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Boban Marjanovic gives his seal of approval to say 'Bobi' instead of 'Kobe'

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Boban Marjanovic gives his seal of approval to say 'Bobi' instead of 'Kobe'

By Noah Levick March 29, 2019 6:06 PM

Boban Marjanovic was not exactly renowned for his jumper when he joined the Sixers. He’d played 164 NBA games and hadn’t made a three-point shot.

Oh, how things have changed. 

Marjanovic swished his second three-pointer in three games Thursday night in the Sixers’ win over the Nets.

And he also showcased his soft touch in the paint, scoring 16 points in 18 minutes. 

One especially beautiful turnaround jumper inspired Marjanovic to let us all know that “Kobe!” isn’t the only acceptable thing to shout out when attempting such a shot.

So, next time you’re playing in a pickup game and drain a tough fadeaway, or toss a piece of paper into the trash, don’t say "Kobe!" … you now have the Bobi seal of approval. 

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Sixers' bench still 'a legitimate question' with playoffs looming

Sixers' bench still 'a legitimate question' with playoffs looming

By Paul Hudrick April 02, 2019 9:00 AM

If there’s one thing the Philadelphia media can count on with Brett Brown, it’s that he’ll always give a thoughtful response.

Whatever question you ask, whether it’s something he’s answered a million times or a flat out bad question, Brown will give a detailed answer.

But after a reporter in Dallas on Monday asked Brown about the Sixers’ depth following a 122-102 loss to the Mavericks at American Airlines Center (see observations), the head coach was short and sweet.

“I think it’s a legitimate question.”

That’s it. No elaboration — just a nod to the reporter and on to the next question.

Brown didn’t say any more and he didn’t have to. With no Joel Embiid and no Jimmy Butler, this seemed like a good opportunity for some of the Sixers’ reserves to step up against the Luka Doncic-less Mavs.

Instead, the bench was outscored, 62-28, and fill-in starters Jonah Bolden and James Ennis combined to go 2 of 12 from the field for six points. 

The performance was particularly disappointing for Bolden, who shined in the team’s win in Minnesota. With the backup center role still a question mark for the playoffs, Bolden failed to seize another opportunity Monday and is still entrenched in a battle with veteran Boban Marjanovic for minutes.

It looks like Ennis will be the first wing off the bench come postseason. He’s been up and down since his arrival at the trade deadline and has recently been dealing with a bruised quad that caused him to miss two games. The Sixers need him to play strong perimeter defense and hit open threes — neither of which he was able to do Monday.

Even Mike Scott, who’s been a solid contributor and has basically taken over as the Sixers’ sixth man since coming over from the Clippers, struggled in Dallas. He went just 1 of 5 from the field and 0 of 4 from three. 

T.J. McConnell was the lone bright spot off the bench with 15 points in 17 minutes. The backup point guard is what he is. He can give you a spark for 10-15 minutes a game and be lethal in the midrange. He’ll also struggle to defend bigger and/or quicker guards.

At this point, there isn’t much Brown or the Sixers can do to remedy their situation. Jonathon Simmons couldn’t show enough to stay in the rotation. Amir Johnson isn’t the same player he was last season. Furkan Korkmaz is coming back from an injury and quite frankly hasn’t been that effective when healthy. Rookie Zhaire Smith has just missed too much time to be asked to have a role in the playoffs. Two-way rookie Shake Milton won’t be eligible for the playoffs and also had his issues against the Mavericks. 

If Brown decides to roll with a nine-man rotation in the playoffs, you’re looking at Scott, Ennis, McConnell and some combination of Bolden and Marjanovic as the reserves. Because of how elite the starting unit is, you won’t need much from those players. If they can give the Sixers 10 solid minutes a game each, they’ll be fine.

But can they do that? Even the usually meticulous Brown doesn’t have an answer.

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Mavericks 122, Sixers 102: Disappointment in Dallas as Sixers fail to pick up the slack without Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler

Mavericks 122, Sixers 102: Disappointment in Dallas as Sixers fail to pick up the slack without Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler

By Noah Levick April 01, 2019 10:54 PM

BOX SCORE 

No Joel Embiid (load management/left knee), no Jimmy Butler (back tightness), and a seemingly endless stretch where every shot you throw up clangs off the rim is not a good recipe for a win.

Without two of their stars, the Sixers fell to the Mavericks on Monday night, 122-102, dropping to 49-28 on the season. They’ll conclude their three-game road trip Wednesday night against the Hawks (7:30 p.m./NBCSP).

Here are observations from the loss: 

• Jonah Bolden started again in place of Embiid and he couldn’t build on his excellent performance against the Timberwolves. Bolden had two points, seven rebounds and an assist. He wasn’t great defensively either and was a team-worst minus-26.

The Sixers didn’t mind the matchup of Marjanovic, the NBA’s tallest player, against the second tallest — 7-foot-2 Salah Mejri. It was a rare instance in which the opposition couldn't regularly pull Marjanovic away from the rim and target him on defense. Marjanovic had five points and seven rebounds in 13 minutes.

• The Sixers hit a brutal cold spell of shooting in the second quarter, missing three after three during a span of over eight minutes without a field goal to wrap up the first half. Though they missed plenty of open looks, the Sixers also settled for a bunch of jumpers, straying from their early success with Ben Simmons in the post.

It didn’t help that their defense couldn’t string together stops or force a turnover. Rookie Shake Milton had an especially difficult time keeping his man in front of him. 

The Mavs won the second quarter, 41-18. 

• With Simmons guarded at times by 6-foot-3 Villanova product Jalen Brunson and 6-foot Trey Burke, we saw a good amount of “Explosion” — the Sixers’ largely improvisational off-ball movement around Simmons in the post.

Simmons made several impressive passes out of the post, including a bullet from the left block to JJ Redick for a three on the right wing in the first quarter.

He wasn’t as effective down low as a scorer. Though he did get to the line 11 times, making seven, Simmons missed several easy attempts near the rim and shot 5 for 15. 

• There was also a clear emphasis on getting Tobias Harris opportunities in the post early. As usual, Harris was at his best in the first quarter, with nine points on 4 for 6 shooting.

Harris had a strong third quarter at the point, running plenty of middle pick-and-rolls with Marjanovic. It’ll be interesting to see if Harris can develop the same sort of synergy with Embiid in the pick-and-roll once the Sixers’ All-Star center returns.

Harris finished with 25 points.

• Life is generally good for the Sixers when Redick is hitting shots.

He did that Monday night, scoring 21 points in the first half, 26 in the game. 

But nobody else could make a three-point shot — the rest of the team shot a combined 2 for 22 from long range. 

Coming in, the Sixers had been 10-2 this season when Redick scored 23 or more points. 

• Zhaire Smith checked in during the third quarter with the game slipping away, and fellow rookie Haywood Highsmith saw the floor in garbage time. Highsmith shot 1 for 3, scoring his first NBA points since his debut on Jan. 8. Smith, scoreless in nine minutes, displayed his athleticism with a chase-down block late in the fourth. 

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