Sixers at Nets: Mac McClung scores 20 points, Sixers beat Brooklyn in season finale
NEW YORK If the Sixers replicate the result of their regular-season finale in Game 1 of their upcoming first-round series against the Nets, they’d be thrilled.
The team closed its season with a 134-105 victory over Brooklyn at Barclays Center to finish at 54-28.
Shake Milton, Mac McClung and Louis King all scored 20 points. Paul Reed had 17 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks.
Cam Thomas was easily the day’s top scorer; he posted 46 points.
For the second straight game, the Sixers were without their top six players, including scoring title winner Joel Embiid and assists title winner James Harden. Georges Niang (left knee soreness) was out as well after scoring 24 points and knocking down five three-pointers Friday night in the Sixers rather stunning overtime win against the Hawks.
Brooklyn also did not play the bulk of its rotation, although Mikal Bridges started and appeared in his 83rd game of the season. He was on the floor a grand total of four seconds; Bridges took a foul and then stayed on the Nets bench for the rest of the afternoon.
The Sixers are expected to hold several practices as the NBAs play-in tournament unfolds next week. Round 1 of the 2023 playoffs will begin Saturday.
Here are observations on the Sixers’ win in Brooklyn:
Reasons for Sixers to like Reed vs. Nets matchup
Reed had no problem piling up 10 quick points.
As usual, he was active defensively and on the glass. Reed also finished well inside, including with his left hand, which has become noticeably more refined this season. Hes added nuance and skill to his game over the last couple of years while gaining a better sense for how to supply what the team wants.
I think for me, I just eliminated all the mental mistakes in the game and that helped build trust from the coaches, Reed said Thursday. And I feel like defending and finishing around the rim (are things) Ive always been good at. So for me it was just eliminating all the mental mistakes during the game and building trust. Thats what helped me solidify my position if it is solidified.
Montrezl Harrell and Dewayne Dedmon will be there if needed the two actually shared the court at times Sunday but its looked clear for quite a while that Reed should indeed be the Sixers top backup center to start the postseason. Against Nic Claxton, DayRon Sharpe and small-ball lineups, Reed seems poised to give the Sixers good minutes in the first round. When switched on to Thomas, Reed swatted his shot twice in the second quarter. One of Reeds best performances this season came in a shorthanded Nov. 22 Sixers win over the Nets, so Brooklyn should be fully aware of what he brings to the table.
While outside shooting wont be on the Nets scouting report for Reed, he did drain his first (and only) three-pointer of the season in Sundays second quarter. Dedmon also hit a long-range jumper in the third.
McClung shows plenty more than dunks
Just two minutes and seven seconds into the game, Mac McClung subbed in for Jaden Springer, whod impressed Friday in Atlanta. Springer did not return. For those wondering why Jaden Springer only played two minutes, I’m told the Sixers are managing his minutes since he played heavily over the last week.
McClung didnt have a great shooting start, but he flashed talent in other ways. Early in his first stint, he guarded Thomas tightly on the wing and poked the ball from him, forcing a turnover. He also made a nice driving jump pass to set Reed up for a dunk. Though passing is clearly not McClungs standout skill, he can effectively employ the jump pass more than the average player.
The dunk contest champion did throw two down on fast breaks Sunday, although McClung opted for solid, traditional two-handed slams over something fancier.
McClung found his jumper in the second half, sinking threes threes. He was near a triple-double with nine assists and nine rebounds.
Thomas goes off, King shows his game
Louis King, the Sixers other two-way player, had a sweet-shooting Sixers debut.
The 24-year-old wing has good positional size at 6-foot-7 with a 7-foot wingspan, which was helpful against Brooklyns smaller perimeter players. For instance, even after a Thomas step-back move got King a bit off balance late in the third quarter, he managed a decent contest on Thomas jumper.
That miss was Thomas’ first from long range. The Sixers had little luck stopping him all day. Though Thomas is only 6-foot-3, he’s excellent at creating shots for himself and absolutely not a player who shies away from putting them up when he’s hot. Perhaps the Sixers would’ve played more aggressive defense on Thomas in a meaningful and sent all-out blitzes at a certain point, but they didn’t need to try anything exotic Sunday.
If anything, both teams were incentivized to be as “vanilla” as possible. They’ve got a much higher-stakes game coming up next weekend in Philadelphia.
