The Philadelphia 76ers got a solid victory on the road on Thursday, to end 2020, with a 116-92 victory over the Orlando Magic. It was a game that featured an offensive clinic in Philadelphia, including a triple by star Ben Simmons.
Another very nice evolution was the fact that Matisse Thybulle played well in his first real minutes of the season. The Sixers are a deeper team at the moment and Thybulle has failed to put his foot in the rotation of the new coach Doc Rivers.
However, with Furkan Korkmaz out, Thybulle gets a chance and doesn’t miss it. He had nine points and four rebounds while taking down two from the depths, and his excellent regular defense was there.
“I told him that from the beginning,” Rivers said. “Matisse will be a key player for this basketball team. I thought his first half on both ends was phenomenal. The second half, I was a little upset because he had, I think two 3’s he passed and tried to drive and I told him when you’re open, let him fly. He did that in the first half, but defensively, in the second half, he was phenomenal on (Cole) Anthony. Anthony is very aggressive and he was phenomenal tonight. “
Thybulle was fully in the rotation of Brett Brown as a debutant, as he gained time due to his phenomenal defense. This is not the case right now under Rivers and he understands that as time goes on, he will have to earn his place. This is now his chance to do so.
“I would say it was pretty similar to what happened last year,” Thybulle said. “I have to fight for a place in rotation and it was hit or missed up and down, so it’s nothing new. I didn’t come in the season with any expectations to be on the floor based on what I did last year. I knew I was going to have to win it, and I think I’m doing it right now. “
As for his crime, everyone understands that he is not up there yet, at that end of the floor. He has to keep working on that aspect of his game. The nine points were his first points of the season after running out of scores in the first four games of the season.
“Let’s just sit there,” he added. “These are my first buckets of the season, so I just have a feeling and the more minutes I have, the more comfortable we feel with each other on the field. I think he will come. I think we’re all growing up and trying to figure out where our photos are, which photos are better, and as you can see, I’m going through that as we talk. ”