Getty Sixers guard De'Anthony Melton has been a "monster" defensively, according to Joel Embiid.
The Philadelphia 76ers threw the kitchen sink at Devin Booker on Monday night. Their bigs blitzed the perennial All-Star on the perimeter and elbows, including one memorable possession where Joel Embiid locked him up.
But the real star of the show was newcomer De’Anthony Melton who put Booker in jail. Sure, the box score will show the 6-foot-5 guard finished with 28 points on 8-of-16 shooting. Sure, he exploded for 14 points in the third quarter. That was the exception to the rule as head coach Doc Rivers made the smart decision to mirror Booker’s minutes with Melton’s.
“He was awesome,” Rivers said. “I thought DeAnthony Melton defensively was awesome.”
Paul Reed and De’Anthony Melton on the court together is a recipe for nonstop turnovers
Sixers defense has looked much better as a whole
Booker attempted just one shot in the fourth quarter, a short miss near the rim with 5:52 showing on the clock. He couldn’t find any breathing room with Melton suffocating him.
“He’s a monster defensively,” Embiid said of Melton. “He’s got such great hands. He’s physical. I don’t even know what to say. He’s amazing.”
Melton uses his length to deflect and steal a pass he probably had no business getting his hands on, then sets up Embiid to be fouled. Excellent two-way production from him right now
“I think De’Anthony did a great job of being in his air space and making him take tough looks time after time,” Tobias Harris said. “I just think, all night, his presence was felt on the defensive end.”
Embiid Praises Sixers Defensive Effort vs. Suns
The Sixers had really been struggling on the defensive end without Embiid in the starting five. They were forced to over-switch at times, inserting P.J. Tucker at center in a small-ball lineup and rotating Tobias Harris over to handle opposing big men in certain situations.
Joel Embiid locking up 6’5″ Devin Booker …
It was a recipe for disaster, especially with Montrezl Harrell posting a career-worst 114 defensive rating per 100 possessions so far this season. The gameplan changed drastically for the better on Monday night, something Embiid was quick to point out.
“Just being ourselves,” Embiid said. “Previously, we have been trying to do a lot of switching going one through five. I can do it but if you’re going to do it the whole game that can become a challenge, chasing guards all over the place. What I’m good at is protecting the rim and making sure no one gets in there. I think tonight we just had a different gameplan.”
Doc Rivers said he knew this was a defensive night so he went with Paul Reed. “I thought he was spectacular,” Doc said of Reed.
Rivers also went exclusively with Paul Reed as the backup center against Phoenix. Harrell — 14 points in 29 minutes for -4 versus New York — saw zero minutes and the Sixers reaped the rewards in a 100-88 victory.
Doc Rivers, Georges Niang Promote Election Day
The NBA really wants people to go out and vote this Election Day (November 8). Sixers and Suns players sported black t-shirts with the word “Vote” printed on them prior to tipoff on Monday night. One day later, Doc Rivers and Georges Niang were set to appear at polling locations as part of the team’s Vote 76 initiative, which included a bus tour with several stops all over the city as a way to “encourage citizens to vote.”
Rivers started his post-game press conference with a plea to fans everywhere: “Now that the game is over, please vote.”
feeling good after last night’s W? you will feel even better after voting today.
GET OUT AND VOTE 🗳️ – visit: t.co/HLbIl6YMSE for voting resources and info