Getty Philadelphia 76ers wing Danny Green throws a pass during a game against the Houston Rockets.
Tobias Harris is receiving a lot of credit for the Philadelphia 76ers‘ big win over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday, and rightfully so. After a monster first half, Harris finished the game with 29 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and two steals in a 129-105 blowout.
It was a much-needed outburst given the fact that the Sixers were without the services of both Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.
However, it wasn’t Harris alone who propelled Philly to a big win over a hungry Kings squad. Among the myriad of players picking up the slack for the absent Sixers stars was Danny Green, who did what he has done throughout the 2020-21 campaign.
He made a major difference for his club without drawing too much attention to himself.
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Doc Rivers Speaks on Green’s Low-Key Impact
While Harris led the way in the win — and “Sniper” Shake Milton dropped a cool 28 as well — Green put up a praise-worthy line, too. In 32 minutes of play, the 33-year-old scored 18 points on seven of 13 shooting and four of six from deep. He also added three rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Consequently, the Sixers outscored Sacramento by 33 points when he was on the floor. In spite of the other show-out performances, it was a game-high plus/minus score.
According to Sixers coach Doc Rivers, though, Green being a low-key game-changer is nothing new. In fact, he has been doing it for his entire career.
“He’s being Danny Green, when you think about it,” Rivers said during his post-game presser. “You can say that’s been his whole career. No one talked about him in San Antonio. They had Tim Duncan and [Manu] Ginobili and [Tony] Parker and all those other guys. No one talked about him in Toronto. They had Kyle Lowry and Kawhi [Leonard]. No one talked about him last year with the Lakers.”
“It doesn’t affect him, I can tell you that,” he said. “He just does his job, happy to do it — good for your team.”
Green has been good for his team all season long. His net swing (5.1) is actually better than that of Simmons (4.1). And for a squad that doesn’t get three-point shots up at the same rate as other teams across the Association, his team-high 2.4 makes per contest have been especially important.
Green on His X-Factor Status
When asked about his status as one of the NBA’s ultimate unsung heroes, Green was his usual, low-key self in commenting. Instead of talking up his own game, he took the opportunity to dole out credit to others.
“I just come in and try to do my job, man. A lot of that I learned in San Antonio. Me learning from Pop, Timmy, Tony, Manu; but being around greats — I’ve been blessed to be around some great teammates and coaches.”
He also made a point to shout-out Rivers for his efforts in directing the team.
“Doc has been great with helping us understand what he wants from us every night — whether who’s healthy, who’s not — he’s done a great job of managing minutes and bodies. Even though we haven’t had healthy guys all the way through, we’re figuring out ways, lineups and defensive coverages to give us a chance.”
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This Sixers Forward Is Flying Under the Radar as a Key Cog