Pelicans to 8-of-21 shooting from the floor while making 10 of their 16 shot attempts. They outscored New Orleans 31-21 in that period.

After missing five games with a shoulder sprain, Thybulle returned to the starting lineup. He finished with 3 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in 33 minutes.

He primarily guarded Alexander-Walker, who finished with 31 points on 11-of-22 shooting, including 5-of-9 from deep. Thybulle missed his only first-half shot, an open corner three-pointer, and could not convert a tiebreaking attempt under the basket midway through the third.

But Thybulle did collect impact plays in the second half.

Early in the third quarter, Thybulle swatted a shot away from Alvarado. A couple of minutes later, he poked the ball away in traffic, which led to an Embiid and-one finish. Shortly after that, he dished a pass to Korkmaz for a three-pointer that cut the Pelicans’ lead to 64-63 with less than eight to play in the period. Thybulle converted a backward shot under the basket for an and-one, then hit the free throw that tied the score at 73. Then, he grabbed a steal that led to a Maxey driving layup that gave the Sixers an 80-78 lead.

Rivers said he thought Thybulle got tired in the first half, but “we kept him out there anyway to fight through it a little bit.”

“You can tell when guys haven’t played,” Rivers said. “The physicality of the game, the pace of the game, it kind of catches you. Then by the second half, I thought he had got in his rhythm pretty good.”

Thybulle’s return moved two-way wing Charlie Brown back to a reserve role, where he finished with 0-for-1 from the floor in 4 minutes. Brown’s brief stint came in an unorthodox lineup with Furkan Korkmaz, Isaiah Joe, Georges Niang, and Andre Drummond while overlapping the first and second quarters. The Sixers played again without Seth Curry (ankle), Danny Green (hip) and Shake Milton (back).