Georges Niang today on his Iowa State connection in the NFC title game:
“Brock Purdy’s a good friend of mine. … I hope Brock does well, but obviously I like living and breathing, so I want the Eagles to win.”
James Harden with a pregame hug for John Hao, a Michigan State shooting survivor.
Hao’s a big fan of Harden, who connected with him and invited him to a game:
Ben Simmons walked into the locker room, sat down and said, "That's like the 10th time Magic has called me today."
After pausing for a second, he clarified that he was, of course, joking.
Tyrese Maxey said he hasn’t talked with James Harden or Ben Simmons since the trade.
He said he’s looking forward to learning from Harden and is willing to play whatever role he’s asked — even joked he’d back up Joel Embiid.
Seth Curry says him and Ben Simmons were playing Call of Duty: Warzone before their pregame nap. He says Simmons told Curry he needed 30 from him, and that he'd get a triple-double to close it out.
James Harden did everything at practice, Doc Rivers said. Worth noting Sixers didn’t scrimmage, but Rivers said Harden was unlimited.
Rivers mentioned Harden was “blown away” today by a couple of Tyrese Maxey dunks.
James Harden: Sixers need to play “freely,” with “the ultimate confidence” vs. the Heat.
Harden said the Sixers are being “counted out” with Joel Embiid sidelined.
Joel Embiid said the first thing he said to James Harden after the trade is “you’ve got to help me” in pushing teammates to take open shots.
Embiid has been insistent about that all year with players like Matisse Thybulle and Tyrese Maxey, still sees it as key for the Sixers.
Tyrese Maxey said he’ll be at Eagles-Cowboys on Sunday night.
Called the experiences he’s had at Flyers, Phillies and Union games “lit.” Last night was his first hockey game.
Tyrese Maxey sat down at the podium singing “Here Come the Sixers.”
Asked reporters if we wanted to sing, too, and wondered why we’re always so serious.
Al Horford says he hopes both Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns learn from tonight’s fight.
He says both are “good kids,” but “there’s just no place for that.”
Tyrese Maxey notes he first met Shake Milton when Milton was at SMU and Maxey’s dad was an assistant there.
He says Milton is like a big brother to him and that SMU should stand for “Shake Milton University.”
Mike Scott says he told Brett Brown and Elton Brand that he'd like to stay with the Sixers.
He said he feels like this season gave his career "a jolt" and that he was "ass" in L.A.
Tobias Harris said his focus is on contributing to “winning basketball.” Wants to take the looks that are there, but isn’t fixated on scoring, number of shot attempts, etc.
Isaiah Joe says Sixers veterans have already helped him out with everything from financial advice to practice habits to learning the city of Philadelphia. He says he'll be leaning on the vets "24/7, 365."
Zhaire Smith, Jonah Bolden, and two-way players Shake Milton and Haywood Highsmith will all be joining the Sixers for the rest of their season after tonight's game, Blue Coats head coach Connor Johnson said.
Doc Rivers said Joel Embiid had plantar fasciitis this offseason, which has contributed to his conditioning not being at its best early in the year.
Rivers said Embiid isn’t bothered by that now, that he expects him to get into better shape and a better rhythm.
Shake Milton said his goal over the rest of the regular season is to secure a rotation spot.
He called James Harden a “pure hooper” and said Harden has been down to earth, “one of us” as a teammate.
Joel Embiid on his health: "I'm OK. I'm standing up, I'm walking. I finished the game. I'm going to keep getting back up, I'm going to keep fighting. ... That's been my motto. Whatever happens, get back up and keep it going."
Tyrese Maxey said with a smile that he couldn’t reveal James Harden’s foul-drawing secrets — mentioned that it even took months for him to get those from Harden.
Maxey said he soaks up everything Harden tells him “like a sponge.”
From Tyrese Maxey:
-Sixers’ vibes are “immaculate”
-Danny Green took the ball from him when he was at the practice facility shooting, told him to go home and rest
-He wants to be an actor when he’s done playing, or a broadcaster on TNT (or maybe both?)
Tyrese Maxey, wearing an Allen Iverson shirt for his exit interview, said Kentucky prepared him well for the responsibilities of being a pro. He said his parents set a great foundation for him, too.
From Doc Rivers:
-P.J Tucker was yelling in locker room about how no one’s going to give Sixers a win, they need to earn it.
-Rotations with Embiid subbing out earlier indeed due to conditioning, probably will last for at least a couple more weeks.
Joel Embiid said he thinks Matisse Thybulle is “probably the best perimeter defender in the league” and has a chance to win Defensive Player of the Year.
Danny Green said Doc Rivers told him he'll be back with the Sixers at the end of their exit meeting tonight. Green said he hasn't thought about his free agency yet and has a lot of other things on his agenda this offseason, including getting married.
Tobias Harris said Joel Embiid was upset about his injuries but is in “good spirits” overall.
Harris said he expects the Sixers to feature more pick-and-rolls without Embiid, and that ball movement remains key.
The Sixers will hold a press conference tomorrow at noon in Camden with James Harden, Paul Millsap, Daryl Morey, Doc Rivers and Josh Harris.
Before that, they've got practice today.
Doc Rivers said Joel Embiid put his hand up at halftime tonight and told the team he needed to be better defensively.
Rivers praised Embiid’s leadership and focus, called him a “great player playing really well.”
Tobias Harris just:
-Made his 1,000th career three-pointer
-Made his 100th three this season
-Tied Hollis Thompson for 10th on the Sixers' all-time three-point list
Ben Simmons on virtual fans:
"If we're not playing hard, we want to hear those boos."
He says Sixers fans are one-of-a-kind and there's nothing like playing at home.
There’s a framed Sixers jersey at T.J. McConnell’s locker with a signed note from Elton Brand on behalf of the Sixers’ organization thanking him for his contributions here and wishing him the best.
James Harden is declining his player option for 2022-23, source confirms.
Harden after Game 6 loss to MIA on his option: "I’ll be here, yeah. Whatever allows this team to continue to grow and get better — and do the things necessary to win and compete at the highest level.”
Joel Embiid said the Ben Simmons situation is “weird, disappointing, borderline disrespectful” in an extended answer a few minutes ago.
Embiid reiterates he hopes Simmons comes to camp and said the team is better with him. Said he’s focused on the players here.
Tobias Harris critical of the Sixers’ effort: “We didn’t bring the fight tonight.” Called the effort level “terrible.”
Harris said the team needs to stick together and get back to trusting what worked earlier in the series.
Doc Rivers said if he was giving a game ball out tonight, it would probably be to Matisse Thybulle. He said Thybulle had 12 deflections in one quarter.
"He's just a hell of a defender."
Georges Niang: Ben Simmons addressed the team today. Team left the meeting understanding what he had to say. Locker room is “a sacred place,” won’t get into specifics.
Ricky Council IV on his approach: “I just feel like I’m a dog. I feel like a lot of people say it, but not a lot of people are about it. I’m about it.”
Mo Bamba said Joel Embiid is one of the main reasons he joined the Sixers.
Expressed belief in their ability to share the court at times and recalled seeing Nick Nurse use Marc Gasol-Serge Ibaka lineups in the 2019 postseason.
Doc Rivers on Ben Simmons: "I thought he was special today. ... He's a treasure. He's something that you don't see a lot in this league."
Rivers says he "sees greatness" in Simmons and wants him to keep doing what he's doing.
Doc Rivers said he knows Joel Embiid is doing “a lot better” and “did something” yesterday.
Added “I don’t want to give any false hope, so I’ll stop there.”
Doc Rivers: Sixers told Tyrese Maxey before the game he'd be on the floor late with Ben Simmons, since the Sixers would need a ball handler.
"I thought this was the best defensive night of the season for him. Just really proud of him."
Joel Embiid on having COVID-19: “I really thought I wasn’t going to make it. It was that bad.”
Embiid said his first workout was a couple days ago and it’s a “miracle” he played 45 minutes tonight.
Tyrese Maxey on the five minutes Joel Embiid gave them to celebrate his MVP last night:
“It was lit, it was lit. We got our five minutes in! He cried. ... He deserved to let those tears go, let that emotion go. We got the celebration out and we’re going to focus on Game 2 now.”
Ricky Council IV at his exit interview: “I still remember I went 1 for 17 in summer league, to the point where I didn’t want to shoot. My teammates begged me to shoot catch-and-shoot shots.”
Started 0 for 4 from three-point range tonight ... has made his next five.
Doc Rivers said he thought Ben Simmons' drives and kick-outs to 3-point shooters early discouraged the Wizards from double teaming Joel Embiid.
"It was the perfect storm and they played off of each other."
Tyrese Maxey on what he's heard from Sixers' coaches ahead of Game 6:
“Same things. Just go out there and be aggressive. Be that same spirited guy that we need, bring positive energy. Fly around offensively and defensively. And at the end of the day, try to help us get the W.”