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James Harden has been trying to be more aggressive on offense, especially late in games. Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers blamed himself for not unleashing The Beard. Memo sent and delivered.
The Beard went off for 24 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter of Friday’s 111-101 win over Dallas. Harden was explosive, attacking the rim at will while knocking down two step-back triples. He also set up his teammates with ease as evidenced by 12 total dimes. One of those lucky guys was Matisse Thybulle.
The Sixers’ defensive stopper buried three 3-pointers versus the Mavericks and finished with 10 points. Thybulle has been trusting his shot more and more in recent games. He has gone 4-of-7 from deep while averaging 8 points per game since March 14. Harden loves what he’s seeing out of Thybulle. He’s been in the youngster’s ear a lot.
“Matisse works on his shot every single day. I’m in the gym, I see him, so I’m overly confident in him taking that shot,” Harden told reporters. “Especially if it’s in rhythm, he’s open. Shoot it.
“He puts the work in for it. Shoot the shot. He makes a couple of those and the game opens up for him a lot. He works so hard defensively that he deserves to get a couple offensively.”
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Thybulle Takes Subtle Shot at Luka Doncic
Thybulle came into Friday’s game with a pretty specific comparison for Mavericks star Luka Doncic. The 25-year-old had matched up many times with Doncic over the years, including at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. He walked away thinking “sluggish” thoughts.
“There’s no slowing him down because he moves at a snail’s pace,” Thybulle said, via Sixers Wire. “But just being physical with him. He’s such a big guard, the small movements he does is all he really needs to create advantages. So for me being like a slimmer, quicker guy, just try to be physical and keep him on his heels a little bit.”
Doncic was held relatively in check by Thybulle and company the other night. He finished three rebounds shy of a triple-double: 17 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds. That’s a manageable stat line, one plenty of NBA defenders would be proud to own against Doncic.
Georges Niang Explodes, No More ‘Dead’ Legs
Georges Niang had been catching heat for an awkward 3-pointer that clanked off the side of the backboard during a 114-110 loss to Denver. Rivers blamed it on “dead” legs after Niang struggled in back-to-back games while going a combined 3-of-17 from the field.
But Niang looked well rested and determined against Dallas. The 6-foot-7 forward dropped 12 points, including four timely daggers from deep. The three-point specialist was back.
“What you love about Georges, he drowns out any other noise,” Rivers said on Friday. “Georges can miss 50 straight shots, and then he’s going to take the next one. It’s a great lesson for everyone because Georges can shoot. That’s what his job is. So he should continue to shoot them. I think it’s great for our young guys to see that.”
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