The Sixers faced Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks in their final scrimmage game Tuesday night and it was a barn-burner. The two teams faced off with the intensity NBA fans have been waiting six months for in what was a fitting finale to the NBA 2020 scrimmages.
Sixers Scrimmage Recap
First Half
Before the game, Brett Brown stated that for the team, the game would start and end defensively. That's not exactly how it went. The Sixers struggled to contain the Mavericks offense, especially, Kristaps Porziņģis. The Sixers had no answer for the Latvian Laser and didn't have much more luck initiating their own offense.
Starting the game 3-20 from the field, the Sixers were far from automatic and every shot seemed to come up short. Harris, Simmons, Horford, no one could find the bottom of the net and the Sixers were hurting for it.
In the second quarter the Sixers, namely Tobias Harris, found their offensive bearings. While Harris finally found success, the rest of the team was not so lucky. Ben Simmons was still struggling from the field and couldn't get a call to go his way.
Not known for their defense, the Mavericks looked like Bill Russell's Celtics holding the Sixers to 39 first-half points. The Sixers were dominated for the majority of the half and somehow the only reason they were still in the game was their three-point shooting. The Sixers shot over 38% from three but struggled in the paint, especially getting to the line, initially attempting five free-throws to the Mavericks' 17.
There were few positives for the Sixers in the first half but Tobias Harris finding his shot was huge.
Second Half
The Sixers came back in the second half with a vengeance. Swapping Ben Simmons for Matisse Thybulle, the Sixers had a rhythm they had not seen in the game. The team even managed to take the lead just two minutes into the second half.
Luka Dončić would come alive though and will his team back as the two squads began to battle it out in the match-up we expected. Harris and Dončić going nearly shot for shot, the two teams went at it like it was a playoff game.
In a familiar story the Sixers held a large lead and the bench squandered it leading to them working from behind in the final minutes. The game looked to be all but over if not for some heroics by Mike Scott.
Sixers Scrimmage Overtime
After Scott's clutch shot the Sixers were ready for five more minutes of basketball. With a lineup of Burks, Thybulle, Korkmaz, Scott, and O'Quinn. By all accounts, it looked as though Brett Brown was trying to win this game.
Alec Burks was essentially the Sixers offense in the overtime period scoring eight of their 12 points in OT. The Mavericks went with a small lineup and were able to outmaneuver the Sixers' more "traditional" squad.
Final Score: Mavericks 118 - Sixers 115
Takeaways listed on the page below.
Sixers Scrimmage Takeaways
1. Alec Burks is your new backup Point Guard
Burks' time in Philly has been, in a word, interesting. He has not been the player he was in Golden State but a lot of that is due to a change in role. He went from a team's go-to scorer to an undefined bench role. Burks may now have a role with the Sixers and it's one that many may not have expected.
Not long ago, Shake Milton was supposed to be the Sixers' backup Point Guard, but he's been a fast riser as not long before that, it would have been considered a luxury for him to even give them a boost. Now that he is officially the Starting Point Guard, that leaves the backup position open.
While likely much of that role will be filled by Josh Richardson and maybe even Ben Simmons himself, Burks has shown that he could be valuable in that spot. Burks showed great vision finding his teammates and racking up seven assists. He may not be called to these duties often but essentially by default, Alec Burks is your new backup Point Guard.
2. Matisse needs minutes
This may seem obvious but it cannot be overstated the rook needs minutes. It's not often you see rookies play heavy minutes in the playoffs, especially under Brett Brown, but Matisse Thybulle has certainly earned it. The vlogging sensation has played stellar defense and even more surprisingly, his offensive game has been strong.
Thybulle scored a very efficient 14 points against Dallas. While that type of offensive production may not pop off the stat-sheet, an efficient 10+ points paired with All-NBA defense is Thybulle's ceiling and he's reaching it sooner than expected.
He's active, tenacious, and wise beyond his years on the court. While technically a rookie, cerebrally, Thybulle is like a hardened NBA vet.
Though Coach Brown is typically hesitant to give rookies major minutes in meaningful games, he may not have much of a choice if Thybulle keeps forcing his hand.
3. Tobias Harris is a living bucket
Tobias Harris, the man, the myth, the legend. Before the game, I wrote about how Harris's jumper would be something to watch closely in this game. He answered those questions and many more about his offensive game. Harris scored an impressive 28 points while shooting 50% from three. He has done a remarkable job in every other area but to see Harris return to sharp-shooting form is certainly encouraging.
While he did struggle in the first quarter, Harris found his rhythm in the second quarter and was electric from there. He showed why the Sixers invested so much into him, now he just needs to build off of this performance.
It helps that Harris was able to score in a variety of ways. Obviously he was on from beyond the arc, but he also nailed five free-throws and did some major damage in the paint (seven of his ten makes were in the paint). Harris showed an inside out game that will be extremely helpful for a versatile Sixers' offense.
Harris took a huge step in the right direction against the Mavericks and hopefully he can keep it going throughout the rest of the regular/postseason.
Here They Come
That's it, that was the last Sixers scrimmage. It's time to resume the regular season. The Sixers have had their time to loosen up and prepare for the fight ahead. These next eight games will decide who they will inevitably face in the first round of the playoffs. While that may still be a while away, each game will play an equally important role in deciding how the Eastern Conference seeding will fall.
The Sixers will play their first game against Victor Oladipo and the Indiana Pacers Saturday night at 7:00PM EST.
Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
