Joel Embiid on Nico Batum:
“He's the key. He's special. With the way we play, he just fits everything we need. Great shooter, great defender, great passer, great basketball IQ. He just fits everything we need.”
Joel Embiid on Markelle Fultz:
“When we did trade him, I was disappointed because I felt like we had given up on him too early. Even back then, even without a jump shot, I still thought he was an amazing talent just because he's so quick. I know he's a great playmaker.”
Joel Embiid on having his huge performance in front of Brett Brown:
“He’s done a lot, not just for me but for the whole city of Philadelphia…I’m kinda glad I did it in front of him so he can kinda the product of what he created.”
Joel Embiid on calling Nikola Jokic the best player in the NBA, and how he and Jokic don’t care about the “war going on between Philly fans and Denver fans” on Twitter:
Shake Milton was asked about the possibility of Ben Simmons switching onto Joel Embiid in tomorrow's Sixers-Nets matchup:
“We like that matchup. We're gonna throw him the ball and let him go to work, for sure. I mean, we like Joel against anybody, so it really don't matter.”
RJ Barrett said he was proud of how the Knicks laid a foundation for the future.
"Shoot, I'm 20. I'm hoping to be here for a very long time, hoping to win many more games, get to many more playoffs, get championships. I'm hoping for all that."
P.J. Tucker, asked about the level of comfort the Sixers feel by playing at home tonight:
“None. There's no comfort in the playoffs. All the way, it's gonna be tough, it's gonna be a dog fight, they're gonna give us everything they got. We gotta be locked in for it.”
Joel Embiid said he had a “good conversation” with Tyrese Maxey after the game. He asked what he can do to help him and gave advice on how to overcome bad shooting nights.
“He'll be fine. But I told him we're not going anywhere unless he's aggressive and he just plays freely.”
Doc Rivers on
@975JKShow
:
Joel Embiid is “the best talent I’ve ever coached…Two years ago, I don’t know if he could have mentally gotten through the poor shooting and I don’t know if he would have done the rest. Now he’s doing more.”
Joel Embiid, asked about the narratives about him ducking the best teams:
“I saw it. But I can’t control if I get sick…Can’t control if my knee is gonna swell up…As long as I’m ready to be dominant when it gets to that time in April, that’s all I care about.”
De'Anthony Melton said he was a Clippers fan and that he “for sure” rooted hard against the Lakers growing up, so tonight is a big game for him.
“We gotta beat the Lakers...Lot of my family, they like the Lakers but my mom, my sisters, we were Clippers fans.”
Patrick Beverley talked with Doc Rivers about the Sixers before signing.
“His response, exact words: ‘I love Philadelphia for you. They need you. You will be great with Joel, James…If I had you last season, we would’ve been a different team.’”
Tyrese Maxey said playing without Joel Embiid exposed him to various defensive coverages, which has made him more prepared for the playoffs.
“I think my mind has expanded…So, I’m prepared. I’m ready to play now. I just don’t like sitting around, waiting.”
Frank Ntilikina on the fan-less atmosphere at MSG: "I miss Knicks fans. Knicks fans [are] the best fans in the league. Having them at the Garden is the best thing."
With his 52-point game vs the Spurs, Tyrese Maxey became the 8th player in NBA history to record three 50-point games before turning 24 years old, per Stathead. The full list:
-Rick Barry (7 times)
-Wilt (5)
-LeBron (5)
-Luka (5)
-Kareem (3)
-Booker (3)
-Tatum (3)
Embiid on this quote from Wemby:
“I hope in a couple years, hopefully when I don't have to guard him and I'm out of the league, he's able to do the same thing and go out and break all these records and possibly break Wilt's record of a hundred points.”
Buddy Hield said that former Sixer T.J. McConnell and former Sixers assistant coach Lloyd Pierce (both of whom are with the Pacers) told him about Philadelphia after the trade.
Hield said that this is a city and fan base he’s excited to be a part of:
Nick Nurse was visibly irked by the Sixers' back-to-back losses. The intensity of today’s practice showcased it.
Nurse: “I just don't accept the effort. I don't accept the lack of defensive transition, the lack of shot challenges, all that kind of stuff.”
Mo Bamba said he and Joel Embiid have “a great relationship” and that they talked during free agency.
“He was like, ‘Listen, this might sound a little crazy because we've been playing against each other so much but it looks like the Sixers would be a good fit for you.’”
Matisse Thybulle after his Trail Blazers debut:
“First thing was, I felt comfortable. I didn’t realize how much you can take that for granted…To feel and know that I’m wanted and needed…I think it showed in just my ability to play and be more of myself.”
Tyrese Maxey was asked about LeBron James & his work ethic. He shared a story about how LeBron got to a 6:00 am workout an hour beforehand, 30 mins before Maxey:
“I said, ‘What are you doing?’ He was like, ‘I can’t let you beat me to the gym.’ And I was like, ‘You’re insane.’”
Joel Embiid talks about how having the whole season to work with Tyrese Maxey - who he called one of the 10 best players in the world - worked well in their partnership.
Said in a later response that it’s not on him to build the team but indicates here the value of continuity:
Buddy Hield, who has already played 82 games this season with 2 left on the Sixers’ schedule, on what it means to him to play as much as possible.
“I take pride in that…That speaks volumes about me, loving to play each and every day.”
Asked Nick Nurse if he is considering playing a Joel Embiid-Paul Reed lineup to combat the Knicks’ rebounding:
“I would say that's a possibility, yes.”
James Harden on Tyrese Maxey:
“I’m very, very proud of him. He’s very, very confident. He has an opportunity to make the mistakes and grow. Obviously he’s a first-time All-Star but he works his butt off…He puts the work in, so the results are gonna show.”
Joel Embiid on being more directive in the offense: [jokingly] “I’m a point guard.”
He then goes more into detail about asking Nick Nurse to install an offense with ball and player movement and how the Sixers need to continue growing with those ideas in mind:
Tyrese Maxey on Tobias Harris’ struggles and trying to get him going:
“I think that’s probably on me…I gotta do a better job of getting him better shots and getting him in better spots to be successful.”
Joel Embiid: “I stand by what I said last time. Toronto, the way they play, obviously they step up to the best players. As long as they hold the other team's best players to whatever, 10, 15, 20, they're probably happy with it. And I was happy with it because we scored a lot.”
Tyrese Maxey recalls being “exhausted” and his body “breaking down” by the 2nd round of the playoffs in his 2nd year. Now he puts in more work to keep his conditioning up throughout the season.
“This is the best I feel going into the playoffs since I started playing in the NBA.”
Tyrese Maxey joins Kobe Bryant, Luka Doncic and Rashard Lewis as the only players in NBA history to have a game with 50 points, 60% FG shooting and 0 turnovers, per Stathead.
Paul Reed said it's “super exciting” to see the Blue Coats sit 1 win away from winning the G League Finals:
“I hope them boys take care of business and hold it down. Just super proud of my guys...Super impressive that they've been able to make it there 3 years in a row.”
Obi Toppin said the role of the bench mob is to "come in and set a spark off for our team, whether we're down or up. I feel like our job is to come in the game...and make sure when the starters get back in, we're positive."
Kelly Oubre Jr. on his great start w/ the Sixers:
“I think it's Coach Nick, Tyrese, Joel, De'Anthony. I can go down the list of everybody on the team, right? Because I feel like we're all learning how each other plays, each other's spots and what each other is really good at...”
Tyrese Maxey through 7 games: 49 assists, 8 turnovers.
It’s one of just 68 instances where an NBA player has had at least 40 ASTs and less than 10 TOs through the first 7 games of a season.
Plus, Maxey has the most points of that group (178 total, 25.4 per game)
De’Anthony Melton said the back pain he dealt with felt like getting pinched. He said he felt it in his everyday life, which tipped him off to how serious his injury was.
“Now I feel a lot better. I feel a lot stronger, too, and I think that’s the most important thing.”
RJ Barrett on playing in the Garden: "MSG is the best place to play, in my humble opinion. Gotta protect home court. Anybody that comes into New York, we gotta try and defend what's ours."
Here at the SNIPES store in Philadelphia as Patrick Beverley hosts a shopping spree for kids from the NOMO (New Options More Opportunities) Foundation. Each kid gets a $500 giftcard
Derrick Rose said he's "very confident" in Julius Randle bouncing back next game.
"We know what type of player he is. He's a hard worker...He loves the game."
Joel Embiid: “I've said it: I think I'm unguardable. It's all about using that and trying to make my teammates better. With that comes a lot of doubles and triple teams every single game. So it's about how do I make my teammates better every game.”
Thibs: "It was a hard-fought game. There's a play — a loose ball that gets batted around and Bogdanovic comes up with it and makes a 3 — and that's probably the difference in the game right there. So, there's a lot that goes into it and we gotta make things go our way."
Joel Embiid:
“I saw after the game last time, they kinda took the Nick Nurse route of begging for free throws and calling out the referees. Then they come out and they got a lot of calls — which, I guess, is good for them.”
Tyrese Maxey on the All-Star 3-point contest:
“It’s funny that I get announced for that, and I think about the past, the reason I’m here in Philadelphia going [21st overall in the draft] is because people said I couldn’t shoot. So I’m actually glad that I ended up here.”
I asked Quentin Grimes who he models his game after. He said he watches a lot of film on Jamal Murray, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.
"We kinda got the same build, same type of game."