Brett Brown’s goal is to build the 76ers around defense. So, it should have come as no surprise that Nerlens Noel, who holds a team-best 103.5 defensive rating, was on the floor during crunch time of Monday’s 119-113 double-overtime loss to the New York Knicks. Not only did Noel play the entire fourth quarter, he stayed on through both extra periods as well.
“That’s one of the more challenging situations you’re put in,” said Brett Brown Tuesday at the Barnett Park Recreation Center. A day after the defeat at Madison Square Garden, he and the Sixers found themselves one thousand miles south of Manhattan, in crisp, 55-degree Orlando, where the club plays the Magic on Wednesday. “We watched all the situations [Tuesday]. You kept judging are they tired, and I never really felt like they were. And so they stayed and played. I thought that Nerlens was great, and the rest of the group was great, but it was one of those things you just rode out a game.”Playing each of the final 22 minutes of the dramatic, back-and-forth Atlantic Division game, Noel’s impact was tangible. He hauled in eight of his 13 rebounds, and registered all three of his blocked shots during that stretch. These were contributions that Brown couldn’t ignore. “It was one of the games that I played him extended minutes because of his presence at the rim,” Brown said.
“Forget the lobs he and Ish [Smith] were doing. His presence at the rim on defense was good, really good. And so I played him there, and he had that volume of blocks.”The swats have been piling up for Noel as of late. Currently, he’s riding a career-best five-game streak with at least three blocked shots. Dating back to his season-high five-block showing on December 28th at Utah, Noel has turned away 30 field goal attempts in his last 11 games. In his previous 26 outings, Noel had blocked 27 shots. “I’m just feeling good right now,” said Noel Tuesday. “I’m having good habits, staying confident, just continuing to progress under the defense. That’s a big aspect of my game. I think this has been one of the best stretches.” Perhaps no portion of Monday’s game at Madison Square Garden better captured the benefits Noel’s rim-protecting prowess than the final minute of regulation. With the Sixers down two points, Hollis Thompson had just missed three free throws after getting fouled on a jump shot from the corner. On the Knicks’ ensuing possession, Noel authoritatively rejected Carmelo Anthony for the second time in the matinee. The Sixers’ big man recalled what happened next.
“I think when Hollis missed those free throws, I blocked a shot, pushed it up, and he hit a three,” Noel said. He remembered the sequence correctly. Thompson’s clutch shot lifted the Sixers in front, 94-93, with 52 seconds to go. “So I think things like that, it helps us get in transition, and get some speed and tempo to the game, and really helps us put some numbers on the board.”The Sixers’ lead ultimately wouldn’t last. It was Anthony who, moments later, used a three-pointer of his own to send the game to its first overtime. Noel switched out to the perimeter to defend Anthony on the play.”We spent a large portion of time just talking about situations,” said Brown, discussing the activities that took place during Tuesday’s light practice. “How do you close out a game? If we draw something, what are we trying to execute defensively? If we had to do it again, what would we do? And we wouldn’t do much different. We talked lots about if got to guard, make a stop, who are our best defensive five? If we got to go shoot a three, who’s our best offensive five? If we just got to get it in, and they’re going to foul you, who are the five best free throw shooters? Just being on top of situations.”Noel and the Sixers were ready to move forward, and focus on how the squad can split its two-game road trip.”I think we’re building momentum off [Monday],” Noel said.
“Although it was a loss, I feel like we can build momentum and bring it into [Wednesday].”The Sixers and Orlando tip off from Amway Center at 7:00 PM EST on Wednesday. The Magic, losers of seven of their past eight games, defeated the Sixers by eight points in the second week of the season.
