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 to a 117-107 victory at the Wells Fargo Center.
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 finally seized the lead for good when Tobias 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.
Embiid and Harris carry again
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.
Another bright spot of an ugly night was Harris’ efficiency, which kept the Sixers within striking distance in the first half. He connected on 13 of his 19 shots for 33 points, and added 11 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season.
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.
Forgettable first half
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.
Thybulle returns
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.
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 a lineup with Furkan Korkmaz, Isaiah Joe, Georges Niang, and Andre Drummond that was largely ineffective while overlapping the first and second quarters.
