Sixers player grades: Seth Curry leads shorthanded group past Blazers

The Philadelphia 76ers entered Monday night’s matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers severely shorthanded. They are still missing Ben Simmons as he continues to work on himself, they did not have Joel Embiid as he took a night off to rest, and they then lost Tobias Harris shortly before tipoff as he entered the health and safety protocols.

Things got even tougher for them as they lost Danny Green in the third quarter due to left hamstring tightness. Despite all of that, the Sixers were able to somehow pull out a 113-103 win over the Blazers at home on a night where the Philadelphia fans cheered for Damian Lillard just as much as their own team.

Seth Curry led the Sixers with 23 points, six rebounds, and five assists, Georges Niang was huge with 21 points and five assists, Andre Drummond had a big game with 14 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists to go along with five steals, Green had 11 before exiting, and Tyrese Maxey had 10 and seven assists. Furkan Korkmaz added 15 and five assists Shake Milton added 10 points off the bench.

Here are the player grades following an impressive win:

Tyrese Maxey: B

Maxey is beginning to understand how to be a playmaker and a scorer. There were a few times in this game where he was able to get his teammates involved while also being able to find his own offense at the rim. One specific play that stands out with his playmaking was when he pushed the ball up the floor and found Curry for an open triple. That was a good move being able to find his open teammates in transition. The only knock on him in this one is the number of turnovers he committed.

Seth Curry: A

With the Sixers so shorthanded, somebody had to step up and score the basketball. Curry got off to a good start by scoring seven points in the first quarter. He was putting the ball on the floor, an underrated skill for him, and he was able to make plays for his teammates as well. It seemed like he was really setting the tone for this team as he was able to get the team organized when the time called for it.

Danny Green: A

Before he had to leave the game, the veteran out of North Carolina did what he normally does. He spotted up for triples, he grabbed some boards, and he played some defense. The important part is, he is beginning to get into a bit of a groove after a pretty slow start to the season. As long as he continues to get his legs underneath of him, he will continue to be a big help to this team on offense. The question now is whether he will be able to recover quickly.

Furkan Korkmaz: B+

Getting the start with Harris out, Korkmaz gave the Sixers a bit of a boost in the opening half. He did score seven points and he knocked down a triple as well. He was huge in the fourth quarter as he knocked down a couple of triples to keep Portland at bay a bit. He was shaky on defense, but he more than made up for it.

Andre Drummond: A+

The veteran big fella filled in for Embiid admirably as he had six points and eight rebounds in the opening quarter alone. He had eight, 11, and four assists with zero turnovers at the half as he was Philadelphia’s best player in the half which then carried over to a big second half. He really was excellent all game and he was essential to this win. His defense in the pick-and-roll against Portland’s talented guards was impressive as well.

Georges Niang: A

This was a tough night shooting for Niang to start. He is normally a guy who can be relied upon to knock down open looks from deep, but he just could not find the range as he shot just 1-for-6 from deep in the first half. That changed after halftime as he had eight points in the third quarter, he knocked down both of his triples, and he was huge in the fourth quarter to help the Sixers win this game. The upgrade from Mike Scott to Niang has been bigger than most originally thought.

Shake Milton: B+

Having the fourth-year guard out of SMU back on the floor has been a big boost to this team. His ability to score the ball is something that the Sixers will gladly take for their bench unit. He had six points and three assists in his initial stint and he was a big reason why Philadelphia was able to keep a lead in the first half.

Matisse Thybulle: B-

Thybulle was big on the defensive end again in this one as he had three steals and a block in his first-half stint. In the second half, he got hit with a couple of fouls that hurt his effectiveness. He did make a couple of nice moves to the rim including one where he took an extra step on his drive, but he just couldn’t finish the layup. He also did not hesitate to take an open triple so there appears to be some sort of offensive development going for him.

Isaiah Joe: C

The second-year guard from Arkansas received another look in this one with the team so shorthanded and he was able to make an impact in the early going. He confidently knocked down a deep triple and he made a couple of nice passes that should have been assists as well.

Paul Reed: D+

The active and energetic big man came in and he was solid on the offensive end, but he committed three fouls on the defensive end and he did not corral a rebound in his initial stint. Reed has some potential, obviously, but he still has a long way to go to truly earn a spot in this team’s rotation any time soon.

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