Dave DuFour and Es Baraheni sound the panic alarm over Joel Embiid and the Sixers and discuss the controversial game-ending steal in Sacramento. Then, The Athletic’s Kelly Iko joins the show after the Rocket's loss in Milwaukee. Finally, the guys look at some disturbing numbers for Tyrese Haliburton.Host: Dave DuFourWith: Es BaraheniExecutive Producer: Andrew SchlechtAudio Producer: Grayson Moody Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Chapter 1: Why are fans worried about the 76ers' performance?
People are freaking out over the Philadelphia 76ers this morning. Rightfully so. Joel Embiid was a late decision, literally 21 minutes before the scheduled tip. I texted S and I said, hey, looks like Embiid's going to play. They tried to sneak attack, I guess, the Miami Heat, and it did not work. It just didn't work in any way whatsoever.
Very Nick Nurse type of thing to do, by the way.
They're going to do this to us all year, S. It's going to get annoying already. They've been fined once for the delayed announcement of the lineups. I don't know if this will happen again because apparently he was dealing with an illness, and it looked like it when he was on the court. He did, yeah. They lost a game by 17 that they led by as much as 19.
And S Embiid is the biggest story for the Sixers all season. He's the biggest story from this game. He looked bad in the game. I think he lacks confidence when he's out there, which is an odd thing to say about a guy who is an MVP. Yeah. Defensively, he's we expected him to struggle a little bit and not to look like he had any condition. But there was not much effort there.
He was like spinning around in circles, sometimes looking like he didn't really even know what to do. It's it was confusing to me. I guess they're trying to let him play himself into shape. That's an awful way to win basketball games. And now they're two and eleven. Like it's getting late, although luckily they're in the east.
Yeah, exactly. I mean, two and eleven makes them, I don't know, like four games back of a playing spot, which is just wild to consider. You're right about Embiid. I thought they they found a way early to try and get him going. Right. Like empty side stuff. Get him in the post. Try to get him some easy looks.
Because that's what you need when you're dealing with an illness and coming back from injury. Let's just try to spoon feed him some good opportunities. It worked initially, and that's how the Sixers climbed and got that lead, that 17-point lead. But then in the second half, and especially in the second quarter, they just collapsed. I think part of it is the fact that
Their offense, which is now 30th in the league, dead last in the league offensively, is predicated on, okay, Joel Embiid is going to have so much attention around him. They're going to have to send help to guard Joel, especially in the post, mid-high post, especially that nail area. And then the shooters will be able to knock down these shots. But... Eric Gordon, one of four tonight.
Kelly Oubre, one of four tonight, who has been really, really bad this whole year. Kyle Lowry, who continues to play heavy minutes for them, just really hasn't had anything to provide on that end. And that's, you know, that's Raptors legend Kyle Lowry. And I'm truthfully saying, like, he is he has not looked the greatest this year at all.
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Chapter 2: What happened in the controversial game-ending steal in Sacramento?
And then he ends up going the distance with Amin Thompson and Tyron Eason. But... One of the keys for Houston defensive this season has been the reliance on Alperen Shingun, his emergence as a rim protector, his emergence as a guy that can be on the floor for long stretches.
We know as a rookie and even up until last season, there were times where he was played off the floor because he didn't have the conditioning or he didn't have the, you know, the skill set to defend in space or defend guys. Now we're seeing him being placed on guards, being placed on wings, being placed on bigs, and he can, you know, he can kind of do it all. So in a game like this where,
you're looking for that fifth guy to close. And we saw, I think they went, I think they went one for nine in the last four minutes of the game. Yeah. It was like a sluggish, exactly the kind of game that the Bucs wanted. I know that's the kind of game that Doc Rivers wanted for sure. And put the ball in Damian Johnson's hands to win the game.
But from a Houston standpoint, they want to get the best shots they can, especially for a team that doesn't shoot well from three at all. And we saw, it might've been tired leg. This was the sixth game in nine and nine days. So that could be that. It was just one of those things.
Listen, I'm not going to give them that excuse, Kelly. I think they're a little too young for us to say that they got tired legs. But when I'm watching this game down the stretch, you just kind of pointed this out. I'm thinking to myself, who's the guy that's going to go get them a bucket? You need that guy.
If you're going to be a home court advantage team in the playoffs, if you're going to win a first-round playoff series, maybe make a conference finals run. I mean, this defense, I think, is going to be playoff ready. But you need a guy, and I think Jalen Green – He at least fits that mold. If you squint, right. And you're looking at him, he's the guy.
He had a good fourth quarter too, right?
Great fourth quarter. I mean, you know, why didn't they maybe, you know, run more stuff for him, get him in Shingun operating a little bit more together in two man game. I mean, down the stretch of the, is there, is it a trust issue or is it just a function of playing out there with veterans?
I think it's a bit of both. I think it's something where you, and if we're being honest, you know, this is in Illinois, you know, Fred VanVleet had an event for, for kids bringing out. He, we saw what he did last night in Chicago. You know, he wants to take it to them, you know, because he's from Rockford. Rockford is halfway between Chicago and Milwaukee.
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Chapter 3: How did Damian Lillard save the Bucks against the Rockets?
Chapter 4: What are the Sixers' struggles with Joel Embiid?
Because that's what you need when you're dealing with an illness and coming back from injury. Let's just try to spoon feed him some good opportunities. It worked initially, and that's how the Sixers climbed and got that lead, that 17-point lead. But then in the second half, and especially in the second quarter, they just collapsed. I think part of it is the fact that
Their offense, which is now 30th in the league, dead last in the league offensively, is predicated on, okay, Joel Embiid is going to have so much attention around him. They're going to have to send help to guard Joel, especially in the post, mid-high post, especially that nail area. And then the shooters will be able to knock down these shots. But... Eric Gordon, one of four tonight.
Kelly Oubre, one of four tonight, who has been really, really bad this whole year. Kyle Lowry, who continues to play heavy minutes for them, just really hasn't had anything to provide on that end. And that's, you know, that's Raptors legend Kyle Lowry. And I'm truthfully saying, like, he is he has not looked the greatest this year at all.
So the shooters that they expected to knock down the shots, Caleb Martin, another guy, two of six tonight, Paul George, right? Paul George, movement.
shooter one of the best what you're supposed to do that's what he signed up for and he was one of seven from three tonight so like there is the offense is really really bad and it's and part of it is just the fact that the Sixers complimentary guys that they signed that they spent big money to go out and get and have not been doing their jobs.
Yeah, I mean, look, again, they built this team and we haven't really seen it at full strength. We're going to all say the same stuff, but it doesn't change the fact that they're 2-11 and that they blew a 19-point lead in a game that Paul George and Joel Embiid both played in. Inexcusable. After the game, the Sixers, I mean, Again, 13 games into this new team and they're having a team meeting.
This is Nick Nurse described it as a little meeting. It took them over an hour for Nick Nurse to even just make it to the podium and post game. And you know how the media, our friends in the media, they were not happy about that. Rightfully, it's an East Coast. It's late over there. And apparently this meeting was player and coach driven.
So, you know, not just the players own only meeting, which I, I don't know why, like, why do you need the coaches in there? What are they even going to do? Like, let's be honest.
Wouldn't that just do, if it's a player and coach meeting, wouldn't that just be a regular meeting session?
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Chapter 5: What led to the Rockets' loss in Milwaukee?
Chapter 6: Are the Sixers in trouble with a 2-11 record?
Yeah, I mean, look, again, they built this team and we haven't really seen it at full strength. We're going to all say the same stuff, but it doesn't change the fact that they're 2-11 and that they blew a 19-point lead in a game that Paul George and Joel Embiid both played in. Inexcusable. After the game, the Sixers, I mean, Again, 13 games into this new team and they're having a team meeting.
This is Nick Nurse described it as a little meeting. It took them over an hour for Nick Nurse to even just make it to the podium and post game. And you know how the media, our friends in the media, they were not happy about that. Rightfully, it's an East Coast. It's late over there. And apparently this meeting was player and coach driven.
So, you know, not just the players own only meeting, which I, I don't know why, like, why do you need the coaches in there? What are they even going to do? Like, let's be honest.
Wouldn't that just do, if it's a player and coach meeting, wouldn't that just be a regular meeting session?
I mean, maybe you guys should have these schedule them, do them a little bit more often, try to get on the same page. Look, the bright side here is this is another game where Jared McCain looks good. Totally. Yeah. But, you know, all this is going to do, in my opinion, we're going to start asking all these questions. OK, so this team, does it look to you like this is a conference finalist?
I mean, true. No, no, not really at all. I mean, there hasn't been many teams in the Eastern Conference that has convinced me they could be a conference finalist right now for what it's worth. The East has struggled. There's two. It's just Boston and Cleveland. But that being said, like looking at what this team could even potentially be. I don't know, man, two and 11.
And you look at like, they really need Tyrese Maxey back. They really need the creation juice of Tyrese Maxey. And yes, Jared McCain is doing his thing. By the way, I think we talked about it before about Maxey and McCain. And should they start those guys together? Just commit to it. At this point, you got to play your five best guys.
That's exactly with the way things have gone for them so far. And I think, look, you can point to Cleveland and you can say you can make this work, especially if Joel Embiid winds up getting himself into shape and can be an elite defender. We know Paul George can do that. They can throw another guy out there. There's no reason why you shouldn't play your your five best guys.
And I think Jerry McCain right now for sure is one of them. I think you can make an argument for from Nick Nurse when they get Maxie back. Whenever that's going to be like, we still don't even know what the timetable really is going to be for him coming back from a hamstring.
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Chapter 7: What are the implications of Tyrese Haliburton's performance?
The Kings lose to the Hawks is a huge win for the Hawks. Darren Fox has just been on fire and he gets shut down with what we can only describe as a buzzer beating steal by who else? Dyson Dyson Daniels.
OK, so the controversy here as did he foul? So, man, I don't think he fouled him. And I think there is the benefit of the doubt of like how good Dyson Daniels has been defensively. That refs aren't going to call that a foul. You think of the deflections, you think of the steals, what he's been doing on that. And I don't I don't think the refs would call that. That being said.
There is a version of this where he stepped out of bounds after he stole the ball. There's a couple of different angles of that. Maybe he did step out of bounds. Maybe it would have give the Kings another opportunity. That's more interesting to me than the foul, in my opinion.
But I mean, well, I feel bad for Kings fans because everybody just tune in tomorrow. We'll update you guys.
We'll just become the athletic last two minute report. Yeah, that's what we said.
Thank you.
Just about every NBA podcaster last night was watching Rockets-Bucks because they had the panic meters ready. They had the panic streamers ready. We were all ready to bury the Milwaukee Bucks.
And then Damian Lillard bails them out with a game-winning layup that I don't even know how he got to against that Houston Rockets defense to give them a 101-100 win over the Rockets, killing the Rockets five-game win streak. We are... We're jinxing teams now. It sucks, man. We're potting enough that we're jinxing teams when they're on these win streaks.
And we also got our guest, Kelly Eco, our regional reporter, our regional beat writer, covering the Rockets and a bunch of other teams. Kelly, you're there in Milwaukee. You were at the game. This was... This was a game that, number one, I felt like the Rockets were going to win going in. They're on this win streak. They look really good.
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