Speaker 1: Naga run. In this matney of Martin Luther King Day
Speaker 1: game against the seventy Sixers, the question would be whether
Speaker 1: or not the Sixers would be able to hold things up,
Speaker 1: a test that they had been presented with in previous games,
Speaker 1: not always seeing the other side of it positively. They
Speaker 1: did so today one seventeen, one eleven. The final score
Speaker 1: seventy Sixers back at five hundred. They pick up their
Speaker 1: twentieth win at as early a point of the season
Speaker 1: as they have since two thousand and twelve, fifth victory
Speaker 1: in their last six tries. Brian Seltz with you. Our
Speaker 1: postgame coverage underway. Here's what we'll do. We'll stand by
Speaker 1: for Brett Brown, get a little bit from the head coach.
Speaker 1: We'll bring back Tom McGinnis for a question or two,
Speaker 1: play a couple highlights, and then get you to the man,
Speaker 1: Mike mss and Ellie as soon as we can in
Speaker 1: the four o'clock hour. If you're listening on the flagship
Speaker 1: station of the Sixers ninety seven five to the fanatic, well,
Speaker 1: the Sixers. Their mission was to try and rectify an
Speaker 1: issue that surfaced in the last Thursday's game in London
Speaker 1: against the Boston Celtics, which namely was built up a
Speaker 1: big lead against a quality opponent, no less, and try
Speaker 1: to preserve it and down the stretch. Probably if you're
Speaker 1: got a rooting interest in the Sixers, your mind's thinking, oh, well,
Speaker 1: here it is all over again. But the Sixers they
Speaker 1: managed to hang on. There was that crazy sequence in
Speaker 1: about twenty five seconds to go where the Sixers had
Speaker 1: a wide open look at a Covington layup. He missed
Speaker 1: it and Bead couldn't tap it in. Simmons spiked the
Speaker 1: jam and you're thinking, this is ridiculous, and it was.
Speaker 1: But Joel Embiid got to the free throw line sunk
Speaker 1: the two points of the Sixers needed to maintain breathing room,
Speaker 1: and that was certainly helpful in getting the Sixers over
Speaker 1: the hump. A good win against a Toronto Raptors team
Speaker 1: that has been playing really well as of late. Joel
Speaker 1: embiad he was dominant from the outset he got going
Speaker 1: down the stretching, particularly from the free throw line, where
Speaker 1: he was eleven fourteen. Finished with thirty four points, his
Speaker 1: seven thirty point game of the season. T J McConnell
Speaker 1: was fantastic eighteen points that is a career high eight
Speaker 1: of thirteen from the field, six rebounds, eight assists. He
Speaker 1: found Covington late when Covington leaked out for that easy
Speaker 1: layup to give the six or some breathing room at
Speaker 1: seven points with a minute twenty five to go, and
Speaker 1: he got the steal that's set up that Banana's stretch
Speaker 1: where there were three misses, so an important turnover forced
Speaker 1: by these six or third year point guard there. And
Speaker 1: all in all, the Sixers they buckled down at a
Speaker 1: key point of the season where they're aboat at the
Speaker 1: halfway juncture, and this was a test for them today
Speaker 1: against a very good Raptors team. They were able to
Speaker 1: pass it. The defense was pretty good for the most
Speaker 1: part in this one. Thought Toronto missed some open looks
Speaker 1: throughout the day, in particular Kyle Lowry in his first
Speaker 1: game back after a three game absence, he got himself
Speaker 1: going in the fourth quarter in which the Raptors scored
Speaker 1: thirty six points. So the Sixers still very much a
Speaker 1: youthful team that is a work in progress, trying to
Speaker 1: iron things out as they had the halfway point of
Speaker 1: the season. But a win, as they say, is exactly
Speaker 1: what it is, and that's what the Sixers got one seventeen,
Speaker 1: one eleven over the Toronto Raptors. We're standing by for
Speaker 1: seventy Sixers head coach Brett Brown will step aside real quick.
Speaker 1: It's the postgame show on the Sixers Raider Network. Testy, feisty,
Speaker 1: at times chippy on this Monday afternoon. But the seventy
Speaker 1: Sixers hold off the Toronto Raptors one seventeen to one eleven.
Speaker 1: Brian Seltzer from Sixers dot Com with you down here
Speaker 1: at the center or a waiting Brett Brown's post game
Speaker 1: at press conference. We'll bring in Tom McGinnis right now. Tom.
Speaker 1: At the end of the day, this is what the
Speaker 1: Sixers came for. They got it done despite style points
Speaker 1: maybe of being not quite. That's a good way to
Speaker 1: look at it because in the end, that is what
Speaker 1: matters the victory for the Sixers. They hold off Toronto,
Speaker 1: but certainly they'll sketch you down the stretch. They built
Speaker 1: up at twenty one point lead. The Raptors come back
Speaker 1: primarily with their reserves, particularly Delon Right, and the Sixers
Speaker 1: with a rash of turnovers, but able to forestall them
Speaker 1: a huge shot by Dario Simmons had two big free throws,
Speaker 1: had a big field goal for the Sixers down the stretch.
Speaker 1: Embiid was pretty solid throughout despite a high turnovernight and
Speaker 1: a great night Babe, the best game of his career.
Speaker 1: And that's saying something for t J McConnell, who's had
Speaker 1: a number of really solid performances, including game winning shots
Speaker 1: last year against the Knicks here Orlando on the road,
Speaker 1: but a career high eighteen and really helped the Sixers
Speaker 1: through the middle portion of the game when Ben was
Speaker 1: in foul difficulty. And hey, a win against Toronto hard
Speaker 1: to come by first of the year, even after forty games.
Speaker 1: I think any Sixers fan would take that it actually
Speaker 1: could be better. But this is not a bad way
Speaker 1: to go for the Sixers. And here they go into
Speaker 1: the second half of the season against their art tribals, Boston,
Speaker 1: whom they'll close out the season. Went on Thursday and
Speaker 1: hopefully beginning to gain some knowledge about how to arrest,
Speaker 1: if you will, these runs and to continue to hold
Speaker 1: these leads, because again, as Brett Brown says, you know,
Speaker 1: the focus is on how you lost the lead, but
Speaker 1: there's also got to be some emphasis on how you
Speaker 1: built up these big leads, and they've done this on
Speaker 1: a number occasions. At today able to prevail and hold
Speaker 1: off Toronto. Just the second win in twenty tries for
Speaker 1: the seventy six Ers versus the Raptors. Real quickly on McConnell. Yes,
Speaker 1: he had the career high scoring day, but how emblematic
Speaker 1: was it that it was the past that found Comington
Speaker 1: late to make it a seven point game and then
Speaker 1: the steal that preceded that crazy sequence of three minutes
Speaker 1: ultimately setting up two points that helped get the Sixers
Speaker 1: across the finish line. But wait for your thought on
Speaker 1: that just moment. Let's peak in real quick Brett Brown,
Speaker 1: right now of what we were doing in pick and roll,
Speaker 1: we're solid. I thought we executed them well. But I
Speaker 1: think that that individually we understood that those two when
Speaker 1: they get going, generate most of their wins. And we
Speaker 1: understood that. And I give credit to our guys a
Speaker 1: collective group, for guarding them. I'll say about TJ and
Speaker 1: what he was able to do, especially with Ben being
Speaker 1: in found trouble or I I mean, TJ was great. TJ.
Speaker 1: That's that's why the fans of Philadelphia love TJ. That's
Speaker 1: why his teammates and coaching staff, you know, just have
Speaker 1: a tremendous model respect for him. He plays with great energy.
Speaker 1: He is a lightning rod for us. We needed him
Speaker 1: to be that. And he's a lot of fun. You know,
Speaker 1: he's a lot of fun to watch and he show
Speaker 1: brings a competitive spirit to kind of everything that we do. Indeed,
Speaker 1: true words from Brett Brown, fun washing t J McConnell
Speaker 1: not only perform out there today, but mix it up
Speaker 1: with some all stars out of the Toronto backcourt as well. So, Tom,
Speaker 1: I'll spare you answering that question about t J McConnell,
Speaker 1: because Brett Brown just did a really nice job there.
Speaker 1: Joel Embad getting to the free throw line where he
Speaker 1: was seven of ten, hit some key ones in crunch time,
Speaker 1: and these Sixers a bigger part than eleven to fourteen
Speaker 1: from the free throw line for him, beat and the
Speaker 1: Sixers see him score thirty four points and get eleven rebounds. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it's huge. As I said during the course of the
Speaker 1: game and have mentioned in games and weeks past, But
Speaker 1: to have your best player be a really consistent and
Speaker 1: dependable foul shooter or Patrico and the guts of the
Speaker 1: game is really a luxury, and in bed, you're gonna
Speaker 1: go to him, and he's able to deliver at the line. Obviously,
Speaker 1: JJ's got the second best percentage in the league overall
Speaker 1: and is the six ER's best free throw shooter. But
Speaker 1: Joel has been really good and he was able to play.
Speaker 1: I believe he played almost thirty four minutes. Again, I
Speaker 1: say high turnover game. He got into me. I think
Speaker 1: this is going to come with more experienced, more games
Speaker 1: under his belt. But he got a little over anxious
Speaker 1: against Peartle. He felt like that was a matchup that
Speaker 1: he should not only win, but dominate, and he got
Speaker 1: a little aggressive, just an establishing position before he even
Speaker 1: got the basketball against Yaka Peartle. And you know, Peartle's
Speaker 1: done really well. He's really come on in his second year.
Speaker 1: He played more in this game than there's starter Valentunis
Speaker 1: and the backet didn't play much as well. But Joel
Speaker 1: was really good. And again that ability he's very good
Speaker 1: on the block, getting better, but his ability to face
Speaker 1: up at fifteen feet and just knock out that shot,
Speaker 1: that's almost where he builds his offensive repertoire in terms
Speaker 1: of off of that, and then he can turn and
Speaker 1: they can put his back to the basket and work
Speaker 1: in a number of ways from that position. But he
Speaker 1: was really good. And again the Sixers, you know, it
Speaker 1: wasn't pretty in that they allowed at twenty one point
Speaker 1: lead to slip away, but they were able to come
Speaker 1: back with big plays. And that's I think it's got
Speaker 1: to buoy their confidence with the way that Simmons found
Speaker 1: and beat and that Ben realize, hey, I'm I'm gonna
Speaker 1: take over this game like I did early in the game,
Speaker 1: and a nice victory like you put it earlier. You know,
Speaker 1: however it happened. They beat the Raptors and again five
Speaker 1: hundred as long as the Sixers, and again, like I've
Speaker 1: said two you know you're talking about the playoffs. Here
Speaker 1: comes Milwaukee after the Boston game Thursday in Boston. You
Speaker 1: haven't played Milwaukee yet, you haven't played Miami. If you
Speaker 1: just beat those teams in front of you and hold
Speaker 1: your own against those teams Indiana, they've only played one time.
Speaker 1: They beat them here, you know, and do really well
Speaker 1: against those teams and then handle the teams like you
Speaker 1: have for instance, Atlanta and Charlotte. You haven't played that
Speaker 1: much some of the other teams that you're supposed to be,
Speaker 1: then the Sixers will be in good stead. But over
Speaker 1: a coach doesn't think that way. I mean, that's how
Speaker 1: we as fans and as announcers talk. A coach looks
Speaker 1: at how your team is playing overall, and if you're playing,
Speaker 1: if you're trending consistently well. And I think the Sixers
Speaker 1: for the most part have They've now won what five
Speaker 1: of their last six games, so after that hiccup in December,
Speaker 1: they're trending in a good way and try to grow
Speaker 1: from some of the things they need to work on,
Speaker 1: the turnovers, the fouls, and like that, they'll be in
Speaker 1: a good position. But a nice victory here today in
Speaker 1: front of a great crowd set out again at the Center.
Speaker 1: Tom mc ginnis, thank you very much, night, Brian, Thanks
Speaker 1: one seventeen one, eleven, seventy Sixers over the Raptors, Mike
Speaker 1: miss and Elly in just a few moments. One last
Speaker 1: segment of our postgame covered from the center. On the
Speaker 1: other side. This is the postgame showing the Sixers Radio
Speaker 1: Network seventy Sixers and the Toronto Raptors for the fourth
Speaker 1: and final time this season at Mike miss and Ellis
Speaker 1: starting in just a matter of moments. Let's get to
Speaker 1: a couple of highlights really quick. The Sixers set the
Speaker 1: tone in this one, and it was they tried to
Speaker 1: ride throughout the better part of the day. Here's an
Speaker 1: is sulfur and beat to let up. The lane takes
Speaker 1: it into paint fakes, one way goes to Ronald takes
Speaker 1: the bump head puts it in. Joella Be downo on
Speaker 1: botta tunis. Score one for the big guy and one
Speaker 1: He'll go to the line to shoot for the three
Speaker 1: point play. Much of an answer the Raptors did not
Speaker 1: have for the big man Joel and Be. Throughout most
Speaker 1: of the afternoon, the Sixes were up by nine thirty
Speaker 1: two twenty three going into the second quarter. This play
Speaker 1: capped the frame and the half. It involved t J McConnell,
Speaker 1: who locked big minutes and relief of Ben Simmons, who's
Speaker 1: in faltrum DeRosa has it tipped away and stolen. Here's
Speaker 1: t J head A coming to let coming to two
Speaker 1: nd jam. He throws it down. McConnell with a steel
Speaker 1: had a breakout for Robert Comington, six Ers up fifty
Speaker 1: nine forty nine going into the brake. McConnell got into
Speaker 1: the scoring act throughout the afternoon, in particular in the
Speaker 1: third quarter. Mcconno with the ball TJ a brilliant first half,
Speaker 1: exchanges it with Dario driving on Siaka middle a and
Speaker 1: TJ underhead scoop gun fuccono. Where there's a will, there's
Speaker 1: a way. Great play by McConnell. He's got nine man
Speaker 1: made it seventy eight to sixty four six or ahead
Speaker 1: ninety three seventy five going into the fourth. Wouldn't you
Speaker 1: know the Raptors they had done kind of like opponents
Speaker 1: in previous games had done against the Sixers. A big
Speaker 1: lead started to a road and all of a sudden,
Speaker 1: the Sixers lead at one point twenty one points in
Speaker 1: the second half was trimmed all the way down to
Speaker 1: the sliver of a point at one oh two to
Speaker 1: one oh one after a layup. All the Sixers they
Speaker 1: responded and this play helped get them over the finish leave.
Speaker 1: Ninety seconds ago, coming dis wide open, he gathers it
Speaker 1: a head, scars a layup. J McConnell blows it down
Speaker 1: the floor, Tom puts a head at the Sixers lead
Speaker 1: eleven one h three. Yeah, there were some circutest developments
Speaker 1: down the stretch in the final seconds, but the Sixers
Speaker 1: did get the win one seventeen one eleven over the Raptors.
Speaker 1: Sixers now twenty and twenty on the year, back to
Speaker 1: five hundred with their fifth win in six tries. The
Speaker 1: Raptors have dropped two in a row and three out
Speaker 1: of the last four. They're now twenty nine and thirteen.
Speaker 1: Joel Embid with thirty four and eleven, his eighteenth double
Speaker 1: double of the season, t Jim McConnell a career high eighteen,
Speaker 1: Ben Simmons with twelve, one rebound, four assists, and JJ
Speaker 1: Reddick with fifteen. Kyle Lowry finished with thirteen, Demarda Rosen
Speaker 1: with twenty four, and de line Right with twenty off
Speaker 1: the bench.