76ers defeat Nuggets, 117-110

BALKAN PRESS | 02/09/2019 | NBA | No Comments

The 76ers Chip Away The Nuggets, 117-110 on Friday night Harris fit like a glove. On their first night together, the new look 76ers gave us a taste of something special.

GM Elton Brand’s wheeling-and-dealing, it really feels like the 76ers have assembled what they wanted for the stretch run towards greatness. I have to say, I’m feeling pretty darn great.

Forward Tobias Harris in a trade with the LA Clippers, 76ers general manager Elton Brand declared Friday morning that Philadelphia’s time to win is now.

While it wasn’t pretty at certain junctures, having a guy like Tobias Harris round out the starting 5 added more layers to a starting lineup that was already one of the best in the league. To put it simply, Harris fit like a glove. In the first quarter we saw how potent the offense could be in terms of spacing and creation. In the fourth quarter, we saw how switchable and devastating the defense can close out a game.

Furthermore, it was apparent that the addition of another play-maker on offense would open things up for the rest of the team. In a game where Joel Embiid looked like he got bit by Zombie Chandler and Ben Simmons soaked his hands in oil, it was JJ Redick that exploded to carry the team to a victory. Redick already stresses defense by his constant movement and deadly shooting. Add in another thing for opposing defenses to think about and just watch as they have to pick their poison.

Philadelphia sent out four players — including Markelle Fultz, the first overall pick in the 2017 draft — and brought back five others in three trades, completing a dramatic roster overhaul that Brand hopes will allow the team to return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2001.

He paid a heavy price to acquire Harris, center Boban Marjanovic and forward Mike Scott from the Clippers. Brand traded two first-round picks — the Sixers’ own lottery-protected pick in 2020 and the Miami Heat’s unprotected 2021 first-rounder — plus the Detroit Pistons’ second-round picks in 2021 and 2023, along with forward Wilson Chandler, rookie guard Landry Shamet and forward Mike Muscala.

“We had to add a player like that when we had the opportunity,” Brand said of Harris, who averaged 20.9 points and shot 43.4 percent from 3-point range for the Clippers this season.

“We had targeted him as a player we would want if he became available, and we coveted him. We know he fits great into our system and he’ll do well.”