How LeBron-less Sixers overcame a 22-rebound deficit and still won by 11 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Ask anyone around the Sixers when this new group will fully understand what it can become, and the answer tends to sound the same.
It is far too early.
Three games have nevertheless revealed something about them. The Sixers are finding different ways to win.
They survived a difficult shooting night against the Knicks by turning defense into transition offense. They erased a 29-point deficit against the Cavaliers. On Saturday, they beat the Bucks without LeBron James while getting outrebounded by 22.
On the first leg of a back-to-back, Milwaukee grabbed 62 rebounds to Philadelphia’s 40. The Bucks collected 17 offensive boards and scored 20 second-chance points.
The Sixers still won by 11.
According to Sportradar, it was only the 26th game since rebound differential began being tracked in 1974-75 in which a team won by double digits despite getting outrebounded by at least 22. It was the first such win in Sixers history.
The last time Philadelphia won any game with a rebound deficit of at least 20 was April 20, 1989, when Charles Barkley, Hersey Hawkins and the Sixers beat the New Jersey Nets, 105-92.
“We’re not completely thrilled,” head coach Nick Nurse said. “They played incredibly fast, and they crash everybody. We kind of knew that going in. I guess we made up for it in some other areas.”
The Sixers did. With James sitting for injury management, Joel Embiid directed the offense, VJ Edgecombe supplied desperately needed rebounding from the perimeter and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made timely plays at both ends.
The result was a 127-116 victory and the franchise’s fourth 3-0 start since the beginning of the 2000-01 season.
A different floor general
James’ first absence with the Sixers presented a straightforward question.
Who would organize the offense without him?
The answer began with Embiid.
He recorded 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his 10th regular-season triple-double. He assisted four baskets in the opening quarter and continued creating shots as Milwaukee sent additional defenders toward him.
“Obviously, he’s been doing a lot of that,” Embiid said of James. “With him not being on the floor, someone else has to be kind of like that floor general.”
Embiid did not shoot especially well, going 8 for 20 from the field and missing all three of his three-point attempts. His passing — and trips to the free throw line — prevented those misses from bogging down the Sixers’ offense.
He found Maxey for a three-pointer early in the third quarter, delivered consecutive assists to Anfernee Simons, Maxey and Edgecombe during an early fourth-quarter run, and set up Jaylen Brown, who scored 27 points, for one of the game’s biggest shots.
“I just wanted to make sure that the ball moved side to side and get guys involved,” Embiid said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that can get shots. It was just making sure the offense flowed the right way, we got the right spacing and made plays for everybody.”
Maxey assumed more responsibility, too. He finished with 26 points and four assists while handling the ball more frequently than he had alongside James in the opening two games.
“I have to handle more and kind of set us up a little bit more,” Maxey said. “Bron is a half-court creator for us, a full-court creator for us. But Jalen did a good job. He did that as well.”
The Sixers committed only 11 turnovers and recorded 26 assists. They were not perfectly organized, but they did not look lost without the player who had helped arrange their offense through its first two games.
“We know what to run,” Maxey said. “That’s one thing I will say. Having everybody healthy in training camp, you can do that. You can switch up teams. You can put guys on this team when this guy is out and that guy is out.”
Losing the glass, winning the possession battle
A 22-rebound deficit usually means surrendering far more opportunities than the opponent.
That was not the case Saturday.
Despite Milwaukee’s dominance on the glass, Philadelphia attempted 98 shots to the Bucks’ 90. The Sixers forced 22 turnovers while committing 11 and held a 14-5 advantage in steals.
“It’s almost hard to believe,” Nurse said. “You give up 17 offensive rebounds, and you end up with 98 shots to 90 for them. I guess that’s reflected in the turnovers.”
Those extra opportunities became especially valuable from outside.
The Sixers went 19 for 44 from three-point range, compared to Milwaukee’s 11-for-34 performance. That created a 24-point advantage from beyond the arc, more than enough to offset Milwaukee’s rebounding and interior advantages.
Philadelphia also went 28 for 34 at the foul line. Milwaukee made 21 of its 28 free throws.
The math was unconventional but clear. The Bucks grabbed 22 more rebounds. The Sixers made eight more three-pointers, seven more free throws and forced 11 more turnovers.
That is how a team can lose the glass by 22 and win the game by 11.
Edgecombe flies in
Edgecombe could not erase Philadelphia’s rebounding problems by himself.
He came closer than any Sixers player.
The second-year guard matched his career high with 13 rebounds, including a team-leading 11 on the defensive end. He added 17 points, made five three-pointers and did not commit a turnover in nearly 30 minutes.
“We really need it,” Nurse said. “There are a lot of times when guys are attached and blocking out, and the ball is bouncing out. Somebody needs to come flying in from the outside to grab those. That’s been him a couple games in a row.”
Edgecombe’s most important rebound came with the Sixers’ lead reduced to three in the final two minutes.
Embiid missed a jumper, but Edgecombe crossed the lane and extended the possession with an offensive rebound. Six seconds later, Embiid found Brown for a three-pointer that pushed the lead back to six and completed his triple-double.
Edgecombe then stole the ball from Jaime Jaquez Jr. on Milwaukee’s following possession. Brown found Caldwell-Pope for another three.
The Bucks missed a putback on their next trip. Edgecombe blocked it, grabbed the rebound and later assisted an Embiid dunk that ended Milwaukee’s threat.
In 58 seconds, he produced an offensive rebound, a steal, a block, a defensive rebound and an assist.
“I’m surprised when he doesn’t do that,” Maxey said. “I get mad at him when he doesn’t. I tell VJ, ‘Go do that VJ stuff you do.’ That’s what he does.”
Dean Wade has quickly gained an appreciation for what that means.
“He’s probably one of the keys to our team,” Wade said. “I don’t even know if he realizes how important he is for us. He brings so much energy, offensive rebounding and defense. He’s everywhere.”
Edgecombe will not always take 10 three-pointers or produce a double-double. His place in this lineup will often be determined by the work surrounding those numbers.
“We’ve got so many superstars that he’s going to have to sacrifice,” Wade said. “His box score, everything stats-wise, might not show how important he really is to this team.”
On Saturday, it did.
KCP’s ‘real vet stuff’
Caldwell-Pope provided a different type of support.
The 33-year-old guard scored 12 points, made four of his six three-point attempts and collected three steals in 28 minutes. His plus-24 tied Brown for the best mark on the team.
His impact began when Milwaukee took control of the second quarter.
The Bucks turned a nine-point deficit into a seven-point lead, but Caldwell-Pope made two three-pointers in less than two minutes. He then stole a Myles Turner pass and drew an offensive foul from Turner during the Sixers’ response.
Philadelphia closed the half on a 15-4 run and took a 64-60 lead into the locker room.
“He made some big-time shots and made some big-time plays defensively,” Maxey said. “He did some real vet stuff today.”
Nurse also used Caldwell-Pope against Tyler Herro after the former Heat guard began finding an offensive rhythm. Herro finished with 13 points, went 1 for 3 from three-point range and committed three turnovers.
“He really sprints the floor and gives us some spacing in transition,” Nurse said. “He came in to take Herro and did a nice job. It was a huge lift defensively.”
Caldwell-Pope delivered once more after Milwaukee pulled within three late in the fourth quarter. Edgecombe’s steal started the possession, Brown supplied the pass and Caldwell-Pope buried the three-pointer that restored a nine-point lead with 1:12 remaining.
“I try to start with defense always and keep myself engaged in the game,” Caldwell-Pope said. “Offensively, the game eventually finds me. I just have to stay ready to shoot it at all times.”
Another second-half answer
The Sixers did not need another massive comeback Saturday. They still played their best basketball after halftime.
Through three games, Philadelphia has outscored its opponents by 49 points in the second half.
The Sixers held a 52-42 second-half advantage over the Knicks. They outscored Cleveland 69-37 while erasing a 29-point deficit. On Saturday, they won the final two quarters by a 63-56 margin.
Milwaukee pulled even at 82 with 4:25 remaining in the third quarter. Philadelphia responded with a 15-5 run to close the period.
Caldwell-Pope and Maxey hit three-pointers. Brown turned a steal into a layup. Maxey beat the buzzer with a difficult step-back jumper that gave the Sixers a 97-87 lead entering the fourth.
They stretched the advantage to 16 before the Bucks made their final push.
“We run an action, then run the next action, run the next action and make the right play,” Nurse said. “The organization is taking a little bit of time, which is rightfully so. We’re trying to learn things that we’ve got to polish.”
They’ve also protected the basketball quite well in the closing half, turning it over just 12 times.
Philadelphia should not expect to win many games while surrendering 62 rebounds. They also will not have James for all 82.
Three games are nowhere near enough to define the Sixers. They have been enough to show how many possible answers they possess.
“We’ve got a lot of growth and a lot of improvement that we’ve got to make quickly,” Brown said. “We’re 3-0 right now, but we’ve got a lot of room to work.”
