Philly Sports Jabronis
Report From Philadelphia 76ers
Game Recap: Bulls 111, 76ers 88
Down their leading rebounder in Nerlens Noel, the 76ers (0-7) called upon the other half of their young, promising low-post tandem to shoulder a bigger burden on the glass. Jahlil Okafor was up to the challenge, delivering a strong rebounding display in his team’s 111-88 loss to the Chicago Bulls (5-3) on Monday at The Center. With 21 points and 15 rebounds, the third overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft became just the fifth player in league history to reach those statistical marks before turning 20 years old.
Taking on a Bulls’ frontline that featured All-Star Pau Gasol and 2015 NBA Rookie of the Year runner-up Nikola Mirotic, Okafor battled away. A steady rebounding presence throughout the night, he managed to hit just two of his 12 field goal tries in the first half. He then settled in following intermission, converting 7 of final 13 attempts from the floor. Jerami Grant, Richaun Holmes, and Phil Pressey all finished with 11 points. T.J. McConnell had eight assists.
While the Sixers strung together a 22-4 run to jump in front by three points mid-way through the second quarter, Chicago clamped down from there. The Bulls outscored the Sixers by 14 points in the second half. Derrick Rose produced 12 points and seven assists, while Mirotic tallied 20 points and 10 rebounds. Doug McDermott totaled 18 points.
Top Moment:
Even more so than usual in these early days of his NBA career, Jahlil Okafor found himself under the microscope, due to the wrist soreness that kept Nerlens Noel out of the game. On Monday, it was a week ago to the day that Okafor, following a loss to Cleveland, approached Brett Brown about wanting to improve his defensive rebounding. He stepped up against Chicago, not only snagging nine defensive boards, but also becoming the youngest player in franchise history to haul in more than 10 caroms overall in a single game. The company that Okafor now keeps in having registered a 21 point, 15-rebound performance prior to his 20th birthday? Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, and Anthony Randolph.
Brett Brown Said – On the Sixers’ three rookie frontcourt players, Richaun Holmes, Jahlil Okafor, and Christian Wood:
“What I saw [Monday], the two young bigs [Holmes, Wood] were impressive. I was most pleased with Jahlil. We talked to him a lot about the few areas that can make him great, because he has the gift of scoring. But his rebounding, to have 15 rebounds…and play 31 minutes, I think he responded to us trying to help. For me to see him respond the way he did, and make a great effort to get better at that, I’m proud of that.”
Of Note:
Going into Monday’s game, it seemed as if the only injury issue the Sixers were dealing with was the left eye scratch suffered by Jerami Grant in Saturday’s loss to the Orlando Magic. When Brett Brown met with reporters before tip-off, he gave good news about Grant, saying the second-year small forward would start for a fourth consecutive contest. Brown then revealed, though, that Nerlens Noel would miss his first game of the new season due to both right and left wrist injuries.
“He flipped…in Cleveland. He came down and he’s got two sore wrists,” explained Brett Brown, referring to a play on Friday where Noel had his “legs taken out” on a lob attempt.
“We just felt like instead of him chasing, we’re going to just rest him. It’s a big week, and try to get him back on track for the Toronto game.”
Beginning with Wednesday’s meeting against the Raptors, the Sixers will play three times in four days. The final two games of that stretch will come on the road against perennial Western Conference powers, Oklahoma City and San Antonio.
Brown also updated the timeline of Robert Covington’s recovery from his second right knee sprain, saying the sharp-shooter could be back by Saturday’s game at the Spurs.
For the first time in his professional career, Jahlil Okafor had the opportunity to suit up against his hometown team. Even though the game was played in Philadelphia, rather than his native Chicago, Okafor still placed significance on the match-up.
“Growing up, those are guys that I cheered for,” Okafor said Monday, referring to members of Chicago’s roster. “When they were in the playoffs with Joakim [Noah], Derrick Rose, when Jimmy Butler started blowing up, I was one of his biggest fans. So it’s definitely should be a special feeling knowing that I’m playing against my hometown team.”
The Windy City boasts a prolific hoops pedigree.
“We have a lot of pride in our basketball, and me knowing I’m from Chicago, I know I have to go out there and play hard every day,” Okfor said when asked about the contributions his birth city has made to hoops. “There’s a lot of pride knowing I’m from Chicago, and it’s a great feeling knowing that we have done a lot of things on the basketball court.”
Okafor and the Sixers pay their first of two visits to Chicago on Monday, December 14th.
Another Chicagoland product wound up in the Sixers’ starting line-up on Monday as well. Richaun Holmes, the 6’10,” 245-pound power forward from Bowling Green, was called upon to fill-in for Nerlens Noel. A second-round selection in this past June’s NBA Draft, Holmes went into the Sixers’ match-up with Chicago having notched 18 points and 9 rebounds his previous three appearances.
“Let’s just start with toughness,” Brett Brown said when discussing the attributes of Holmes that have stood out. “I see someone that loves the physical challenge of the game. I see him having the ability to rebound in traffic, gather himself and go back and dunk on people. I think he comes with tremendous spirit, being a great teammate. I think he’s just got a big bounce. I’m excited to see him play. I think he can compliment Jahlil [Okafor].”
Holmes set a new personal-best with 11 points against the Bulls.
Next Up:
The Sixers close their three-game homestand by welcoming the defending Atlantic Division champion Toronto Raptors (5-2) to The Center on Wednesday at 7:00 PM EST. Toronto, for a second straight season, established a new franchise record for victories, collecting 49 of them. This off-season, Toronto was aggressive in free agency, with DeMarre Carroll being the most noteworthy of several veteran signings.
